Banana Pudding Pie

To be quite honest, John Paul and I should not be allowed to live together. We love each other a whole bunch, and laugh the vast majority of the time, but we also eat TONS of baked goods because neither of us has the willpower to resist a good dessert suggestion. So when I mentioned last week that I was craving banana pudding, John Paul immediately seconded the idea, leaving me no option but to find a decadent, refreshing banana pudding pie recipe to satisfy our enormous appetites.

Oh, did I ever find a delicious summer dessert. I started off with a pie crust made from Nilla wafers, filled it with vanilla pudding and bananas, and even added a little sweetened condensed milk to finish it off. To make the pudding thicker, I used half and half, which does sweeten it more than if I'd used just milk. If you're not crazy about really sweet desserts, use just milk, or bypass the sweetened condensed milk. Obviously, it's not healthy in the least (although the bananas add a bit of potassium; can that please count?), but it is perfect after lunch on a hot day, when baking dessert is too much work. And, really, we can't be expected to eat salads all the time, anyway.

Crust (From Country Living, here)
50 vanilla wafers (I used 70-80 mini wafers)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
5 Tbsp. melted unsalted butter
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Combine wafers, sugars and salt in food processor and pulse until finely ground. (If you don't have a food processor, use a blender or put everything in a big Ziploc bag and crush with your hands. Or feet, there's no judgment.) Stir in butter and vanilla, then press into a 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool.

Pudding* and Banana Filling
2 packages instant vanilla pudding (you can make your own; I'm just a bit impatient)
1 pint half and half
1 1/2 c. 2% milk
1/2 c. sweetened condensed milk
3 bananas, thinly sliced

Combine half and half, milk and pudding mix into medium bowl. Whisk for two minutes, until smooth. Spread sweetened condensed milk onto bottom of crust. Add 1/3 of the pudding, place banana slices in one layer on top of pudding, then repeat two more times. After pie has been assembled, chill in refrigerator for at least two hours. Serves about 10 slices.


*I used Trader Joe's instant vanilla pudding, which calls for 1 3/4 c. milk for each package, and two packages filled the pie crust perfectly. Double check other pudding brands' prep instructions if you're iffy about the filling.