The Best Southern Banana Pudding

Classic banana pudding is probably one of my very favorite desserts, but there is a marked difference between the kind made from cardboard-like boxed wafers and powdered pudding mix. This recipe takes a little bit more time than just throwing a bunch of premade stuff into a bowl, but believe me... it's worth it!

Wafers
What You Need:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

How To Make It:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Do NOT make these cookies on a buttered or greased pan.

2. Cream the butter and sugars together until fluffy and pale. (About 5 minutes.)

3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and stir in the vanilla and milk.

4. GENTLY stir in the flour and salt. Be careful to not over mix your dough.

5. Drop the dough onto the baking sheet in 1 inch circles. If you want a more uniform shape, use a pastry bag with a 1A tip, like I did.

6. Bake for roughly 20 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.

Pudding
What You Need:
3⁄4 cup sugar
1⁄4 cup cornstarch
2 1⁄2 cups milk
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla

How To make It:
1. In a double boiler (or if using a regular saucepan, keep a very close eye on it), cook the sugar, cornstarch, milk, and salt together over medium heat.

2. Cook until the mixture begins to thicken, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Once the mixture begins to thicken, remove a few spoonfuls and slowly add it to the egg yolks.

3. Continue cooking until the mixture is a thick, pudding-like consistency.

4. Once thickened, remove from the stove and stir in the butter and vanilla.

Whipped Cream
What You Need:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

How To Make It:
1. Add all ingredients to a chilled bowl, and beat with a hand mixer just until stiff peaks form. Do not over beat.

Now, let's put it all together! I do not like a LOT of bananas in my banana pudding, so I only use 2, but you can use as many as you like. Simply place a layer of slices of banana and wafers in a casserole dish or large bowl, and pour a bit of the pudding over it. Continue layering your ingredients, ending with the pudding. Chill for an hour, then top with your whipped cream.