Dessert Improvisation

On Sunday, I asked Paul if he wanted me to make something for dessert. He said, "Yes, I'd like something smooth and creamy." So, I looked in the cupboard and decided to make up a dessert. (Big step for me!) I had a graham cracker crust, bananas, pudding, chocolate chips, whole milk, and a can of Reddi Whip on hand. This is what I made:


It was nothing fancy, but it tasted good (and it was smooth and creamy ;) )!

Here's my "recipe":

Quick and Easy Chocolate Banana Cream Pie
Ingredients:
1 large box cook and serve vanilla pudding
2 c. milk (for pudding)
1 graham cracker pie crust
1 large banana, sliced
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 T. whole milk (cream would be better, but I didn't have any)
whipped cream or Cool Whip for topping*

*I would have preferred cool whip or fresh whipping cream for the topping, but I didn't have any. If you use Reddi Whip like I did, you should top each slice as you eat it rather than topping the entire pie ahead of time. The canned whipped cream breaks down in the refrigerator into a puddle of melted goop. Eww.

Directions:
Prepare chocolate ganache layer by melting the chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl over a pot of boiling water. Once the chocolate is completely melted, stir in the milk (or cream). Pour into the bottom of your crust. Place in the freezer for a few minutes to allow the chocolate layer to cool and harden slightly. Meanwhile, prepare the pudding over the stove using one less cup of milk than it calls for. Remove the pie from the freezer and add a layer of sliced bananas on top of the chocolate. Next, pour the pudding over the bananas and refrigerate until cool and set up. When you are ready to serve the pie, top with whipped cream or Cool Whip.

Like I said, it's a very simple dessert. But it was fun for me to create it myself using just the ingredients we had in the cupboard. I recommend you try it sometime! (And post your recipes and pictures! :) )