A Southern Grace: my secret weapon

August 7, 2008

my secret weapon

Yum

Wait, can I have an entry to my own event? What if I win? I hear the judge is notoriously biased and easily swayed...


I kid, I kid. It would be a good entry, though.

My banana pudding is always, always a hit (and I say this as humbly as possible). Whether it's made for a church potluck, a wedding reception, or just for me and my family to enjoy at home, it disappears ridiculously fast. Why does this happen? What makes it so daggone good? I mean, it's thrown together with very little effort. There are only six ingredients, none of which are particularly spectacular by themselves, yet they combine to form something irresistibly delicious. It's an enigma.

This recipe is extremely flexible. For one thing, you can easily lighten it up by using skim milk, light sour cream, and light Cool Whip. You can also make it diabetic-friendly by using sugar-free pudding and wafers. If you really love bananas, you can use banana-flavored pudding instead of vanilla. You're welcome to add more layers of bananas and/or wafers. And hey--feel free to spice it up with anything you want, whether it be cinnamon, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, or cinnamon. The possibilities are endless.


A word of advice: This does require a little bit of planning ahead because it's essential that you let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. I recommend a whole day, if you can find some way to resist its beckoning call for that long. That gives the cookies a chance to soften and the flavors an opportunity to properly meld so that the very first bite you take creates absolute merriment in your mouth. Yes, merriment. Mirth. Glee. Bliss.

There are two days left for you to enter "Beat the Heat," and remember--it can even be a concoction from your archives!


Good Ol' Nanner Puddin'

1 large box instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups milk
8 ounces sour cream
8 ounces Cool Whip, thawed
1 box vanilla wafers
3 bananas, super-ripe but not brown (who wants dark brown blobs in their pretty pudding?), peeled and sliced

In a medium bowl, prepare the pudding as instructed on its box. Beat in the sour cream, making sure to blend well. (Beat in some cinnamon while you're at it, if you'd like. I'd like. I didn't say anything about dark brown specks.) Fold in the Cool Whip just until no white streaks are present.
In the bottom of a trifle bowl or other serving dish, put down a layer of vanilla wafers. Top with about a fourth of the pudding mixture and a layer containing half of the sliced bananas. Top this with another fourth of the pudding. The next additions will be a layer of cookies, a layer of pudding, the rest of the bananas, and the rest of the pudding. For decorative purposes, adorn the pudding with more wafers in an aesthetically-pleasing manner:


(Can you tell I'm a perfectionist? Would you think less of me if I told you that I pick out and save the perfect wafers to put on top?)

IMPORTANT FINAL STEP: Refrigerate at least 8 hours; however, this gets better the longer it sits.



(More important final step--open wide!)

44 comments:

The Blonde Duck said...

You know it's almost blasphemy to say this, but...I think your banana puddin' looks better than my Mama's.

And as you know, that's a big deal in the South/Texas.

Anonymous said...

Actually Grace, I loved hearing that you save the best wafers for the top! Go ahead and sway the judge, you deserve it.

Anonymous said...

Wouldja quittit with the delectable sweets already?! Sheesh! Some of us have asses the size of Texass lately. ;) In all seriousness, though. I totally covet your secret weapon, and wholeheartedly agree that merriment and mirth would ensue after a taste.

Albany Jane said...

I love the aerial view.

There is no WAY I'd be able to resist it!

Anonymous said...

My oh my, that sure looks delish! And believe you me, I won't mind one bit if the judge gets swayed :P

Anonymous said...

I'm a true believer in those good old fashioned recipes. Easy, yummy and they remind you of being a kid.

Half Baked said...

It true there's not much better than nanner pudds. Yours looks awesome!

Kathy said...

I love the sour cream in this...it balances the sweetness of the pudding and the wafers which can be a little too much!

Anonymous said...

oh yum! i don't think i've ever tried banana pudding with sour cream, but it sounds like it'd be really good.
i'm glad i'm not the only one that would have saved the best looking wafers for the top. :-)

Gloria Baker said...

This look amazing Grace!! Did you read my post of yesterday. I told you I post yesterday a recipe to Beat the heat!! if you want to look. xxGloria

Anonymous said...

Man, oh, man, do I love banana pudding? Well, yes I do.

krysta said...

i find it soooo unfair that there is no way to share on the internet.

Anonymous said...

Oh, how I adore banana pudding. I've been looking for a recipe for awhile now, and I'm definitely going to try this. It looks amazing!

Cookie baker Lynn said...

I'm a recent convert to banana pudding and now I'm totally hooked. Yours looks amazing!

Marjie said...

