Caramelized Banana Pudding
Hold the phone, it’s banana pudding. Caramelized banana pudding, to be precise. The recipe is as delicious and comforting as it sounds, and it’s being served up with a few Friday favorites to put your mind on weekend mode. If you need some mindless reading and a seriously killer Southern dessert recipe, you’re in the right spot!
Peanut Butter and… Mayonnaise??
Okay, you know I’m all for Southern food, even the classic cult favorites that feel a little odd or out of place in my kitchen. But a peanut butter & mayonnaise sandwich? We may have taken it too far. I love the polarizing food debates (Coke or Pepsi? Dressing or Stuffing? Is Spam really a food?) , but IMO this one just needs no debate. Decide for yourself with a look at this article from Food52.
Shoes for Your Sister and Grandma
I traveled to Orlando last weekend for my sister’s high school graduation. In a comical turn of events, we discovered that my Mimi was wearing shoes to the grad party almost identical to my sister’s. Could it be that there is a sandal that knows no generational borders? In case you’re interested, I found some similar cute ones here and a loftier, more-refined option here. Oh, and by the way, it turns out my Pops has the same New Balance sneakers as my husband… this was less funny and altogether terrifying to me.
Kolaches for All
I’ve been seeing various forms of kolaches (the classic Czech pastry) popping up all over the internet. Turns out I’m not the only one. The humans at Bon Appetit spent a couple of days driving nearly 300 miles to try 20 varieties of this European treat, and I’m more than thrilled to pick up a few recipe ideas here. Anyone want to see some kolaches on this site?
My Post-Baby Bounce-back Inspiration
I’m in no rush to get this baby out, but I am more than eager to get my hands on some non-maternity wear. At some point in time during this pregnancy, my favorite stores started selling clothes that might as well have been made for my body type. Like all of the wide-leg, loose-fitting pants we’re seeing everywhere? I’m here for it. Check out my favorites from Madewell here… I especially have my eye on that little tie-waist striped number.
Homemade Rocket Pops
Food & Wine broke down the ins and outs of the store-bought summertime favorite popsicles. Their recipe uses whole fruit and can be adapted to include different herbs and unique produce. This recipe may be the one dessert that Moms and kids will rally behind this summer.
My New Skincare Curiosity
A few months ago, I told you about my slow tiptoe into better-for-you skincare products. In an effort to nail down something that was accessible and reasonably priced, I decided to try out a few new products from Supergoop! A few of my girlfriends have been ranting about them for months, so I figured they couldn’t be terrible. Most intriguing? A dry shampoo with SPF that you can sprinkle in your hairline before a day in the sun, a mineral face powder with SPF that bronzes as it protects, and vitamin-containing serum chock-full of sun guard. Give a peek and let me know if you’ve had luck with any of their other products!
Caramelized Banana Pudding
My friends at Kitchn asked me to work on the ultimate Southern banana pudding recipe for their site. As a fairly new transplant to the South, I hardly felt qualified to be the judge of this kind of thing, but I was happy to take a stab at it anyways. Along the way, I learned more about banana pudding than I thought I needed to know and was excited to make an attempt at a recipe I’ve wanted to formulate for some time: caramelized banana pudding.
There’s an excellent BBQ restaurant close to our home that serves caramelized banana pudding. Unlike my husband, I’m not really a pudding kind of gal, but THIS banana pudding is really worth every calorie. After trying their rendition of caramelized banana pudding, I decided to attempt a homemade version, and the outcome of that attempt is what I’m so excited to share with you today.
Making the Pudding
The pudding itself is pretty classic in nature. This is an egg and flour thickened pudding that is cooked over the stove until thick and creamy. Layered in between are vanilla wafer cookie crumbs and bananas that have been cooked barely in butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. There’s literally no wrong way to make this caramelized banana pudding. With ingredients so decadent, it’s bound to be a homerun.
I like to serve this dessert in individual mason or weck jars, but you can also layer it in a 2-quart baking dish. Either way, the recipe will yield about 8 servings. You can expect a cool and creamy treat with bits of crunch throughout and loads of warm flavors that you normally don’t get in a classic banana pudding. This is definitely the highbrow treat your summer Southern dinners have been looking for, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. Happy Friday to you all and happy baking!
If you like this caramelized banana pudding you should check out:
Banana Coconut Chocolate Cream Pie
Cookie Butter Pretzel Mousse
Banana Cream Pie with Oatmeal Cookie Crust
PrintCaramelized Banana Pudding
This caramelized banana pudding is a take on the classic southern recipe. It features a custard-based pudding, whipped cream, and cinnamon-spiced caramelized banana!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8
- Category: Dessert
Ingredients
For the pudding:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 3/4 cups whole milk
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 48 vanilla wafers (about 6 ounces), coarsely crumbled (2 2/3 cups), plus more for garnish
- Whipped cream
For the caramelized bananas:
- ½ cup (113 gm) unsalted butter
- ½ cup (100 gm) brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 5 bananas sliced into ¼” slices
Instructions
To prepare the pudding:
- Whisk the sugar, flour, and salt together in a medium saucepan. Gradually whisk in the milk until combined, then place the pan over medium heat. Heat the milk mixture, stirring regularly, until thickened to a creamy salad dressing consistency and gently bubbling, 8 to 12 minutes. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes more. Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl. While whisking the yolks vigorously, slowly drizzle in the milk mixture. Once combined, pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place back over medium heat. It will be pale yellow, and just barely thicker than heavy cream consistency. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat. Stir in the vanilla and butter until melted and combined. At this point, the mixture will be back to that creamy salad dressing consistency (think: runny ranch) and just a bit more saturated yellow in color.
- Sprinkle half of the crumbled vanilla wafers into a 1 1/2- or 2-quart baking dish, or the bottom of 8 (6-ounce) jars. Place half of the banana mixture over the crumbled wafers. Dollop half of the warm pudding over the bananas, or fill each jar to its halfway mark with half of the pudding.
- Repeat layering. Repeat the layering process once more with the remaining wafers, bananas, and pudding. Cover the baking dish or each jar with a sheet of plastic wrap (press it directly onto the pudding if you don’t want a skin to form). Refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours. Top with whipped cream or meringue, and more crumbled cookies, if desired.
- To prepare the caramelized bananas:
- Combine the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a frying pan over medium heat to melt and combine. Once melted, add the sliced bananas in a single layer in the pan and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook on each side for 1 minute and then remove the pan from heat. Allow to cool slightly before layering in with the pudding.
