Original Nilla Banana Pudding

Ever since I've been at Cornell, I have wanted to make the homemade banana pudding recipe on the back of the Nilla Wafer Box. Unfortunately, I would always find excuses as to why not put forth effort - I had other work to do, I could just as easily eat pudding in the dining hall, or simply, I was much too lazy.

What better way to spend the afternoon on Superbowl Sunday than to finally complete the task I've been meaning to do for months now. I guess this is kind of a pointless blog, but after only eating packaged or dining hall pudding my entire life, the end result was amazing. Honestly, I was not expecting the difference between store-bought and homemade pudding to be this significant, but putting forth the effort really made a difference. We ate the dish while it was still slightly warm, and the Nilla wafers layered within the mix melted into the freshly sliced bananas and custard that surrounded it.

We intended to save this dish for the Superbowl, but it was really much to good to wait. For anyone who wants a delicious, warm treat on a cold winter day, here it is:

Prep: 30 mins - Cook: 15 mins - Cool: 15 mins

3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Dash salt
3 eggs, separated
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
45 NILLA Wafers, divided
5 ripe bananas, sliced (about 3 1/2 cups), divided
Additional NILLA Wafers and banana slices, for garnish

1. Mix 1/2 cup sugar, flour and salt in top of double boiler. Blend in 3 egg yolks and milk. Cook, uncovered, over boiling water, stirring constantly for 10 to 12 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.

2. Reserve 10 wafers for garnish. Spread small amount of custard on bottom of 1 1/2-quart casserole; cover with a layer of wafers and a layer of sliced bananas. Pour about 1/3 of custard over bananas. Continue to layer wafers, bananas and custard to make a total of 3 layers of each, ending with custard.

3. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form; gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff but not dry. Spoon on top of pudding, spreading evenly to cover entire surface and sealing well to edges.

4. Bake at 350°F in top half of oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until browned. Cool slightly or refrigerate. Garnish with additional wafers and banana slices just before serving.

Makes 8 servings

Nutritional Info Per Serving:
287 calories, 6 g protein, 50 g carbohydrate, 7 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 117 mg cholesterol, 134 mg sodium, 1 g dietary fiber