Caramelized "Crunch" Banana Pudding

Up close shot of banana pudding in a trifle bowl.

5 from 2 votes

Caramelized "Crunch" Banana Pudding

This Caramelized "Crunch" Banana Pudding is fun twist on a true classic! Velvety, comforting, packed full of caramelized bananas and a nice crunch------you won't be able to stop at one single bite! The ultimate dessert for any occasion---the Southern way!

Prep Time25

Cook Time10

Total Time35

Course: Dessert

Keyword: banana, banana pudding, cookies, crunchy, dessert, easy, family-friendly, kid-friendly, no bake, southern, summer, sweet, vegan, vegetarian, winter

Servings: servings

Calories: 507kcal

Author: Shanika

Ingredients

2 (11 oz.) boxes Nilla wafer cookies (Set aside ¾ cup for to crush for the topping)
4 cups whipped cream, store-bought or homemade (You can also make meringue; See Post for details)

CRUNCHY COOKIE TOPPING:

½ cup organic brown sugar
¾ cup Nilla wafer cookies, crushed
¼ cup organic all-purpose flour
4 Tbsps unsalted butter, partially melted
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

HOMEMADE VANILLA PUDDING:

½ cup unsalted butter
4 cups Almond milk, unsweetened (You can also use whole milk, if preferred)
4 egg yolks
1 (8 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk (You can sub with ½ cup of cane sugar instead)
4 Tbsps arrowroot or cornstarch (Mix with ½ cup of warm water to create a "milky" consistency)
2 tsps vanilla extract
Pinch of ground cinnamon + nutmeg

CARAMELIZED BANANAS:

6 organic bananas, sliced
4 Tbsps unsalted butter
4 Tbsps organic brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

TO MAKE THE CRUNCHY COOKIE TOPPING:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment or non-stick foil paper.
In a bowl, add the flour, crushed cookies, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, stirring until combined. Add the partially melted butter and using a spatula, mix until combined and 'crumbly-like'. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden in color and crunchy in texture. Remove form oven and let cool completely.

TO MAKE THE HOMEMADE VANILLA PUDDING:

In a medium sauce pan over medium high-heat, add the butter until melted. Once fully melted, add in the milk, stirring them together until combined, reducing the heat to medium-low.
Before adding in the egg yolks, scoop a few spoonsfuls of the warm milk mixture into a bowl with your egg yolks and whisk until smooth. NOTE: This prevents the eggs from getting too hot and "curdling".
Add the egg yolk mixture to the sauce pan with the milk and whisk to combine. Add in the vanilla, condensed milk, cinnamon, and nutmeg, continuing to whisk to combine. Lastly, whisk in the cornstarch mixture and continue to whisk until the pudding begins to thicken, about 2-3 minutes.
Once thickened and smooth, remove from heat and set aside to cool completely.

TO CARAMELIZE THE BANANAS:

In a medium (10-inch) skillet over medium-high heat, add the butter and heat until melted. Add the brown sugar, and cinnamon and stir until combined and everything begins to bubble a bit, about 1-2 minutes.
Add the sliced bananas and vanilla and toss until well coated and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until tender and the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and cool completely.

ASSEMBLY:

In a trifle bowl (or your favorite dish), layer cookies, sliced bananas, and pudding mixture; repeat layering until all ingredients have been used.
Garnish top with a few dollops of whipped cream and the crunchy cookie topping and Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Best if chilled overnight.
Bon Appetit!

Notes

STORAGE: Store leftover banana pudding in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. The cookies will continue to get soggy, so the texture of the entire dish will change the longer it's left in the fridge past those amount of days.
HOMEMADE WHIPPED CREAM: See post for deets!
MERINGUE: If you'd like to make meringue instead of using whipped cream, see post for recipe option!
BOX OF VANILLA PUDDING: If you choose to use boxed pudding, you'll need 3 (1 oz) boxes of vanilla instant pudding mix. See my Classic Southern Banana Pudding for deets! I HIGHLY recommend using an electric stand-mixer for making the pudding, however, if you're using a hand-mixer, be sure that the water is EXTREMELY COLD + You may need to add an EXTRA BOX of vanilla pudding so that it forms to a creamy consistency and not 'watery'.

Nutrition