Banoffee Pie

Since my banana cream pie had been a disaster I was determined to find another banana recipe that I knew would turn out well. I know I can always count on Paula Deen! I have never had any of her recipes fail. They always turn out wonderful. Of course, you certainly can't cook everyday like Paula does. Her meals and desserts are just so rich, but they are always good. My husband had seen Paula make this on her show and thought it would be really good. I have to say that this is one of my favorite desserts ever. That says alot because my favorite desserts always incorporate chocolate and this one has no chocolate at all! I can't even begin to tell you how good this tastes. It's also extremely easy to make. My only suggestion is that you serve this in a parfait glass. I would make this for a gathering since it really does not keep well. It will get a bit runny in the pie dish. Once this is assembled in your pie plate, divide it up among parfait glasses and refrigerate. I think it would work well serving it this way to company. You can also sprinkle some graham cracker crumbs on top of the cream with a fresh slice of banana for presentation. Of course you can make this just for yourself as long as you realize it will get a little runny in the pie dish after a while. It still tastes absolutely fantastic. I would encourage anyone that likes bananas and caramel to try this. The taste is irresistable! It's also pretty easy on the budget too!!

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

10 tablespoons butter, softened (I would use a bit less next time)

2 (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk

3 large bananas

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream (I used Cool Whip since I had that on hand)

1/3 cup confectioners' sugar (only if you are using whipping cream)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (only if you are using whipping cream)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix graham crackers with softened butter and press mixture into 9 inch pie plate (Paula used a regular pie plate, next time I would use a deep dish). Bake for 5 to 8 minutes.

Lower the oven to 300 degrees F for the toffee filling. To create the toffee filling, caramelize the sweetened condensed milk. Pour the condensed milk into a 9 x 12 x 2 inch glass baking dish. Cover with foil and place dish inside a larger poaching pan. Add water to poaching pan until halfway up sides of baking dish. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. (Mine baked for 2 hours).

Once both the crust and toffee filling are cooled, spread half of the filling evenly inside the crust. Slice the bananas and layer on top of filling. Pour remaining half of filling over bananas, spreading evenly. Whip the cream with the confectioners' sugar and vanilla and spread on top of toffee filling and bananas.