Description
Southern banana pudding elevates classic dessert comfort with creamy layers of homemade pudding, fresh bananas, and crumbled peanut butter cookies. Delightful spoons of nostalgia invite home cooks to savor each rich, indulgent bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 7 large very ripe bananas (lightly speckled)
- 3 cups (710 ml/24 fl oz) whole milk
- 1 cup (240 ml/8 fl oz) heavy whipping cream
- 6 large egg yolks
- ½ cup (100 g/3.5 oz) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (60 g/2.1 oz) cornstarch
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsps (45 g/1.6 oz) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (240 g/8.5 oz) creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup (200 g/7 oz) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Banana Purée Preparation: Pulverize ripe bananas using an immersion blender, stand blender, or food processor until achieving a velvety smooth texture.
- Pudding Base Creation: In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine milk, heavy cream, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk until the mixture simmers and slightly thickens.
- Flavor Infusion: Remove from heat, gently fold in banana purée, unsalted butter, and egg yolks. Return to heat, continuously whisking until reaching a gentle simmer and cooking for 3-5 minutes.
- Texture Refinement: Strain the mixture through a fine wire mesh strainer into an ice bath-nestled bowl, ensuring a silky-smooth consistency and rapid cooling.
- Final Pudding Preparation: Incorporate vanilla extract, whisking thoroughly. Cover surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours until completely chilled.
- Cookie Crafting: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and prepare baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Cream peanut butter and sugar using an electric mixer until fully integrated.
- Cookie Mixing: Blend in egg and vanilla extract until the mixture becomes uniform and smooth. Shape dough into tablespoon-sized balls, placing them one inch apart on prepared sheets.
- Baking Process: Create distinctive crisscross patterns using fork tines. Bake for 10-11 minutes, cooling on baking sheets for five minutes before transferring to wire racks.
- Crumb Preparation: Crush three-quarters of the cookies manually or using a food processor to achieve desired crumb texture. Slice remaining bananas into uniform pieces.
- Layering and Assembly: Select a trifle dish or individual dessert cups. Create layers by sprinkling cookie crumbs, adding pudding and banana slices. Repeat layering, finishing with a generous topping of cookie crumbs and whole cookies.
- Finishing Touch: Optional: Enhance with freshly whipped cream between layers or as a decorative topping for added richness and visual appeal.
Notes
- Banana Selection: Choose ripe, soft bananas with brown speckles for maximum sweetness and intense banana flavor.
- Pudding Consistency: Strain mixture through fine mesh to eliminate any potential lumps, creating ultra-smooth texture.
- Cooling Technique: Use ice bath when chilling pudding to rapidly reduce temperature and prevent bacterial growth.
- Cookie Crumb Tip: Pulse cookies in food processor for uniform, fine crumbs that distribute evenly throughout dessert layers.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Blending, Simmering, Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 9
- Calories: 407
- Sugar: 34 g
- Sodium: 155 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 41 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 98 mg