Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding With Italian S Cookies
THE BEST BANANA PUDDING IS HAPPENING RIGHT HERE
If someone were to put a bowl of old-fashioned banana pudding near me and left, it would be gone when they got back.
I’m sneaky that way, ha!
Before you scroll down to check I want to tell you now that this is an old-fashioned banana pudding with mashed bananas mixed in.
I did not layer sliced bananas because I don’t usually have an issue with ripe bananas but rather over-ripe bananas that need using up.
Making banana pudding sounds difficult which is why so many people opt for the instant boxed puddings.
Honestly, this is a quick and easy banana pudding that will taste 100 times better than anything you’d find in a box.
Toss them out!
British Desserts
I’m a HUGE pudding guy but I’ve had enough of the banana bread recipes and I wanted to try something traditional like when I was a kid.
Growing up my mum would make various banana dessert recipes but it was her thick vanilla custards that I like the most.
Related: Coconut Custard Tarts
When we went to the UK in 2017 both my wife and I would watch my mum and dad work together to make little pots of vanilla custard for the week.
No word of a lie you would find a tray of 12 in the refrigerator for their after-dinner sweet treat.
Puddings and custards are a big deal back home which is why I want to share with you what my mum taught me.
Italian S Cookies
There are no boxed pudding mixes used in this easy banana pudding recipe and you can forget about those expensive Nilla cookies too, I used Italian “S Cookies”.
The Italian S Cookie is a traditional buttery, lemon breakfast cookie with a crunchy texture that would be dunked in your coffee.
The lemon flavour is slight so it won’t overpower your banana pudding in fact, I don’t even taste it when I’m eating it.
At a little over $1.00 for a package of ten “S Cookies,” you can’t go wrong and they taste AMAZING layered in my banana pudding recipe.
Some of my favourite brands of “S Cookies” are Milano S Cookies and Gioia S Cookies (we used these).
If you feel extra creative in the kitchen you can make your own Italian Homemade S Cookies.
When unexpected company comes over to our house this is a quick banana pudding that we whip up in under 20 minutes with 30 minutes chilling time in the refrigerator.
The best part is if you do have bananas that are too ripe to eat and you’ve frozen them simply defrost, mash and you’re ready to make the best banana pudding you’ve ever tried.
How to make Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding with S Cookies
For this cooked banana pudding, you’ll need 10 key ingredients which are all staples in most pantries however they are easy to find.
My goal for this recipe like all others on this blog is to consider the frugal budget and to keep the recipe, simple.
- 2% milk
- Whipping Cream
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Flour
- Cornstarch
- Bananas of course!
- Butter
- Salt
- S Cookies
If you don’t have whipping cream you can use an extra cup of milk instead but it’s nice to have so you can also decorate the banana pudding.
Once the pudding is thick add a layer of cling wrap to the top of the bowl to prevent any skin forming and refrigerate for 40 minutes to chill.
If you can do it overnight, even better only because I find the flavours tend to come together with any baked or sweet recipe I’ve ever made.
It’s not necessary to keep it for that long though.
- 3 medium ripe bananas
- 2 cups of milk
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsps flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 large egg yolks
- 3 tbsps butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 package Italian S Cookies
- Nutmeg (optional)
- In a medium saucepan add milk, butter and 1 cup of the whipping cream, vanilla along with the over-ripe bananas on medium heat and bring to a boil stirring constantly.
- In a small bowl add your salt, sugar, flour and cornstarch and mix.
- Remove the pan from the heat and mix in your sugar mixture until completely dissolved.
- In a small bowl crack eggs and separate the yolks and whisk. Temper the eggs with a teaspoon or two of the hot milk and stir quickly.
- Then add the egg yolk mixture to the hot milk mixture and stir to combine.
- Put back on the stove and bring to a boil stirring constantly for 1 or 2 minutes until thickened.
- If you want a chunky banana pudding leave the bananas chunky but if you want a smooth banana pudding you can use a banana masher or hand blender which I did to make it smoothe.
- In a medium to a large round baking dish or serving bowl add a layer of Italian S cookies on the bottom then top with some of the banana pudding. Do this until all of the cookies and pudding are gone.
- Add a plastic wrap to the top so it doesn't create a skin and refrigerate for 40 minutes or until cold.
- In a bowl or stand mixer add the last cup of whipping cream and a bit of sugar if you want sweet whipping cream. I'd add about 2 tablespoons or leave it as is. Blend for 5 minutes or until a whipping cream forms peaks.
- Put the whipping cream in a piping bag and make an x design across the centre of the bowl. Optional
- Top with sprinkles of fresh nutmeg and serve. Optional
- I also added Graham Cracker cookies. Optional
For decorations, I added two pieces of graham cracker cookies slid into the side of the dessert along with the whipped cream and nutmeg.
You could also sprinkle with crushed graham crackers or drizzle homemade caramel on top and sliced bananas.
If you prefer to have a warm banana pudding simply enjoy it right from the pot as is which is equally as delicious.
Mr.CBB
Please don’t forget to leave this recipe a review and share it if you loved it. I enjoy hearing from all of you and I’m sure my mum would be proud.
Related Recipes
Love the recipe but what do you do with the butter
Hi Patt,
Oops, good catch. I’ve added it in. Thanks for letting me know and for dropping by. 🙂 I hope you try it.
I did try it- that’s why I wondered about the butter. Excellent even without the butter. Thanks for sharing it. Came at a good time as I had exactly three overripe bananas about to be tossed?
I just wanted something different than banana loaf. Did you use cookies?
I love it but couldn’t figure out what to do with the butter