For weeks, a box of graham cracker crumbs has been mockingly staring at me from the inside of the pantry. Every time I went in there for something, I saw the smug box taunting me as it cackled, “You’ll never think of something to do with me! I’m going to sit in here for weeks and go stale! HAHAHAHA!” And each time the graham cracker crumbs and I came face to face, I became more and more frustrated. The pressure was mounting to find a good use for the crumbs before the little beasts went stale and laughed at me with their smug satisfaction.

All hope was not lost. I knew the most obvious thing to do with graham cracker crumbs would be to make a pie, but none of the flavors I thought of were exciting enough. A s’mores pie crossed my mind. I knew it would only be fitting with a graham cracker crust. But that idea still seemed lackluster. I needed something better, and those stupid graham cracker crumbs knew it.

“Haha, you’re running out of time! You suck at life!”

I tuned out the taunting words of the graham cracker crumbs and remembered of one of my favorite pies ever: banana cream pie. All of a sudden, it was as if the thought containing the banana cream pie and the thought containing the s’mores pie rammed into each other in a head-on collision. When the dust cleared, I was left not with a massacre but with a new and improved hybrid: Banana S’mores Pie.

Imagine having everything you love about a s’more and banana cream pie piled in one pan, and this dessert is what you get. Buttery graham cracker crust is filled with layers of smooth milk chocolate ganache, fresh banana slices, and mounds of luscious banana cream. Then the whole beautiful thing is crowned with a layer of marshmallows which are promptly roasted and toasted with a kitchen torch so they taste fresh from the campfire. You really get all the flavors of both desserts in this pie, and wow, do they come together beautifully.

The myriad of tastes and textures melt into one harmonic entity. Banana and s’mores are as complementary as chocolate and peanut butter. It just works. You get a little bit of love from both the banana cream pie and the s’mores in every slice. It’s a marriage like no other, creating a relationship so passionate that you may just want stick your entire face in the pie.

Or maybe that’s just me.

*One disclaimer: This pie looks pretty in the pan, but you won’t get a pretty slice out of it. The cream and ganache don’t hold their form entirely when slice. They kind of just become a pile of deliciousness. The only reason I have a picture of a clean slice above is because I froze it first. Don’t worry about that though, because it tastes like heaven!

A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:

1. Watch my video to learn how to make this baby step by step!
2. Use caution when working with a kitchen torch:
   -Tie your hair back.
   -Work slowly and carefully.
   -Keep one eye on the torch and another on the look out for flames that may spark up. Marshmallows love to set afire.
   -Don’t work on a highly flammable surface.
3. You can easily make this pie a day in advance from when you plan to serve it.
4. The pie needs to be prepped the day before and then chilled for at least 4 hours once assembled, so plan ahead!
5. If you don’t have a kitchen torch, toast the marshmallows in the oven set to broil then sprinkle them over the pie.
6. Use mini marshmallows. Big marshmallows = big mess.
7. If you chill your mixing bowl before whipping the cream, it will whip much faster.

Banana S’mores Cream Pie
By The Smart Cookie Cook

Note: This pie takes 2 days to make. You must make the pudding the night before so it can infuse with the bananas.

Ingredients:

For the Crust

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 6 tbsp. butter, melted

For the Milk Chocolate Ganache

• 12 oz. milk chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream

For the Banana Cream Filling

• 1 package Jello Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix (not Cook & Serve)
• 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
• 3 ripe bananas

For the topping

• 3 cups mini marshmallows

Special Equipment: kitchen torch

Directions:

1. Make the filling: Prepare the pudding according to box directions. Slice 1 banana. Gently stir the slices into the pudding. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
2. Once pudding has been properly chilled, use a fork to fish out the banana slices, removing as little pudding as possible. Discard the bananas.
3. Place the pudding back in the fridge. Pour 1 cup heavy cream into a large mixing bowl and beat on high until stiff peaks form (don’t overbeat or you’ll have butter). Remove pudding from fridge and fold into whipped cream until evenly combined. Cover and store in fridge.
4. Make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, mix all crust ingredients until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of an 8-inch pie pan. Use your fingers to shape it to the pan. Make it flat and even. Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until crust just begins to brown around the edges. Set aside to cool.
5. Make the Ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a large bowl. Pour the cream into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 1-2 minutes, making sure it does not boil. The cream should be very hot. Pour over chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes. Then stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Cover and refrigerate until cool, about 15 minutes.
6. Pour ganache into the graham cracker crust until it is 1/3 full. Cover and refrigerate crust until ganache is set, about 30 minutes. You can speed this up by freezing if you like. Store any extra ganache in the fridge for topping later.
7. While ganache is chilling, slice two bananas. Set aside.
8. Remove crust from fridge. Lay bananas a top ganache in a single even layer. Remove the banana filling from the fridge and pour over top banana slices until crust is full. Spread out evenly and gently. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or longer.
9. After pie has chilled, sprinkle the marshmallows over top in an even layer, covering as much of the filling as possible. Use a kitchen torch to toast the marshmallows until your desired darkness. Be cautious when using the torch.
10. Let marshmallows cool then drizzle with extra ganache and serve. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.