Yummy…yummy in my tummy…ahahah…that is my children song in the kitchen when mommy is making a delicious dessert such as, Banana Pudding! Banana pudding is a dessert generally consisting of layers of sweet vanilla flavored custard, cookies (usually vanilla wafers or ladyfingers) and sliced fresh bananas placed in a dish and served, topped with whipped cream or meringue.
It is commonly associated with Southern American cuisine, but it can be found around the country. This sweet southern dessert is never missing from any southern potluck, wedding, funeral, or summer cookout. The banana pudding, we know, and love wasn’t born until 1921, when a home cook named Laura Kerley provided her recipe to Pantagraph in Bloomington, Illinois. Kerley’s recipe featured vanilla custard, bananas, and for the first time, Nabisco Nilla Wafers. The National Banana Pudding Festival is held at the Centerville River Park in Centerville, Tennessee. It is a 2-day event held on the first weekend of October.
Pudding can be eaten warm (the Southern way) or after it’s been chilled; a classic dessert that’s perfect for weeknight dinners, Sunday suppers, or the fanciest of holidays.
All ingredients for this dessert can be purchased at your local grocery store. When purchasing your ingredients, you want your bananas ripe, but not browning too much. Choose bananas that are slightly ripe, yellow with little brown specks. Lemon juice is the best way to avoid brown bananas, just toss them in a little bit of lemon juice before laying them on top of the Nilla wafers.
For storage, banana pudding should not be left out overnight. If you accidentally leave it out overnight, be safe and throw it out. Banana pudding contains dairy products, which should always be refrigerated. Pudding should be kept airtight in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The banana slices don’t turn brown, although the wafers do continue soften as time passes.
Banana Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 3-4 ripe bananas, sliced
- 1 package of vanilla wafer cookies
- 1 can evaporated milk or 2 cups chilled milk
- 1 box instant French vanilla pudding
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 8 tbsps. flour
- dash of salt
- 12-ounce cream cheese whipped topping, thawed (optional)
Instructions
- In a saucepan, mix flour, condensed milk, salt, evaporated milk, eggs, vanilla extract and vanilla pudding.
- On medium heat, cook until thick and continuing to stir for the next 15-20 mins.
- Using a large aluminum dish, layer the cookies and banana slices in the bottom of the dish.
- Pour ½ of the pudding mixture over the top.
- Repeat with the second layering of cookies, bananas and the second ½ of the pudding.
- The last step is to crunch up a few additional vanilla wafers and sprinkle on the top.
- For additional topping, whipped or meringue toppings would be delicious!
- Refrigerate for two or more hours until ready to serve or can be serve right away if you like it warm.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
Tag @OkraPantryBlog on Instagram and hashtag it #OkraPantryBlog.
APPETITE For More? Never Miss a Recipe! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
