Sweet Things Remembered

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Layers of vanilla wafer cookies, fresh bananas, homemade vanilla pudding, and whipped cream come together in an easy, delicious dessert that’s perfect for your next gathering.

This dessert is one my mom would make growing up that my siblings and I loved. I can’t say I have one specific memory of it, but it is still such a nostalgic dessert for me. It’s one of those things that just became part of childhood in the same way playing outside all day in the summer or gathering around the table for dinner were just part of childhood. I’ve had banana pudding in adulthood plenty of times, as well, mostly when someone has made it for a family get together. Most recently, I decided I would make it to have as a dessert after lunch on Mother’s Day this past Sunday. When I was a kid and my mom would make banana pudding, she would use Jello Instant Vanilla Pudding, Nilla Wafers, fresh bananas, and Cool Whip. I went to the store to get all those things, and I was going to do it the exact same way. I decided last minute, though, that I was going to be a little extra and make the pudding and whipped cream from scratch. I have made pudding before for pies and whipped cream is super easy, so I was confident I could do it. It turned out great, so I decided to share that recipe here. Whether banana pudding was part of your childhood or something you’re just trying for the first time, I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients

For the Pudding:

• Whole Milk
• Egg Yolks
• Granulated Sugar
• Cornstarch
• Vanilla

For the Whipped Cream:

• Heavy Whipping Cream
• Granulated or Powdered Sugar
• Vanilla (optional)

For Layering the Pudding:

• Bananas
• Nilla Wafers® – Any type of vanilla wafer or shortbread cookie would work. You just want to make sure they are a crispy type of cookie so they hold up being layered in with the other components.

Equipment

• Large Saucepan
• Whisk
• Measuring Tools
• Dish for your pudding – I used a 9×13 glass pyrex baking dish, but you could use a glass trifle dish if you prefer.
• Stand mixer with whisk attachment or handheld electric mixer

How to Make Southern Banana Pudding (from Scratch)

Make the Pudding:

• In a bowl, whisk together 6 egg yolks and 1 cup of sugar until the mixture looks pale. Then, add 4 tbsp cornstarch and stir until there are no clumps of cornstarch in the mixture.
• In a large saucepan, heat 4 cups of whole milk. It just needs to be hot; do not boil it.
• Slowly pour some of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture while whisking it. Do this a couple times to slowly heat up the eggs, and then pour the whole mixture into the saucepan with the milk.
• Cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly, until the pudding becomes thick.
• Remove the pudding from the heat and stir in 4 tsp vanilla extract.
  • Tip! – After stirring in the vanilla, taste the pudding (carefully because it’s hot!) to see if you like that flavor. Add more vanilla 1-2 tsp at a time until it is flavored to your liking.
• Let the pudding cool, stirring occasionally so that it doesn’t form a skin.
  • It make take a while for it to cool enough to use. If you need to put it in the fridge to cool faster, you can. You just may have a skin that forms on the top of the pudding.

Make the Whipped Cream:

• In a mixing bowl, add 2 cups of heavy whipping cream, 3 tbsp of granulated or powdered sugar, and 2 tsp of vanilla extract.
  • The type of sugar – granulated or powdered – is your own preference. The granulated will take a little more time to dissolve while you’re whipping the cream, while the powdered sugar will dissolve a little faster. Either will work! I chose to use powdered sugar.
• Using the whisk attachment, whip the cream on high until soft peaks form. This means when you remove the whisk, peaks form, but then fall over.
• Taste the whipped cream and mix in more sugar and/or vanilla, if needed. Once you are happy with the taste, it is done.

Assemble the Dessert:

• At the bottom of your dish, place your vanilla wafer cookies in a single layer.
• Slice up some bananas into coins (I used 6 total bananas, 3 in each banana layer) and layer those on top of the cookies.
• Pour half of the pudding mixture over the bananas and cookies, and spread it out evenly with a spatula.
• Dollop half of the whipped cream on top of the pudding and spread that evenly.
• Repeat the layers – cookies, bananas, pudding, whipped cream.
• If you have any leftover cookies, you can crush them up and sprinkle them over the top of the pudding.
• Chill for at least 3 hours before serving. Enjoy!

Banana Pudding (Made from Scratch)

Recipe by rebekahdearmondDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Ingredients

• For the Pudding:

• 4 cups whole milk

• 6 egg yolks

• 1 cup sugar

• 4 tbsp cornstarch

• 4-6 tsp vanilla

• For the Whipped Cream:

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 3 tbsp of granulated or powdered sugar

• 2 tsp vanilla

• For Layering the Dessert:

• 1 box vanilla wafer cookies

• 4-6 ripe bananas

Directions

• Make the Pudding
• In a bowl, whisk together 6 egg yolks and 1 cup of sugar until the mixture looks pale. Then, add 4 tbsp cornstarch and stir until there are no clumps of cornstarch in the mixture.
• In a large saucepan, heat 4 cups of whole milk. It just needs to be hot; do not boil it.
• Slowly pour some of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture while whisking it. Do this a couple times to slowly heat up the eggs, and then pour the whole mixture into the saucepan with the milk.
• Cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly, until the pudding becomes thick.
• Remove the pudding from the heat and stir in 4 tsp vanilla extract.
• Let the pudding cool, stirring occasionally so that it doesn’t form a skin.
  _{It make take a while for it to cool enough to use. If you need to put it in the fridge to cool faster, you can. You just may have a skin that forms on the top of the pudding.}
• Make the Whipped Cream:
• In a mixing bowl, add 2 cups of heavy whipping cream, 3 tbsp of granulated or powdered sugar, and 2 tsp of vanilla extract.
• Using the whisk attachment, whip the cream on high until soft peaks form. This means when you remove the whisk, peaks form, but then fall over.
• Taste the whipped cream and mix in more sugar and/or vanilla, if needed. Once you are happy with the taste, it is done.
• Assemble the Dessert:
• At the bottom of your dish, place your vanilla wafer cookies in a single layer.
• Slice up some bananas into coins (I used 6 total bananas, 3 in each banana layer) and layer those on top of the cookies.
• Pour half of the pudding mixture over the bananas and cookies, and spread it out evenly with a spatula.
• Dollop half of the whipped cream on top of the pudding and spread that evenly.
• Repeat the layers – cookies, bananas, pudding, whipped cream.
• If you have any leftover cookies, you can crush them up and sprinkle them over the top of the pudding.
• Chill for at least 3 hours before serving. Enjoy!