Little Red Wagon Granola

Wow, where has the summer gone? August is upon us and, for some kiddos, school will be starting back again soon. We hope you all have had a joyous summer and are ready to get back into your family’s routine. Sometimes we need a little something special to wrap up the end of summer.  Our easy banana cream pie recipe uses Crunchy Monkey granola to make a delicious crumb crust—it’s the perfect late-summer treat. Try it out for those you love!

Ingredients:

Crust:

• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp sugar (brown or coconut)
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 cups of Crunchy Monkey Granola

Filling:

• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup corn starch
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1 ½ cup milk (2% or whole)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons butter
• Bananas (1 to 2 depending on size)

Topping:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 banana

Directions:

Crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. In a food processor or high-performance blender, pulse Crunchy Monkey granola until crumbs form.  
3. In a small bowl, mix granola crumbs, salt, brown sugar, and butter.
4. Press the crust into a standard pie plate using fingers or something with a flat bottom such as a measuring cup or spatula.
5. Bake crust at 350°F for 8-10 minutes until edges are golden. Set aside to cool.

Filling:

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk 5 egg yolks and then add the heavy cream and milk.  Whisk until well blended.
2. In a small bowl mix the sugar, cornstarch, and salt until blended.
3. Whisk the sugar mixture into the egg mixture in the saucepan.
4. Bring the mixture to a simmer while whisking constantly. We like to start on medium-high and then turn the heat down to medium-low when the mixture looks warm (steam coming off or bubbling). If you want to be more cautious, you can leave the temperature on medium-low; it will just take longer for the mixture to warm.
5.  Once the mixture is simmering, it will start to thicken. Keep whisking to minimize lumps.
6. Once the mixture reaches a pudding consistency (won’t drip off a spoon), turn off the heat. Move the pan if using an electric burner, and whisk for an additional 2 minutes to work out any clumps. 
7. Add butter and vanilla and stir to incorporate.

Pie:

1.  Slice bananas and add to the bottom of the pie crust.
2.  Cover with half of the pudding mixture.
3. Add another layer of bananas and cover with the remaining pudding mixture.
4.  Smooth the top of the pie and cover and allow to cool in the refrigerator for a few hours (preferably overnight). We told you this was an easy banana cream pie recipe! 

Before serving:

1.  In a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, whip heavy cream starting on low speed and increase to medium speed. Add in vanilla and sugar one tablespoon at a time. 
2.  Increase speed to high and stop once stiff peaks have formed.
3.  Spread half of the cream on top of the pie.
4.  Slice additional bananas and layer on top of the whipped cream mixture.
5.  Put additional whipped cream in a piping bag with the preferred pipping tip. Pipe into a decorative pattern. (If you would rather not pipe, you can dollop the whipped cream to enhance the appearance as well.)

This easy banana cream pie recipe can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge. Sometimes, we even freeze a piece for an extra-hot summer day!