Food and Recipes Recipes Chocolate-Banana Custard Pie 5.0 (2) 2 Reviews With barely any baking involved, you'll never get sick of this rich and creamy pie. By Pam Lolley Pam Lolley Pam Lolley developed and tested recipes for Southern Living Magazine in the Souths most trusted Test Kitchen for 19 years. She worked closely with the editors planning and packaging stories, collaborating with art and photo teams on food styling and recipe reproduction to ensure reader satisfaction, content quality control, and recipe authenticity history and cooking. Her area of expertise was baking and and pastry development and she acted as the point person for these areas in the Test Kitchen. With 30+ years of experience in the culinary field, Pam created and tested 1000s of recipes for Southern Living. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on February 9, 2021 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Active Time: 40 mins Bake Time: 20 mins Chill Time: 8 hrs Total Time: 9 hrs Servings: 8 When asked to describe this Chocolate-Banana Custard Pie, one Test Kitchen professional said: "I could eat this every single day of my life and never get tired of it." With ingredients that are all readily accessible, this pie is a great pantry-based dessert that's guaranteed to wow a crowd. When your family gets a taste of this pie, they'll go bananas. Ultrarich chocolate custard makes this classic cream pie over-the-top delicious. If you prefer less sweetness, opt for bittersweet chocolate chips. When shopping for this recipe, be choosy with your bananas. Choose bright yellow bananas with no brown spots (or very few). Overripe ones will be too mushy. The best part of this pie? It barely requires any baking. After blind baking your pie crust (we use pre-packaged here, but feel free to make your own), all you have to do is layer, refrigerate, and wait. The only finnicky part of this recipe is making the custard. Our Test Kitchen notes that, to set yourself up for custard success, it's important to keep your heat at medium-low and to whisk constantly—this prevents your filling from over-cooking and keeps it nice and creamy. Thanks to one handy hack, you can also prep the pie ahead of time. If you want to make the dessert a day in advance, brush any exposed banana slices with fresh lemon juice to keep them from browning. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Ingredients ½ (14.1-oz.) package refrigerated pie crusts (such as Pillsbury) ¼ cup all-purpose flour ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa ¼ teaspoon kosher salt ¾ cup, plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided 6 large egg yolks 2 cups half-and-half 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 3 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided 5 to 6 medium bananas (about 2 lbs.), divided 2 cups heavy whipping cream Chocolate shavings or chocolate curls Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. Fit piecrust into a 9-inch pie plate; fold edges under, and crimp. Prick bottom and sides of crust with a fork. Line piecrust with aluminum foil or parchment paper, and fill to rim with pie weights or dried beans. Place prepared piecrust on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Remove weights and foil; bake until crust is golden brown, 12 to 14 more minutes. Remove from baking sheet, and cool on a wire rack while preparing filling. Whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, and ¾ cup of the granulated sugar in a medium-size heavy saucepan; set aside. Whisk together egg yolks and half-and-half in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk egg mixture into sugar mixture until well combined. Cook over medium-low, whisking constantly, until it just begins to bubble and is thick enough to hold soft peaks when whisk is lifted, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat; whisk in chocolate chips and 2 teaspoons of the vanilla. Whisk constantly until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Peel and cut half of the bananas into ½-inch-thick slices on a sharp diagonal. Place bananas in bottom of prepared crust, covering bottom of crust. Pour chocolate mixture over bananas, and smooth with a spoon or offset spatula. Place plastic wrap directly on warm filling, and chill until set, at least 8 hours or up to overnight. Beat heavy whipping cream and remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until foamy, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Gradually add remaining 3 tablespoons sugar; continue beating until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 more minutes. Just before serving, peel and cut remaining bananas into ½-inch-thick slices on a sharp diagonal. Arrange banana slices on chilled pie; top with whipped cream. Garnish with chocolate shavings or curls. Rate it Print