Like banana cream pie, only without the crust! I'd never thought of mixing in sour cream or whipped cream (there's never been a cool whip in my house - sorry!) Luckily, this wouldn't last long enough for me to get to eat it! Or I would have an ass the size of Texass, as Canarygirl said!

Jessica@Foodmayhem said...

I've been meaning to write a recipe for your contest but alas, it may not happen, so I'm sending you something from the archives.

Anonymous said...

That looks so damn good, I could easily imagine myself reaching into my computer monitor with gigantic serving spoon, scooping up a giant serve for myself and eating it greedily!

Sandy said...

I've never made ... YUM! and guess what my secret weapon is? (in the book I co-wrote w/hubby, totally unrelated to food - ha!) Empathy! Doesn't that make sense?

Anyway, back to food. This looks so mouth-watering delic. :)

Chef Jeena said...

Oh my Grace I do understand about leaving it for 8 hours to set but it would be so tempting!!! Looks like a lovely treat and great entry. :-)

Anonymous said...

See, I'm not sure that I have that kind of patience... to wait 8 hours for something that amazing! Mmmmmm!

Pamela said...

Man, I haven't had banana pudding in AGES! This looks delicious.

Bunny said...

Oh Grace how you tempt me so, sour cream , pudding, naners and my favorite dunking cookie all in one dessert! i'd have to hide this in the fridge so i...i mean the kids won't get to it till it was ready!

Rachel said...

That looks too good to resist a temptation..

Paula said...

Oh lordy, YUM, YUM, YUM!!! I would like a serving of this merriment and mirth, please! Man, now I want some Good Ol' Nanner Puddin'.

Abitofafoodie said...

I love the shot from above. Almost seems too pretty to dive in. But then again, it looks so delicious I don't think I'd be able to hold off too long!

Leslie said...

Sit in the fridge for 8 hours??? NO way not in my house..I would be GONE GONE GONE!!!

Anonymous said...

Love the all important last step in your directions. I always forget to mention that one!
This looks delicious, Grace.

Sophie said...

so sad...I didn't realize the 8th was the last day!!! For some reason I was thinking it was next week :P. I feel bad for saying I was gonna do it, I think all this moving, packing/unpacking has really made me lose track of time :P. anywho, this is a great dessert. a friend of mine made something like this before when I was in college and it was really yummy :).

LyB said...

I LOVE that you save the perfect wafers for the top! I do that with pecans or other nuts when I make sticky buns or anything where you're gonna see the nuts. I'm a perfectionist too. :) I really should try making banana pudding, my kids would love this!

Anonymous said...

this takes me back to my childhood...awesome recipe.
don't know if i'm gonna make it into the beat the heat...will you do another one????

Anonymous said...

Oh. My. Gawd. That looks so good! I'm not a huge fan of bananas or pudding but my husband loves them both and he would totally love me if I made this. Hmm, I'll have t save this for a special occasion when I need something from him...

Emily said...

Banana pudding? Hooray!
Looks fabulous.

Alicia Foodycat said...

I don't know what vanilla pudding or cool whip or vanilla wafers are, but I love bananas with sour cream, so I suspect I would love this!

Sharon said...

8 hours huh? I believe in our house that a nanner dessert left unsupervised would at least have a few finger dips into that goodness, well before the 8 hour mark. I blame my husband - I would never do such a thing! :)

test it comm said...

I have been wanting to try a banana pudding for a while now. It looks so good!

coffee and queso said...

Oh my gosh! I haven't had banana pudding in ages: thanks for the reminder. This looks great--and love the addition of sour cream. If I can get through my work (working on Sunday--wah), I'm making this TODAY. Would be a great treat for a game night... :)

La Bella Cooks said...

Oh wow, look how great all the wafers look on top! I would never have the patience to wait 8 hours but I know this would totally be worth it. I just came across your blog and this was a wonderful introduction. Your site is fantastic!!

Ann said...

Bajillion degrees here in the desert - I'll TAKE ONE.

Elle said...

It just doesn't get any better than that, does it? I have to make some of this!

Cakespy said...

One of my absolute FAVORITE foods in the world. You're making me swoon!

Haley said...

i dont know if i love banana pudding because it is so simple and delicious or because it reminds me of being a kid....

there is a restaurant near my apt that serves banana pudding in a mason jar. so cute! i always want to try and steal it. shhh...

Lucy..♥ said...

There's a few people I know that would have that all gone in a second...

I have something for you over at my site, come on by ;-)

Y said...

Never had banana pudding before, but this brings back memories of something called banana flummery that I once made as a kid.

Anonymous said...

Oh yum, yum, double yum!