Chocolate Banana Cream Pie
If you’ve ever had the chocolate banana pudding from Magnolia Bakery, this pie is a must. When I moved to NYC in 2016 I made it a mission to try as many bakeries I could. This chocolate banana pudding quickly became a favorite and an inspiration for this chocolate banana cream pie recipe. They don’t offer the chocolate flavor anymore, but you can get all that flavor plus more in this easy banana cream pie.
I’m kicking it up a notch and adding a layer of Nutella ganache, chocolate mousse filled with Oreos and bananas and a topping of chocolate shavings. Believe me, you won’t miss the vanilla wafers. Chocolate is definitely the dominant flavor, but hey it has fruit in it, so it’s perfectly acceptable to eat a slice for breakfast. Need another reason to try it? This chocolate banana cream pie won the second place award in the chocolate category at the 2017 National Pie Championships.
Ingredient Notes
Below are some notes on key ingredients for this recipe. For a full list of ingredients, see the recipe card below.
- Oreos: For the pie crust you will be crushing Oreos to fine crumbs. You will need the exact amount of Oreos in a standard container between the crust and the chopped Oreos for the mousse. You can also take a shortcut and buy a pre-made Oreo pie crust from the grocery store and skip ahead to the filling instructions.
- Salted Butter: I only bake with salted butter. You’ve probably heard to use unsalted because there can be discrepancies in how much salt is in different brands but I have yet to come across a brand of butter that is too salty. I find that when I use unsalted butter I have to add a lot of salt to balance out the sweetness of most of my recipes.
- Cream Cheese: You want your cream cheese to be at room temperature before starting so it blends easily. Take it out of the fridge about an hour before you start. You can also microwave for 10-15 seconds to soften.
- Chocolate chips: I love baking with Guittard Semisweet Baking Wafers because they melt so smoothly, but you can use regular chocolate chips or whatever you have on hand.
- Nutella: Nutella gives the mousse a delicious chocolate hazelnut flavor. If you don’t like nuts or would prefer just a chocolate mousse you can substitute the Nutella with equal parts chocolate chips, melted. Peanut butter would also make a good substitution!
- Chocolate Bar – Use a thick bar of chocolate, like a baking bar that’s sturdy enough to hold without snapping while making chocolate shavings.
Oreo Crust
To make the Oreo crust you first need to crush the cookies to fine crumbs. I recommend a food processor as the fasted option but you can also place the Oreos in a ziplock bag and crush with a rolling pin. Then mix the crumbs with the melted butter and stir to combine. Press into your greased 9″ pie dish. When shaping my cookie crust I use a 1/3 or ¼ cup measuring cup to really press the cookies onto the bottom of the and up the sides of the pie pan.
I adapted my recipe slightly since I competed with it to to include baking the crust. I find that baking a cookie crust helps make them less crumbly when adding filling but also easier to cleanly slice. You can, however, make this a completely no-bake dessert. Just simply press the crumb mixture into the lightly greased pie plate and refrigerate to set it while you make the ganache.
Nutella ganache
To make the ganache place the chocolate chips and butter in a medium bowl. In a medium saucepan heat the heavy cream on medium heat just until a gentle boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted. Whisk in the Nutella until smooth. Pour into the pie crust then refrigerate while you make the mousse.
Nutella Banana Oreo Mousse
In a large bowl beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla. Add the Nutella and melted chocolate to the cream cheese mixture and beat to combine. Gently fold the chocolate cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream. The trick to this mousse is to be very gentile when folding the whipped cream into the chocolate. I use a rubber spatula and bring it through the center and around the side of the bowl and repeat as the mixture slowly gets blended together. It will take a bit of time, but don’t rush it. You don’t want to knock the air out of the whipped cream or it won’t set up light and fluffy. Mix just until there are no traces of white cream left.
Fold the chopped bananas and Oreos into the mousse. Spread the mousse over the chocolate layer.
Decorating
One of the easiest ways to make chocolate curls or shavings is with a vegetable peeler. Use a thick bar of chocolate, like a baking bar that’s sturdy enough to hold without snapping. Run the vegetable peeler along the sides of the chocolate bar to get small curls and shavings. I like to rotate the bar often in my hand, as your body heat will warm the chocolate a bit making it easier to get nice curls. You can shave the chocolate bar over a small bowl and then sprinkle over the pie, or shave the chocolate directly over the pie. Refrigerate at least two hours, preferably overnight, before serving. It is obvious that you will need a hot cup of coffee after this delicious cake. Check out this best dual coffee maker to make a delectable cup of coffee that will make your party unforgettable.
Looking for more pie recipes? Check out my Nutella Pie and Hazelnut Mocha Pie.
Chocolate Banana Cream Pie
Ingredients
- 27 Oreos, crushed to fine crumbs
- 5 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp butter
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
- ½ cup Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread
- 1 ¾ cup heavy whipping cream, whipped to stiff peaks
- 9 Oreos, chopped
- 4 medium bananas (or 3 large), chopped
- 3 ounce chocolate bar, optional
Instructions
- To make the crust: combine the cookie crumbs with the melted butter. Press into a 9-inch pie plate, covering the bottom and sides. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 to set. Cool completely before adding the next layer. Alternatively, for a completely no bake pie, you can refrigerate the the crust to set.
- To make the ganache: Place the chocolate chips and butter in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan heat the heavy cream on the stovetop just until a low boil . Pour over the chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted. Whisk in Nutella until smooth. Pour into the pie crust. Refrigerate while you make the mousse.
- To make the mousse: In a large bowl beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir the Nutella into the melted chocolate chips. Add the chocolate mixture to the cream cheese mixture. Gently fold the chocolate cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream. Fold the chopped bananas and Oreos into the mousse. Spread the mousse over the ganache.
- To make chocolate shavings use a vegetable peeler to shave chocolate from the chocolate bar over the top of the pie. Refrigerate at least two hours, preferably overnight, before serving.
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