SIX-STAR BANANA CREAM PIE

Steps:

• PEANUT BUTTER CRUST:.
• Beat shortening with sugar in a small bowl. Measure 1/8 cup of the beaten egg; you may discard the rest.
• Add in peanut butter and blend together with an electric hand mixer.
• Add the oats. (You may grind them in a food processor. These help to make the crust crunchier and less soggy.).
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees before dropping onto a cookie sheet.
• Make small balls and flatten each drop with the back of a metal spoon.
• Bake for 12 minutes and remove to an oven-safe wire cooling rack. Turn off the oven. Return the cookies (on the cooling rack) to the oven for an additional 5 minutes.
• Put baked cookies into a food processor and grind down to coarse crumbs. Melt butter in microwave. Mix with the crumbs in a small bowl.
• Using your fingers, press the mixture into the bottom of a 9 or 10 inch pie plate.
• PIE FILLING:.
• Mix first three ingredients (corn starch, sugar, salt) in a large bowl.
• Measure milk into a medium to large saucepan, and dissolve the dry mixture in it. Make sure NO lumps are left.
• Turn on burner to medium heat and stir continuously. When bubbles begin to burst at the surface and mixture has thickened, stop cooking.
• Add in butter and vanilla, stirring well.
• Transfer half the mixture back to your mixing bowl. Combine with eggs and stir vigorously. Transfer this back to the saucepan with the rest of the pudding and combine.
• Heat on medium to return the mixture to bubbling.
• Slice bananas and layer half over the pie crust. Add half the pudding mixture, then the rest of the banana slices, then the rest of the pudding mixture.
• Let cool. After about an hour, transfer to refrigerator.
• Once the pie filling has set, top with Cool Whip.
• CARAMEL DRIZZLE:.
• Combine sugar and water in a very small saucepan.
• Heat on high to boiling.
• Keep the solution boiling the entire time and stir. When the mixture has become medium to dark brown, add the whipping cream.
• Stir. Heat on high again to let the mixture become uniform. Let boil for at least 2 minutes.
• Put in a plastic bag and seal. Snip the corner to create a small opening (about the size of the tip of a grain of rice).
• Drizzle caramel over the Cool Whip atop your pie.
• Enjoy!