There is a BBQ place by our house that has insane banana pudding. The funny thing is, I don’t even care for banana pudding, but I always order it when we go. It’s served in a Styrofoam cup and it’s crammed to the top so much so much you have to lick the lid to not waste any of the whipped cream goodness. Now, I don’t know their recipe, but for Father’s Day this past weekend I got a wild hair to see if I could recreate it at home. With Jeff’s birthday next week, I didn’t make his usual favorite Pineapple Upside Down Cake, so I wanted to surprise him with something different.
After doing some quick investigating, there looks to be a zillion ways to make banana pudding. Vanilla Pudding. Banana Flavored Pudding. Whipped Cream. Cool-Whip. Everyone has their own spin. I came up with this idea after knowing I didn’t have a pretty trifle bowl and a 9×13 had to suffice. A word of advice, plan ahead. I should have probably made this early in the morning, but I loved how it turned out. Be careful not to go too early though, the bananas should be okay for about 8 hours before they start to oxidize and look brown. That isn’t very appetizing, now is it?
Now the secret to banana pudding in my opinion is the heavy whipping cream. You have to whip and whip to get those stiff peaks to form and then gently fold them into the pudding mixture. The lighter and airier, the better! The other thing I think is the ripeness of your bananas. Truth be told, I don’t care for bananas with any brown spots. I save those for banana bread. I love a slightly green banana that hold their shape and are perfect for layering. Feel free to use your desired ripeness of your banana. The riper, the sweeter and I think this dish is loaded with plenty of sweetness already.
The verdict from the very opinionated husband was that it was pretty darn close to the little BBQ place. This would be absolutely adorable in little mason jars for a dinner party or even a shower. It’s so southern, it knocks your socks off. Try this the next time you need a dessert that will have your guests coming back for more.
| Prep Time | 15 Minutes |
| Passive Time | 90 Minutes |
| Servings |
People
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- 1 Box Vanilla Wafers
- 1 3.4 oz Box French Vanilla Instant Pudding
- 1 1/2 Cups Cold Water
- 1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 4 Whole Bananas
- 1 Pint Heavy Whipping Cream
Ingredients
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- In a bowl, combine cold water and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Add instant pudding mix and stir to combine. Refrigerate for 30 minutes
- About 10 minutes before you pull the pudding out of the fridge, whisk 1 pint of heavy whipping cream into soft peaks. A mixer is ideal for this, but a whisk is fine.
- Carefully fold the cream into the pudding mixture.
- Slice 4 bananas in 1/2 inch coins and set aside.
- In a 9x13 pan, add 1/2 of the box of Vanilla Wafers to bottom of dish.
- Pour Half of pudding mixture over cookies. Layer with half the bananas
- Add other half wafers and layer with cream and bananas. Put in refrigerator for 1 hour, or until ready to serve.
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