Kids Will Love These Totes Adorbs Mini Banana Cream Pies

Is it just me, or is everything way cuter in a mini mason jar? 

Our recipe for Banana Cream Pie in a Jar from ATK Kids’ brand-new cookbook, Kids Can Cook Anything, is surefire proof of this theory. Not to mention, their small size makes them perfect for little hands—and for sharing. Here’s how the ATK Kids team made what might be an otherwise intimidating recipe fun and doable for kids.

Instead of baking a crust, these mini pies get a sprinkling of crushed graham crackers at the bottom of each mason jar. Kids can crush graham crackers in a zipper-lock bag with a rolling pin—which they’ll love to do.

The main component of a banana cream pie is the filling, and we make ours ultrabanana-y by cooking a sliced banana directly in the custard. Making custard can be daunting for kids, but we have a few tips for a foolproof filling every time. 

First, we use a technique called tempering to slowly warm up the egg yolks so they thicken the custard but don’t turn into scrambled eggs. Then, we constantly stir the custard as it finishes cooking and press it through a strainer to catch any solid bits of banana. Finally, we press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard to prevent an unappealing “skin” from forming as it chills.

Then comes the most fun part of all: assembling and decorating the mini pies. Atop of the graham cracker base goes the chilled custard, followed by whipped cream (which kids can also make themselves), banana slices, and extra graham cracker crumbs. 

Your kids will feel like pros when they’re all finished—and everyone else in the family will be sure to love these cute little pies, too. 

Hey! Did you know ATK Kids has its very own YouTube channel? Subscribe now and watch great, funny, silly, and delicious cooking videos for the whole family.