Dulce-de-leche Banana Toffee Pie

Banoffee Pie kept popping up all around me. In recipe books, on Pinterest, and food blogs. In case you have no idea what Banoffe pie is, it's simply a pie made with dulce de leche (basically a thickened, soft caramel sauce) bananas, cream and toffee. I'd wanted to make one for quite some time but I had reservations.The thought of boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk and having it magically turn into caramel seemed like some kind of trick and maybe a little scary. Would the bananas be mushy or slimy? Would the caramel be so rich that it overpowered the whole pie? So each week when I made my dessert selection, it was passed by.

Finally after seeing my friend and fellow blogger Anne pin this and describing it as "rich and oh so yummy" I knew she wouldn't lead me astray and decided to make it to go with our Sunday dinner. Coming from the gals at Our Best Bites didn't hurt either.

I followed the directions here to make the dulce de leche. The sweetened condensed milk is removed from the can and cooked in a pie plate with a water bath. I also came across this crock pot method which I will be trying for sure.

I also went the homemade route with my cookie crust. I'm not a fan of store bought cookie or graham cracker crust. Trust me, it makes a BIG difference in the final product.

After one bite, all my reservations floated out the window. A crumbly, chocolaty cookie crust, silky smooth dulce de leche, perfectly firm, non slimy bananas, crunchy chunks of chocolate coated toffee, and a divine, sweetened cream cheese topping.  In my opinion, the sweetened cream/cream cheese mixture is what took this pie from so, so to pure bliss! (The other recipes I came across just called for straight whipped cream.)

I'd also be willing to bet, this would be just as delicious with a traditional graham cracker crust.

**One word of caution, I would serve this pie within 6-8 hours of assembling. The dulce de leche did seem to break down a little and get slightly less firm.**

Dulce de Leche Banana Toffee Pie

Ingredients:1

8-serving chocolate cookie pie crust (I used this recipe. You'll have leftovers.)
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 bananas (make sure they are really firm and not too ripe)
1 cup crushed chocolate-covered toffee bars or Heath bits
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
8 ounces cream cheese (light is fine)
1/4 cup brown sugar

Instructions:

Prepare Dulce de Leche according to these instructions. When done, allow to cool slightly and then spread onto the bottom and up the sides of the cookie crust.

Cut the bananas into 1/4″ slices. Lay the slices over the Dulce de Leche. Sprinkle with about 1/2 of the toffee bits and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the powdered sugar and heavy whipping cream. Beat with electric beaters until medium peaks form. In a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and the brown sugar with the electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the whipped cream and mix with the electric mixer until fluffy and combined. Gently spread over the toffee bits and then sprinkle with remaining toffee bits. Chill for several hours before serving. Serves 8-10.

Recipe Source: Our Best Bites
Posted by: Sallie