I think I’m starting a new tradition—one event celebration at a time. When my brother got engaged this past fall I made this yummy pie to welcome him and his new fiancé home. I wanted something yummy to celebrate with them, and I’d wanted to try out a variation of a few different recipes on Pinterest.

This last week my mom was in Las Vegas for work, and to welcome her home I decided I wanted to make another pie. I honestly can’t say it’s exactly the same because I didn’t write it down the first time, and I didn’t use a specific recipe. It’s close though. And maybe even better.

On a side note, this Creamy Banana Cheesecake Pie has a definite lightness to it. It’s probably a dessert better suited to spring or summer, but I like little reminders of the warmer seasons in the midst of the cold winter. This week has had it’s own touch of spring with temps in the mid to high 40s. I’m more ready for spring than I thought.

What you need for this pie:

19oz graham cracker piecrust
1 ½ bananas
lemon juice
1 package of cream cheese, room temperature
1 box banana cream pudding
1 cup of milk
18oz tub of cool whip
caramel topping

Slice your banana(s) and cover in lemon juice. Nobody wants slimy brown bananas on their piece of pie. Nobody. After doing some research I discovered that it’s the oxygen that makes the bananas turn yucky, so it’s important to coat them in something to protect them from the open air. It’s the same thing that happens to apple slices, it just happens a lot faster to bananas. And it’s grosser.

Line the bottom of the piecrust with your banana slices.

Add a light drizzle of the caramel topping. Don’t go too crazy here as it will make the crust soggy if there’s too much. I learned that lesson the first time.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a mixer. Do this until it’s creamy and smooth.

I added the milk next to try and incorporate them together before adding the pudding. I should have added a little bit at a time, but I poured it all in at once. It didn’t work the best, but I think it may have helped a little.

Add the pudding powder. Mix until creamy. I got a really nice texture this time, the first time it was a little lumpy.

Fold in half of the Cool Whip.

Pour the pudding/cheesecake mixture into the crust and spread out over the banana slices.

Put the extra Cool Whip on top. You could pipe it on and make it look really pretty, or spread it over the whole top. It’s really up to you. Be creative here!