Homemade Banana Pudding

 My mother-in-law gave me some bananas the other day because she knows how much our family loves bananas. I had just bought some for Blakely at the store so I started thinking about what I could do with these extra bananas. Immediately, I thought of banana pudding since it's been so long since I've had some. Also, I've never made it before and I'm always looking to try new recipes.

I browsed the Internet for some delicious recipes and couldn't find any that I really loved. So, I decided to take bits and pieces from a lot of recipes and combine them together.

Now, I should tell you that Kevin HATES when I do this. He thinks I am messing up recipes that have already been tested and approved. But my philosophy as a baker is how are you going to know if you can come up with something better if you don't try it.

This banana pudding is with homemade whipped cream and not a meringue since I do not care for meringue at all. However, I will eat bowls full of homemade whipped cream!

Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup Sugar 
• 1/3 Cup Flour
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 Cups milk 
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 box Nilla Wafers
• 5 bananas
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• dash salt

Whipped Cream

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2/3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanillla

Directions

1. Combine the sugar and flour into a bowl.

2. Slowly add the milk.

3. Now add the egg yolks. 

4. Put all those ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat and stir continuously.

5. Keep stirring....keep stirring....and, keep stirring. You need to stir it for about 15-20 minutes until it begins to thicken.

6. Once it starts to thicken, add your butter, vanilla, and salt.

7. Continue stirring for a few more minutes.

8. Take it off the stove to cool.

9. While it's cooling, you can make your homemade whipped cream.

And yes...I said homemade. Don't you destroy this dessert with Cool Whip crap!! Just kidding, do whatever is easiest but seriously...homemade whipped cream is the bomb!

1. Put heavy whipping cream in a mixing bowl and mix on high until is starts to puff up.
2. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Continue mixing until it is thick.

Now's the fun part!!

 Put a layer of Nilla Wafers at the bottom of a bowl.

Add one sliced banana on top.

Cover the bananas with 1/3 of the pudding mixture and then some whipped cream.

Repeat those steps with more wafers, vanilla, pudding, and cream. Continue layering until you reach the top of the bowl.

Add crushed wafers on top.

Then refrigerate until you're ready to serve it! Yum, yum!