Magnolia Bakery’s Famous Banana Pudding

MelandBoysKitchen

In our recent trip to New York City we had the wonderful pleasure to stop in at the Magnolia Bakery and try their famous Banana Pudding.  We had heard A LOT of praise for The Magnolia Bakery’s Banana Pudding and couldn’t wait to see if it lived up to all the hype!  There was a line in the bakery and they had rows of little cartons of the Banana Pudding that you could grab as you stood in line.

My husband loves Banana Pudding, so he was especially excited to try this dessert!  We were on our way to dinner when we just happened to pass The Magnolia Bakery(!!), so although we were in a hurry, we decided to run in and grab a Banana Pudding to eat later for dessert.  Of course that was impossible, we had to try a little pre – dinner bite and then it was awfully hard to stop!  We both agreed that this pudding is INCREDIBLE and all the praise is well deserved!

I was a little skeptical when I looked up the recipe and saw the first few ingredients…instant pudding, sweet and condensed milk and water?  Doesn’t sound as good as what I had in New York, but I followed the recipe exactly and was shocked at how amazing it turned out.  I think the key is folding in the 3 cups of whipped cream. That creates an almost mousse like base for the Banana Pudding and really sets it a part.  My husband proclaimed The Magnolia Bakery’s Banana Pudding as the BEST ever and I think he is right!  Simple ingredients are transformed into a masterpiece that will leave you wanting more!!

When we purchased the Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding, it was simply scooped into a little white carton, with no beautiful trifle bowls on display anywhere in sight.  I guess you could say, that this Banana Pudding is so great, it doesn’t need a fancy presentation, but at home I just couldn’t help myself!  I had fun with the top, but you don’t need to.  This baby can simply be served cafeteria style and everyone will LOVE it and be back for more!

Another great Bakery we stopped at in NYC is Levain. Have you heard of their famous cookies? They are INCR#EDIBLE! Try them here!

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Magnolia Bakery’s Famous Banana Pudding

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5 from 2 reviews

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Ingredients

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• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2/3 cup instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 (12-ounce) box vanilla wafers
• 4 bananas, sliced

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Instructions

1. In a large bowl, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined – about 1 minute. Add the pudding mix and beat well – about 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight. It is important for the pudding mixture to set up, or it will make your banana pudding watery. When it has set up it will be very firm.
2. In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Using a spatula and working with about a third of the whipped cream at a time, gently fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture until no streaks of pudding remain.
3. The dessert can either be served in individual portions or in a large glass trifle bowl.
4. To assemble dessert, select a large wide glass bowl or trifle bowl with 4-5 quart capacity.
5. Arrange about 1/3 of the Nilla wafers to cover the bottom.
6. Next, layer 1/3 of the banana slices, and then 1/3 of the whipped cream pudding mixture.
7. Repeat twice more, and finish the top with additional wafers, banana slices and/or some Nilla wafer crumbs. I would wait to put the banana slices on top until right before serving to help them not go brown. Cover tightly and allow to chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours – or up to 8 hours. If you don’t mind the bananas a little brown–the dessert tastes even better then next day!

Recipe Notes

1. The bananas will start to turn brown as they oxidize. There are a couple of things you can do to make not brown as fast:
2. * Brush them with some fruit juice (pineapple, apple, orange, lemon). This can change the flavor slightly so brushing them is better than soaking them. Even water neutralizes the ph and will slow down the browning if you rinse them in water.
3. * Try to keep them airtight. The less contact with the air the less they will brown.

Recipe Source: the official Magnolia Bakery Cookbook