Annie's Favorite Banana Pudding

This is exactly what friends are for - banana pudding. There's no dessert that gets Annie as excited as Nat's banana pudding.  If you don't have a friend making it for you, the good news is it's easy to make yourself! We also love how it gives you all the feelings of comfort with classic vanilla wafer cookies. We like to keep it on the rustic side and throw all of the ingredients in a glass dish in no particular order (we eat it way too fast to spend too much time making it pretty!).  Grab a spoon, grab a friend, and dig in!

Ingredients:

Makes 6 individual servings

30 vanilla wafer cookies 
*2 large bananas, sliced 
For the pudding:
1/2 cup sugar 
1/2 heavy cream 
1/4 cup cornstarch 
pinch of salt 
5 egg yolks 
2 cups whole milk
2 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract) 
2 Tbsp unsalted butter 
For the whipped cream:
1 cup heavy cream 
2 Tbsp sugar  
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

Instructions:

For the pudding:
Whisk together sugar, cream, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan. In a separate bowl, combine egg yolks and milk, and whisk together. Over medium heat, gradually whisk the milk and egg mixture into the cornstarch mixture. Continue to cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickens (about 7-10 minutes). Mixture will become very thick quickly.  You want the texture to be similar to pudding. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and butter.  Strain through a fine mesh strainer to get rid of any lumps, if desired. Allow to cool. 

For the whipped cream:
Add heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla to the bowl of an electric mixer. Turn mixer on to medium for one minute, then increase speed to high. Whip cream until stiff peaks form, about 2-3 minutes. 

For assembly:
In 6 glass individual serving dishes, alternate layers of pudding, banana slices, whipped cream, and 4 vanilla wafer cookies. Crumble up the remaining vanilla wafter cookies and sprinkle on top with a dollop of whipped cream. Place in the refrigerator prior to serving. 

*If you aren't serving these right away squeeze lemon juice over bananas to prevent browning.

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