Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie

Peanut butter, chocolate, bananas...you really can't go wrong with this classic flavor combo. This pie comes from Erin Jeanne McDowell's wonderful new cookbook The Book on Pie and is for all the peanut butter lovers out there. I describe a lot of recipes on this site as "decadent" and this one is no exception. A deliciously thick and creamy peanut butter custard wrapped in a black cocoa "all buttah" crust then topped with sliced bananas and homemade salted peanut brittle. My husband called it a giant Reece's peanut butter cup. Nothing bad about that! The peanut brittle adds balance both with it's crunchy texture and natural peanut flavor.

The beauty of McDowell's cookbook is that she suggests a number of different crust options to go with each pie, so if a chocolate crust isn't your cup of tea there are many others to choose from. The kindle version of the book has all of the recipes and methods linked so it's really easy to jump back and forth while you're cooking. 

Photos by Daniel Marks

There are only two of us in my house, so I halved the recipe and baked it in this cute 5-inch pie plate. Also, to keep the crust from getting soggy, I brushed on some melted semi-sweet chocolate and let it harden before I poured in the custard. The only thing I'd note is that if you make her homemade peanut brittle, judge the doneness by color and temperature, not the time listed in the recipe. If I'd let it cook as long as she says, I would have burnt the entire batch. Just like ovens, all stoves work differently. If you have recommendations from her book, let me know. I'm trying the tomato version of her Onion Tart Tatin next. Mmmmmmm…..

Love peanut butter pie? Check out my Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie with Jam Swirl

Photo by Daniel Marks