Peanut Butter Pie

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
If using the bacon, arrange it on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet, slide it into the oven, and bake until it's super crisp but not burned, anywhere from 20 minutes to 50 minutes, depending on how thick the bacon is sliced. Drain the bacon on paper towels. Keep the oven on.
When the bacon is cool enough to handle, toss it in a food processor and pulse until it's finely chopped.
Toss the cookies in the food processor along with the bacon, if using, and pulse until you’ve got fine crumbs. Turn the crumbs into a bowl and add the butter or bacon drippings and mix until the crumbs are the consistency of wet sand. Firmly press the mixture into a 9-inch pie plate and refrigerate the crust until firm.
Bake the crust for about 10 minutes. Place the pie plate on a wire rack and let cool completely.

Fill a large bowl halfway with ice water.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the milk, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking constantly, but do not let it boil. Simmer for 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
Whisk a ladleful of the hot milk mixture into a bowl with the lightly beaten egg yolks. Add another ladleful of milk, whisking constantly, then pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan of hot milk, still whisking constantly. Place the pan over medium-high heat and cook, whisking steadily, until the custard is thick and you see small bubbles breaking the surface, about 3 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat, whisk in the vanilla, and place the pan in the ice bath. Stir the custard occasionally until it's fully cooled. (The custard can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 1 day if covered tightly with plastic wrap. Make sure to press the plastic wrap against the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming.)
Slice the bananas—either lengthwise into elegant strips or crosswise into circles, whichever you prefer—and arrange a single layer of bananas in the pie crust. Cover them with half the pudding, then repeat the layering with the remaining banana slices and pudding.

Using a stand mixer, a hand mixer, or a whisk, whip the cream, confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla until stiff peaks form.

Pile the whipped cream topping onto the pie filling and top it with the chopped nuts, if using. Slice and, if desired, swivel your hips just before serving or just after indulging. Originally published June 13, 2014.