Banana pudding improvements?

[Matthew.Taylor]

So we had family game night tonight. Went pretty well, and I brought some banana pudding. Nothing fancy, instant pudding, Nilla wafers (trier to make them from scratch, but it didn’t go too well.), banana slices and a baked meringue topping. Tasted great! But I would like to kick it up a notch in the future. Any thoughts?

[AAQuesada]

Nilla wafers have already been perfected, just buy them. Then focus on the pudding part, that's the part where you can make a big improvement with minimal effort. Stella Parks is a good place to start for Classic Americana I know she has a recipe in her book Bravetart but here is a recipe of hers I found online

 

https://www.seriouseats.com/warm-and-creamy-banana-pudding

 

Another option is to steal the filling from Christina Tossi of Momofuku Milk Bar fame. 

\http://diaryofastudentgourmet.blogspot.com/2014/10/momofuku-milk-bar-banana-cream-pie.html

[blue_dolphin]

There’s a local take-out BBQ place that always offers a layered banana pudding. Given the cost of ingredients, and the fact that everyone gets it, I suspect they make more profit from that than the meats 🤣

They use a Biscoff-type cookie and I really prefer that to a ‘Nilla wafer.

My brother uses Pepperidge Farm Chessmen. I like them better than ‘Nilla wafers but not as much as the Biscoff flavors. 
 

 

Edited 42 minutes ago by blue_dolphin
To add photo (log)

[pastrygirl]

add a bit of vanilla, rum, lime zest, or caramel

[curls]

I recommend making your own banana pudding, truly makes a huge difference. I like Alton Brown’s banana pudding recipe. I use his pudding recipe, Peppridge Farm chessman cookies, and homemade whipped cream.  Biscoff and vanilla wafers are also great for the cookie component.

https://altonbrown.com/wprm_print/refrigerated-banana-pudding

 

For banana liquor, I used 99 Bananas 99 proof, to taste — used much less than the recipe called for.

 

Edited 2 hours ago by curls (log)

[donk79]

I think the only truly from scratch banana pudding that I have made is using Tosi's recipe linked above.  It is certainly a notch above the standard box I am accustomed to being loaded over Nilla Wafers.  It also is about 5 notches richer and one notch in the belt heavier.  I recommend trying it, but know the portions do not need to be large!

Edited 52 minutes ago by donk79
Typo (log)