Banana Cream Pie with Nilla Wafer Crust – From Scratch!

PREPARE THE CRUST: Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Spray a pie tin with baking spray and set aside.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. Add the Nilla Wafer crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg to the melted butter and stir until combined. Dump mixture into the pie tin and use the back of a spoon to firmly press the crumbs to the bottom and sides of the pie tin.

Bake in 350-degree oven for 10-minutes. Remove from oven and let crust cool on the counter for several minutes. Once cool, place in refrigerator or freezer to fully cool and set.

PREPARE BANANA CREAM FILLING: In a small bowl, add the egg yolks and cornstarch. Beat with a fork until the mixture is smooth. Set aside.

In a medium sized sauce pot, add the milk, cream, sugar and salt. Heat on medium heat and use a firm whisk to whisk the mixture until the sugar has dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, continue to cook the mixture on medium heat, whisking occasionally, until mixture comes to a gentle simmer. Once the mixture has reached a gentle simmer, use a measuring cup to remove a cup of the hot cream mixture. SLOWLY stream in the one cup of hot cream mixture into the egg yolk-cornstarch mixture, whisking the mixtures together.

After the two are thoroughly mixed, slowly stream the tempered egg yolk-cream mixture back into the hot cream mixture on the stove and continue cooking the mixture.

Continuously whisk the mixture on the stove until the mixture is thick and big bubbles begin bursting at the surface.

Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract, banana extract and butter. Whisk until the butter has melted and ingredients are combined. Immediately place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the warm pudding, to prevent a skin from forming. Set aside to cool for 20-30 minutes.

PREPARE PIE: Remove the pie crust from the freezer or refrigerator. Slice two bananas into 1/4-inch thick rounds and place the banana pieces on top of the pie crust, covering the pie crust evenly. Sprinkle with a touch of cinnamon.

Once pudding has cooled, pour pudding directly on top of the bananas, spreading the pudding evenly in the pie shell. Option to use a fine metal strainer to pour the pudding into first. Hold the strainer over the pie and use a spoon to push the pudding through the strainer and onto the pie crust.

Immediately place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the pie to prevent a skin from forming. Place pie in the refrigerator to set.

Once ready to serve, slice the remaining two bananas and spread banana slices evenly across the top of the pie.