Chocolate Banoffee Pie

I made this for Christmas Day dessert.  It didn't seem complicated and that is my kind of dessert, if I have to make them.  I bought the Dulce de Leche pre-made in the can which made it even easier.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 8

Chocolate Banoffee Pie

• 16 ounces Dulce de Leche
• 9 ounces chocolate wafer cookies, broken into pieces
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• Kosher salt
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3 cup roasted salted peanuts, coarsely chopped (I think I used more as I didn't measure)
• 3 large bananas, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
• 500 ml heavy cream (I added a teaspoon of vanilla when I whipped it)
• 1 ounce bittersweet chocolate

For the pie: In a food processor, pulse the cookies until fine, then transfer to a large bowl. 

Stir in the sugar and a generous pinch of salt. Add the melted butter and stir until well combined. 

Press the mixture over the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. 

Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. (It was firm in that time).

Spread the dulce de leche in a thick layer over the bottom of the crust. (The Eagle Brand was like liquid - a runny caramel sauce.  The Nestle (I bought it in Mexico) was like a cream cheese consistency.  I have never used it before so didn't know which one was correct, but I sure preferred the thicker one.  Mixed together, I hoped they would give the correct result).  Reserve 1 tablespoon of the peanuts and sprinkle the remainder evenly over the dulce de leche. (I crushed mine lightly with a mallet).

Arrange the banana slices in overlapping circles in 2 layers over the dulce de leche and peanuts.  (So, 3 bananas only gave me one layer of overlapping rounds, not 2.  I had 2 bananas left but the pie dish was full at this point).

In a large mixing bowl, whip the cream until it just holds stiff peaks. (I chilled the bowl and the beaters in the freezer before whipping).

Spoon the whipped cream over the bananas, covering the pie and forming a mound. With a vegetable peeler, shave the chocolate over the top, then sprinkle with the reserved 1 tablespoon chopped peanuts. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour, before serving.  I thought it looked awesome, as above...below, not as much...

It was hard to cut that crust.  I don't know why and I followed the directions exactly.  I told my son about the crust and he said, "Well, it wasn't hard to eat".  I had a forkful so I could taste it.  I used too much of the Dulce de Leche and wished I had only used a bit of the saucy one and put in the extra bananas.  A can and a half would have been perfect.  Was a sweet dish and I was glad I didn't sweeten the whip cream.  The bananas were the best part in my opinion.  It was easy enough and my son enjoyed it, cleaned his plate and said he loved it.  So,  that is all that matters.  Merry Christmas!!!  🍗🍴⛄