Banana Split Ice Cream Pie (Recipe)

We really love ice cream in this house. I used to exercise only so I could eat ice cream (makes sense, right?). After making Mocha Mud Pie for the family, I felt inspired to make MORE ice cream pies. I have been feeling very traditional and nostalgic, and so what better "old Fashioned" flavors to put into an ice cream pie than a BANANA SPLIT! Chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, banana, hot fudge, whipped cream, cherries - whats not to love!

I did some research on what exactly was in, or on a banana split. I did not know that pineapple and strawberry toppings, along with marshmallow was a part of the traditional banana split! Did you? I took a few modern liberties with my ice cream pie, but it absolutely tastes like a luscious decadent banana split!

NOTE: You have to work quick if you live in a hot area - it is ice cream, after all! Be prepared, have your ingredients ready and your work surface prepped. If I can make this pie in the heat of a Texas summer, you can manage it too!
 

Ingredients

• 4 cups Vanilla ice cream
• 4 cups chocolate ice cream
• 4 cups Strawberry ice cream 
• 1 Package Vanilla Wafers
• 5 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup (or less..or more!) Hot Fudge Sauce 
• 3 medium bananas, sliced
• Whipped Cream
• Maraschino cherries
• Marshmallow topping
• Optional
• 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
• Mini Vanilla Wafers
• Pineapple (sundae) sauce
• Strawberry (sundae) sauce

Supplies

• Food Processor
• Wood spoon, spatula
• Pie Tins or cake round (I used the 9" round cake pans in the Cake Boss 5-Piece Bakeware Set )
• Mixing Bowls
• Knife
• Optional: Ziploc bag (with tip cut off) - similar to a DIY piping bag.

THE COOKIE CRUST 
NOTE: MY daughter said she would like to try Oreo Cookie Crust next time. If you want that recipe head over to the Mocha Mud Pie I posted the other day

• Preheat oven to 350F
• Place about 45 Vanilla Wafers in a food processor and process until they are fine crumbs.
• Melt butter in the microwave (in a microwave safe dish) for about 30 seconds.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the cookie crumbs and butter together and mix thoroughly.
• Place the cookie crumb mixture into the pan and press down and onto the side of the pan to create a crust. I use a small glass bowl to press the crumbs down and up onto the sides firmly.
• Bake for 10 minutes in the 350F oven.
• Remove from oven and let cool completely. 

THE FILLING - do this THREE TIMES, Once for CHOCOLATE, once for STRAWBERRY, and one for VANILLA ice cream

Once the pie crust is cooled...

• Let CHOCOLATE ice cream soften slightly, just so it is spreadable, and spread into the bottom of the pie crust
• NOTE: I discovered this as I put my last layer of ice cream (Vanilla) on the pie and realized that next time I will do this for each layer.
• Place softened ice cream in a gallon size ziploc bag
• Snip the tip off and add the ice cream to the pie crust in a swirling motion. Start on the outside edge of the pie crust and circle your way into the middle with the ice cream.
• Then spread smooth with a spatula.
• Return pie to the freezer to let the chocolate set/harden up (essentially you are doing this if you want to achieve "clean" layers of ice cream in the pie. If you don't care about the layers appearing clean and even...keep on going!)

• REPEAT above steps with STRAWBERRY Ice Cream.
• REPEAT above steps with VANILLA Ice Cream.
• Return to freezer for 4-6 hours (or overnight)

• The ice cream part of the recipe is complete. You can see the edges of my pie are showing some chocolate. The bananas will cover it...or use mini Vanilla Wafers!

• Just prior to serving, slice the bananas and place them all over the top of the pie.  

• Heat the hot fudge and drizzle it over the bananas.

NOTE: It was SUPER HOT the day I made this. I did return the pie to the freezer for about 30 minutes to firm up - it makes it much prettier and easier to cut.

• Use 1-2 Tablespoons of Marshmallow topping on the plate. I made a circle with the back of the spoon. Set the pie in the center of the marshmallow topping.
• Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and a cherry. It might be fun to set out some pineapple, strawberry, and marshmallow toppings to let your guests complete the banana split pie masterpiece! 

What's your favorite ice cream dessert?

if you like this recipe, be sure to check out the Mocha Mud Pie recipe! 

 

This post is written and created at 504 Main by Holly Lefevre