Black Bottom Banana Cheesecake Pie

The moment that I saw this recipe in the Simple & Delicious magazine, I knew I just had to try it. The perfect opportunity presented itself when I decided to have a few friends over, so I went out and bought the ingredients and began to put it together. But when I opened the bag that held the contents of the crust, I noticed an odd odor, I just figured it was from the bag, so I plugged along and finished putting it together. Well, when we tried it, it became apparent that there was something very wrong, the crust had gone bad! Who knew that graham cracker crumbs would could go bad and taste like dirt! I went back and looked at the box, and saw that the "Use By" date was October 2008!!! I immediately started to curse Fry's Grocery Store for not keeping better track of the expired products on their shelves!

After the first disastrous attempt, I still really wanted to make this again, and add my own little twist! Since Whitney, Billy and Laura were coming over to watch SYTYCD, I decided to give it a try once again....and the results.....amazing!! My freshman year of college I had my first taste of Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie, and ever since then I have been obsessed, so I decided that I needed to add a black bottom to this pie! The pie now encompasses my two of my favorites; cheesecake and black bottom banana cream pie.....what could be more divine?

This is very simple to put together and you don't even have to turn on the oven...perfect during these hot Arizona summers!

Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie
adapted from Taste of Home's Simple & Delicious Jan/Feb 2009

1 pkg. (11.1 oz) No-Bake Home-Style Cheesecake Mix
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/3 c. + 3 Tbsp. butter, divided
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. + 1 1/2 c. milk, divided
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) instant banana cream pudding mix
2 medium bananas, cut into 1/4 in. slices
1 c. whipped topping (Cool Whip)
Chocolate syrup, optional

In a large bowl, combine contents of the crust mix, sugar and 1/3 c. melted butter. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-in. deep-dish pie plate; set aside. In a small microwaveable bowl, put 3 Tbsp. butter and the chocolate chips. Microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring between, until smooth. Spread evenly over the graham cracker crust. Place in the refrigerator for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, beat 1 cup milk and contents of filling mix on low speed until blended. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes or until smooth, filling should be thick. Spoon evenly over the chocolate layer. Chill for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk remaining milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Arrange banana slices over the cheesecake filling. Spread with pudding, then whipped topping. Swirl chocolate syrup on top of whipped topping if desired. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

Triple Layer Banana Cream Pie Bars

My sorority alum group was having a bunco night last week, so I decided that I would make a dessert to share with everyone. I had come across this recipe a few weeks ago and thought that it sounded nice a refreshing for a hot summer night. The ladies at bunco night all really enjoyed it, and I got multiple requests for the recipe, but it didn't quite meet my expectations. Although, I do think that with a few minor adjustments, it could be greatly improved. First of all, maybe I didn't crush the pecans up enough, but I found them to be overpowering and it was the only thing that I could taste. If I were to make it again, I would probably omit the nuts and use only vanilla wafers. The other thing that I would change is that I would use banana pudding instead of vanilla pudding, these are supposed to be banana cream bars but they didn't have much of a banana flavor.

I would make these again with the changes because I like the concept and how easy they were to prepare. So if you are looking for a cool summer dessert, try a version of these!

P.S. These do not photograph well at all, it kinda just looks like a blob, so sorry!

Triple Layer Banana Cream Pie Bars

adapted from My Sister's Cucina

1 1/2 c. crushed vanilla wafer cookies (about 60 wafers)

1/2 c. chopped pecans

1/3 c. butter or margarine, melted

3 bananas, sliced

3 c. cold milk

2 pkgs. (4-serving size each) instant vanilla pudding & pie mix

2 1/2 c. whipped topping, thawed

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix wafer crumbs, pecans and butter in 13X9-inch baking dish; press firmly onto bottom of dish. Bake 8 min. Cool 10 min.Top crust with banana slices. Pour milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Spoon 2 cups of the pudding over banana layer.Gently stir 1 cup of the whipped topping into remaining pudding; spoon over pie. Top with remaining 1 1/2 cups whipped topping. Refrigerate 3 hours. Store leftovers in refrigerator.