While Magnolia Bakery may be known for their cupcakes, thanks to Sex and the City, I will always go to the original NYC Bleeker St. shop for their banana pudding. I love getting a little carton to-go and enjoying it at the little park just across the street. Recently, I was craving this signature NYC dessert, so I whipped up a batch using the recipe from the new cookbook.
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The result was reminiscent of Magnolia’s but it felt richer and heavier. I know that when a bakery scales the recipe down for home preparation, it’s not always exact. I experimented to make the pudding lighter. Instead of condensed milk, I swapped for whole milk that’s actually listed on the pudding mix box. I omitted the water completely to ensure the texture was still firm and then added a bit of vanilla extract. For another test, I tried using graham crackers instead of Nilla wafers, and while the flavor was good, it didn’t give the same nostalgic, iconic flavor of the latter, so I nixed that. To finish, I added a layer of whipped cream on top. I like the contrast between that and the pudding.
Magnolia Bakery CEO Bobbie Lloyd’s baking tips:
- For the bananas, use ones that are just ripe, yellow with a few spots on them, but not overly ripe or mushy.
- During assembly, use an ice cream scoop to easily layer the pudding in the serving dish.
- When adding the Nilla wafer layer, start by putting whole cookies up against the wall of the serving dish, so you can see that layer more clearly from the outside.
- 12 hours is the optimal time to serve the pudding, when the texture of the Nilla wafers is just right and has absorbed the pudding properly. At 24 hours, the wafers will have absorbed more, so the pudding will be stiffer, but still tasty.
Magnolia Bakery’s Famous Banana Pudding
Adapted from The Magnolia Bakery Handbook of Icebox Desserts
Ingredients:
1 (3.4-oz / 96g) Jello instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/2 cups (591g) whole milk, cold
3 cups (710g) heavy whipping cream, cold
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5-6 ripe bananas
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 (11-oz / 311g) box Nilla vanilla wafer cookies
Directions:
In a large bowl, add the pudding mix and kosher salt. Whisk to combine. Gradually pour the milk into the bowl, while whisking constantly until thoroughly combined. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula and stir until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes. The pudding can be made ahead up to 24 hours.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk, whip the heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract, on medium speed for 1 minute, until the mixture starts to thicken, then increase the speed to medium-high and whip until stiff peaks form.
Fold 2/3 of the whipped cream into the pudding, until fully combined, with no streaks.
Peel and slice the bananas into 1/4″ coins and place in a medium bowl. Drizzle the lemon juice and gently toss to coat.
To assemble: Select either a trifle bowl, a 9×13-inch pan, or a wide glass bowl with a 4- to 5-quart capacity, or individual bowls.
If using a trifle bowl, spread one-quarter of the pudding over the bottom of the bowl, then layer with one-third of the cookies and enough banana slices to cover the cookie layer. Repeat the layering twice more. End with a final layer of pudding. Garnish the top with additional vanilla wafer cookies or cookie crumbs.
Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours minimum. The cookies should be tender when poked with a knife. This dessert is best served within 12 hours of assembling.
Makes 4 to 5 quarts; serves up to 16.