My Homemade Banana Cream Pie

The Perfect Pie Crust

Pie crust and fillings
I love to make cream pies and cream puffs. I would love to make them for the public and sell them, but I did some research and found that there is a lot involved in selling baked goods. First, you need to have a license to sell. I really don't know what all that entails.

Since I can't sell my baked goods to the public, I decided to post my recipes for others to try.

First, let me share with you the ingredients that you need to make the perfect pie crust. This recipe makes enough for 4 pie crusts.



The perfect pie crust

4 cups of flour
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 3/4 cups of crisco
1/2 cup water
1 egg
1 tablespoon vinegar

Mix dry ingredients. Cut in crisco. Mix water, vinegar and egg together and then add to the dry idgredients. Knead untill it forms into a large ball of dough. I separate this dough into 4 smaller balls and wrap them separately and freeze them to use when I want to make a pie. posted by Angelina @ 8:01 PM

Cream Pie Filling

For cream pies, you need to start with a baked pie crust. Roll the dough to over lap the pie pan. Fit the crust into the pie pan. Make sure the crust is relaxed in the pan, in other words, don't stretch the crust. With your thumb, press on the bottom of the pie, and also against the sides of the pie crust. Flute the top of the crust. With a fork, pinch the pie crust so that when baking the crust does not blister.

To prevent the pie from shrinking you need to add weight to the crust. At this point, if you have pie weights to fit into the unbaked crust, that would be great. If not, what I do is line the crust with waxed paper and set a cereal bowl in the center of the crust to provide weight. Bake in the oven @ 425 degrees for about 20 minutes. Remove your weights and allow to bake for another 5 to 10 minutes until the crust is a golden brown. Let the crust cool.

You are now ready to fill you baked crust with the cream filling

Basic vanilla cream filling

3/4 cup of sugar
pinch salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups milk
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 tablespoons of butter

Mix sugar, salt, and cornstarch together. Slowly add the milk, whisking while you add. Place this mixture in the microwave for 8 minutes on power 8, stirring twice. Remove hot mixture. Slightly beat your egg yolks. Add some of the hot mixture to the egg yolks and stir. Then pour the egg yolk mixture back into the hot filling mixture. Microwave 2 minutes on power 8. Take out of the microwave and add vanilla and butter and stir until melted. Cool filling. Now you are ready to pour it into your baked pie crust. When completely cooled, top with Cool Whip.

Banana Cream

For Banana Cream pie, follow above recipe, but add 1/2 teaspoon banana extract with the vanilla extract. Also, before you pour filling into baked pie crust, slice 2 bananas and layer them on the bottom of the crust, then pour filling over it. Cool. Top with Cool Whip

Chocolate Cream

Melt 2 squares unsweetened chocolate. Add the unsweetened chocolate at the same time you add butter and vanilla extract. Cool. Top with Cool Whip

Strawberry Cream

When mixing your dry ingredients, (sugar, salt, and cornstarch) add a small box of strawberry gelatin. Add remaining ingredients. Before pouring into baked crust, cut up fresh strawberries and put on bottom of crust. Pour filling mixture over that. Cool. I top this off with strawberry Cool Whip

Lemon Cream

When mixing your dry ingredients, add small box of lemon gelatin. Add remaining ingredients. When adding the vanilla extract, also add tablespoon of lemon juice. cool. Top with Cool Whip

Coconut Cream

Follow above ingredients but when adding vanilla extract also add 1/2 teaspoon of coconut extract and 1 cup flaked coconut. Cool. Top with Cool Whip. I also bake a little of extra coconut till it is golden brown and when it cools I put it on the top of the Cool Whip

I am telling you, these are delicious pies. What is so nice about it, is that the filling is made in the microwave so you do not have to stand over a hot stove stirring constantly.

I have had so many people tell me I should sell these pies. Who knows, maybe some day I will. Right now I do not have the money or know how to start a business.

Enjoy!

Tip:
If flaked coconut has been frozen or becomes dried out, you can make it fresh again by placing the amount you need in a bowl and sprinkling with a few drops of water. Cover and microwave until warm posted by Angelina @ 4:21 PM

Cream Puffs

I have another great recipe to share with every one. This one is definitely a crowd pleaser.

Cream Puffs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

1/2 cup of butter
1 cup of water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all purpose flour
4 eggs.

In a large pot, bring water and butter to a rolling boil. Stir in flour and salt until the mixture forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl. Using a mixer, beat in eggs one at a time. Mix well after each egg. Drop dough by tablespoons onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until the puffs are golden brown. Centers should be dry. When puffs are cool, fill with vanilla cream pie filling.

Follow vanilla pie filling recipe that is used to fill a vanilla cream pie,

Vanilla Filling
1 cup sugar
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons of cornstarch
2 cups milk
3 egg yolks

Add sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Stir in milk whisking as you add. In microwave oven, heat milk mixture for 4 minutes on power 8. Stir. Heat an additional 4 minutes in microwave for 4 minutes. Stir or whisk.

Slightly beat egg yolks in separate bowl. Add some of the hot milk mixture with the egg yolks. Stir. Pour egg yolk mixture back in with milk mixture, whisk and but back into the microwave for an additional 2 minutes on power *8*

Remove from the microwave and add butter and vanilla. Let mixture cool. When completely cooled fill cream puffs.

Tip: When the vanilla cream is completely cooled, I also add a little cool whip in with the filling mixture. I found that it stretches the filling so you can put more in each cream puff. and who wouldn't want more filling????? This is just a suggestion