A few weeks ago we catered two Super Bowl parties for our clients, happening at the same time, but with entirely different menus. In order to be two places at once we needed a dessert that could be done in advance and would sit well for hours in the fridge. None of us had made the Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding before but we decided to go for it (usually this is a HUGE professional no-no). Plated in short wide mouth jars made for perfectly sized single portions, they’re easy to eat while watching the game. To be honest we were quiet skeptical of the ingredients; Jello vanilla pudding mix, sweetened condensed milk and Nilla wafers are not on our usual grocery tab. Alas we set aside our semi-homemade snobbery and followed the recipe. We let the layered jars of fluff sit overnight in the fridge and on game day we tried the “tester”. It was the BEST thing we have ever eaten. EVER.
Layers of vanilla wafers, banana slices and the whipped vanilla pudding cream are piled up in squat wide mouth jars.
A few banana slices and wafer cookies peeking out from under their fluffy whipped cream comforters. The gelatin in the pudding mix stabilizes the whipped cream so it does not fall even when left in the fridge for a few days. If you don’t make individual portions in jars you can layer all in a trifle bowl/pyrex dish/industrial sized trash can. The spooned out pudding portions will not be beautiful but will taste outstanding.
Magnolia Bakery’s Banana Pudding
adapted from The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook
serves 12 in a trifle bowl or yields about 10 small jars
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups water
2/3 cup vanilla pudding mix
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
3 cups heavy cream
1 (12 ounce) boxes Nilla wafers (reserve a few wafers for garnish)
5 bananas, sliced
Directions
Blend the water, pudding mix and sweetened condensed milk until well mixed. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Carefully fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well incorporated, no streaks of pudding showing. In a trifle bowl or individual jars layer wafers, sliced bananas then pudding mixture. Continue until all of the mixture is used up, topping with the pudding mixture. Refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours so the wafers get wet and cakey from the pudding. Serve with a wafer on top for garnish.
xo,
Lydia
Jessie
March 1, 2013 at 2:12 pm (10 years ago)This looks like a dream! I want to make it right this second!