Toffee and Coffee Banana Cream Pie

When I get excited, you can bet money there is going to be some dancing involved.  We are talking adrenaline rush that leaves no option but to jump and spin all over the kitchen.

 

Things like volleyball 

 

and blogging 

and pie. 

Definitely pie. 

Just wait, after one bite of this, you will be dancing, too.

Guess what else makes me dance?  Pandora serves as the source of all my happy dance music. It is official, I am your average, life-revolving-around-apps American.  First Foodgawker, now Pandora. 

I guess Pandora has the real purpose, too.  It helps majorly with studying. My mind works so that having one thing to concentrate on in addition to my books is actually helpful.  It gives my brain less options.  Now, I cannot do lyrics.  Because then I start thinking about the lyrics.  And it can't be a movie score.  Because then I start thinking about the movie. But give me Piano Guys, Lindsey Stirling, and the occasional Frozen soundtrack (because we can all make exceptions when it comes to Frozen) and studying time is good!

I really just shared that last paragraph to let you all know, I don't use Pandora to dance around the kitchen all day. That would like free Zumba on steroids - just no. 

But I do make pie. 

You might need Zumba on steroids after this one. Totally worth it in this case. 

I didn't actually eat any, bit I did have some dairy free pudding and pie crust, and WOW, was it sweet. This is not for the faint of heart in terms of sweet teeth.

If you know me, you know I don't do recipes that take a while and require a lot of hands on.  Pies often require a lot time and energy (aka the crust.)  So I used a frozen, pre made pie crust and my prep work was 10 seconds.  And the crust turned out perfectly flaky and crispy and buttery.  Beat that.

 

The filling also uses a short cut called pudding mix.  I didn't have time to make a homemade pudding, so I stuck with what I knew worked.  Then I stirred chopped bananas and toffee baking bits into the pudding. 

If you get anything from this post, buy Heath's toffee baking bits.  I love 'em and use them ALL the time.  (this isn't a sponsored post)

Finally, we have our coffee whipped cream.  I like making whipped cream from scratch because it is so easy.  There is only one ingredient and you just beat it for 3-4 minutes until soft peaks form.  Then you stir in your sugar and flavoring (in this case, coffee) and serve!  *for the coffee, you can use two tablespoons of strong brewed coffee, or dissolve instant coffee into two tablespoons of hot water.  The more instant coffee you use, the stronger your whipped cream will be*

 

Toffee and Coffee Banana Cream Pie 

Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life 

Yield: 12 slices 

1 frozen pie crust

1 package instant banana cream pudding mix (4 serving size)

2 cups milk

1 large banana, chopped 

1/2 cup toffee 

3/4 cup whipping cream 

2 tablespoons hot water 

1/2 - 1 teaspoons instant coffee (adjust to taste)*

 

Thaw and bake crust according to package instructions.

Let cool completely. Set aside. 

Prepare pudding by whisking mix and milk for 2-3 minutes. 

Chill for at least 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, beat the whipping cream until peaks form. 

Dissolve instant coffee in hot water and add to whipped cream. Beat again until combined. Set aside. 

Remove pudding from refrigerator and fold in banana and toffee. 

Spread pudding over crust. 

Spread whipped cream over pudding. 

Serve, or refrigerate until serving.  Also refrigerate leftovers.

*for the coffee, you can use two tablespoons of strong brewed coffee, or dissolve instant coffee into two tablespoons of hot water.  The more instant coffee you use, the stronger your whipped cream will be*