Going Bananas! Mini Banoffee Pie

I will never forget the day I found out about the existence of that delicious pie. To cut a very long story short, I was a student living in England and sometimes I would save some money to visit a more elegant restaurant far from the cafeterias on campus. When I read "Banoffee Pie" in the menu, I couldn't resist and ordered it right after a very brief explanation by the waiter: His mouth was watering while he was describing it, and he said something like "It's never too late.. time to try it."

So here's a very simplified version that might get your kids as crazy as ours about it: They can help put the ingredients together and may love the mix of textures contained in a single bite. The amazing thing about this recipe is that the toffee was made with a staple from my country of origin: a whole can of condensed milk cooked for 1 hour in a pressure cooker, which turns out to be the most perfect toffee or dulce de leche with many uses.

Easy Banoffee Pie

The British touch here resides in the amazing Digestives cookies by McVities. They can be found online at Amazon and Cost Plus World Market.

1 package Digestives cookies
1 can condensed milk
6 bananas
whipped cream or Greek yogurt for the top
chocolate sprinkles (optional)

To make the dulce de leche, put the unopened can of condensed milk in a pressure cooker with enough water to cover the can and cook for 1 hour. If you don't have a pressure cooker, put the unopened can in a heavy pot and cover with water, then cook for about 2 hours (refill the water when it goes below the can level). Leave the closed can in the pan to cool, and then refrigerate until well chilled.

Open the can and use a spatula or knife to spread a layer of dulce de leche over a cookie, then add slices of banana on the top, and finally top with whipped cream (or Greek yogurt for a lighter version) to cover the bananas. Finish with chocolate sprinkles, relax, and there you will have a delicious dessert or treat.