Banana Split Pie

Um... yeah... now that I have your attention...

Besides being delicious, what do all of the above ingredients have in common? They taste good on a sundae, right? That answer is 100% correct, but not the one I'm looking for. The super-correct answer is: They all taste good on a slice of Banana Split Pie.

We haven't had dessert in our household for quite a long time thanks to my dieting. I felt as though my husband needed a treat, so I asked him to pick one. Lesson learned: husband is dooming himself to diabetes by the age of 30. Not only did he harass me all day about when it would be 'pie time', but when 'pie time' finally arrived, he ate TWO pieces decked out with almost all of the ingredients seen above. You betcha.

The original recipe was taken out of a magazine I have containing a bunch of summertime recipes, but I've altered it so much that I really don't think they are the same at all- I just used the one I found for inspiration. The inspiration for this one called for banana liquor, pudding made from scratch, and a from-scratch nutty pie crust. No, thanks. I like to keep things simple.

Ingredients:

* 1 frozen deep dish pie crust
* 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
* 10 oz milk chocolate chips (I used Hershey brand chips)
* 1 large package instant banana pudding
* 2 bananas, sliced
* Whipped cream (usually I make my own, but this time I went with the bottled stuff)
* Various toppings: chocolate syrup, caramel syrup, pineapple topping, strawberry stopping, marachino cherries, chopped roasted peanuts (I used praline almonds), etc.

To Make:

* Prepare pie crust as detailed on bag- mine said to let it sit and thaw for 15 mins, then bake for 12 minutes at 400degrees. Let cool.
* For chocolate ganache: heat heavy cream on the stovetop over medium heat. Take off heat and stir in chocolate chips. Pour into the pie crust. Place into fridge for 15 minutes so ganache cools.
* Once ganache is hardened, place single layer of banana slices on top of ganache.
* Prepare instant pudding mixture. Mine said to mix with 2.5 cups of milk- I did a mixture of half milk, half heavy cream to thicken it up. Spread pudding mixture on top of banana layer of pie.
* Let set in fridge until ready to eat.
* Once ready to eat- top with a layer of whipped cream and slice.
* Let everyone 'decorate' their slice of pie with whatever toppings they'd like! and if you're my husband... do it twice :)