Turn the classic banana split dessert into a delightful pie! This no-bake pie, with a crispy pretzel crust and a trio of ice creams, is topped with whipped cream, caramel, and other delightful toppings. Perfect for a hot day when you don’t want to use the stove.
Prep Time: 30 minutes | Chilling Time: Several hours | Servings: 8
Ingredients:
For the Caramel:
- 1/3 cup (75 grams) sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) heavy cream or half-and-half
For the Crust:
- 1/2 cup (113 grams; 1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing
- 4 cups (160 grams) dried mini pretzels
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar
For the Pie:
- 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) chocolate ice cream
- 2 large ripe but firm bananas
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) strawberry ice cream
- 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) vanilla ice cream
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) heavy cream
- 1/2 cup (130 grams) strawberry jam
- 1 bar (100 grams) dark chocolate, preferably 70 percent
- 1/3 cup (42 grams) shelled, toasted walnuts or salted peanuts, roughly chopped (optional)
- 5 maraschino cherries
- 5 fresh cherries, pitted (optional)
Instructions:
- Caramel Sauce: In a dry skillet, melt the sugar over medium-high heat. Add salt and stir until it turns a penny color. Off the heat, carefully whisk in cream. If sugar seizes, heat on low until smooth again. Pour into a heat-safe container and set aside.
- Crust: Grease a 9-inch pie plate. Crush pretzels in a food processor (or bag with a rolling pin) until they resemble wet sand. Stir in sugar and melted butter. Press this mix into the pie plate and freeze for at least 10 minutes.
- Assembling the Pie: Let chocolate ice cream soften. Lay banana slices on the crust, sprinkle with lemon juice. Spread the chocolate ice cream evenly over the bananas. Freeze for 10 minutes. Repeat this step for strawberry and then vanilla ice creams, allowing each layer to chill before adding the next.
- Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Thin the strawberry jam with warm water and strain.
- Top the pie with banana slices, lemon juice, whipped cream, strawberry and caramel sauces. Garnish with chocolate shavings, nuts, and cherries.
- To serve, dip the pie plate briefly in warm water to loosen the crust. Slice, serving with extra sauce.
Nutrition Information (per serving): Calories: 600, Carbs: 58g, Cholesterol: 155mg, Fat: 37g, Fiber: 3g, Protein: 6g, Saturated Fat: 24g, Sodium: 390mg, Sugar: 39g.
Note: The pie can be stored for up to 4 days in the freezer. If possible, prepare the crust and pie a day ahead for best results.
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