First recipe posted in a long time and man am I rusty. I forgot how much work this is, and to get food to look good, even when it is good is a challenge. And the lighting in my house, ugh. But here I am with a super yummy, easy and no bake recipe for you. I made it this past weekend for memorial day celebration at my parents house, in which my mom fried rabbit (yes rabbit, and let me tell you it was so delicious) but that’s another story for another time.
Back to the Banana Split dessert cast of characters.
For the Crust: 2 cups graham cracker crumbs, ½ cup unsalted butter, melted For the Cream Cheese Layer: 12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 8 ounces Cool Whip, For the Fruit & Toppings: 3 to 4 bananas, sliced, 1 can crushed pineapple, drained well, 16 ounces strawberries, hulled and sliced, 8 ounces Cool Whip, ½ cup pecans, chopped, Chocolate syrup, Maraschino cherries
start by crumbling your grahams, I sued a food processor but you can you do the baggie and mallet method or a blender too.
Mix the crushed graham crackers with melted butter until evenly distributed.
Press into a 9×13 pan using your fingers.
In a mixer add softened cream cheese and sugar.
Mix until fluffy.
Then fold in cool whip.
Spread slowly onto the graham cracker layer.
Add sliced bananas, and if your lucky get two little cuties to help.
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Add drained crushed pineapples.
and slice strawberries.
then top with cool whip and chopped nuts, I used pecans, but surely add your favorite.
Finally top with cherries and chocolate sauce.
And refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
Then cut a big messy slice,
and be sure to share… or maybe not.
Banana Split Dessert
slightly adapted from Brown eyed Baker
A classic! Layers of graham cracker crust, cream cheese filling, bananas, pineapple, strawberries, whipped cream, nuts, chocolate & a cherry on top!
For the Crust:
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
For the Cream Cheese Layer:
- 12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 8 ounces Cool Whip
For the Fruit & Toppings:
- 3 to 4 bananas, sliced
- 1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained well
- 16 ounces strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 8 ounces Cool Whip
- ½ cup pecans, chopped
- Chocolate syrup
- Maraschino cherries
Directions:
- Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter with a fork, stirring until all of the crumbs are evenly moistened. Dump the crumbs into the prepared pan and press into an even layer. Refrigerate while you prepare the next layer.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the Cool Whip until thoroughly combined. Spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the graham cracker crust.
- Arrange the banana slices in a single layer on top of the cream cheese filling, top with an even layer of the crushed pineapple, and then an even layer of the sliced strawberries.
- Cover with the Cool Whip, smoothing the top. Sprinkle with the chopped pecans, then drizzle with chocolate syrup and top with maraschino cherries. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Leftovers can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Recipe Notes:
You can use fresh whipped cream in place of the Cool Whip, both for the filling and the topping. If you do, plan on only keeping the leftovers for up to 2 days, as the fresh whipped cream will become watery as it sits in the refrigerator.