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Gracious Cooking

Baked Southern Banana Pudding

This warm treat is good any time of the year, but especially for a celebration or holiday.
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Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 6 egg yolks
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons corn starch
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or a vanilla bean
  • 72 vanilla wafer cookies approximately
  • 6 egg whites for the meringue
  • ¼ cup sugar for the meringue

Equipment

  • 7"x11" Pyrex Baking Dish
  • Medium Saucepot
  • Medium Metal Mixing Bowl
  • Whisk

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
For the Pudding
  1. In a large metal bowl set above a pot with a few inches of boiling water in it (don't let the bowl touch the water), combine the milk, 2 cups of cream, sugar, and egg yolks. 
  2. Whisk to combine.
  3. Put the cornstarch in a small bowl.
  4. Scoop out a few tablespoons of the milk mixture, and mix it into the cornstarch.
  5. Add the cornstarch slurry to the rest of the milk mixture.
  6. Cook, whisking constantly, until the pudding thickens, about 15-20 minutes.
  7. Take bowl off the heat, and stir in vanilla extract.
For the Meringue
  1. Whip egg whites with an electric mixer on medium high to high until stiff peaks form, adding the sugar after about 20 seconds of whipping.
Assembly
  1. Add a layer of vanilla wafer cookies to the bottom of your 7"x11" glass baking dish, one cookie thick.
  2. Add enough pudding to just spread over the cookies.
  3. Place a layer of bananas on top of the custard, then another layer of cookies, then pudding, then bananas. Cookies, pudding, bananas, cookies, pudding, bananas.
  4. Add as many layers of cookies, pudding, and bananas as your pan will allow, ending with cookies.
  5. Pour your remaining pudding over your last layer of cookies.
  6. Carefully spread the meringue over the top of the pudding, making little swooshes with the back of a spoon.
  7. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until the meringue is lightly browned.
  8. Let cool for about 15 minutes.
  9. Serve, and enjoy!