Bourbon Banana Pudding

Most banana pudding recipes—even the famous Magnolia Bakery version from New York City—rely on boxed vanilla pudding and sweetened condensed milk. My family loves Magnolia’s, but I couldn’t shake the memory of a bourbon-spiked version I had years ago at a tiny riverside barbecue joint in Louisville, Kentucky. The barbecue was forgettable; the bourbon banana pudding was unforgettable.

With eight ripe bananas on my counter and a craving for something less sweet and fully homemade, I turned to my go-to Epicurious recipe. In the comments, a reader inspired by Cook’s Illustrated suggested a brilliant trick: microwave four bananas to extract juice, reduce it to three tablespoons, and add banana liqueur. I amped it up with a generous splash of bourbon.

I also cut the sugar to just two tablespoons and let the bananas, bourbon, and vanilla paste shine. The verdict? CC2 and my husband fought over the last bite. CC2 won. My husband almost cried. There’s room to tinker, but this version is pretty spectacular.

Ingredients

For the pudding:

• 5 large egg yolks

• 2 tablespoons sugar (optional; adjust to taste)

• 1/4 cup cornstarch

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 2 cups whole milk

• 1 tablespoon banana liqueur

• 1 tablespoon bourbon

• 2 teaspoons vanilla paste

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 6 ripe bananas

For the crumble:

• 1 cup vanilla wafer. (I only had about 20 mini Nilla Wafers on hand, so the pudding was a bit runny. If you use a full cup of wafers, which are sweet, you can eliminate the added sugar entirely.)

• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 pinch of salt

• 1 tbsp butter, melted

Instructions:

• Prepare the banana concentrate
  Microwave 4 ripe bananas for 4 minutes. Strain the juice and reduce it on the stovetop to about 3 tablespoons. (Use the leftover softened bananas for overnight oatmeal or smoothies.) Stir in the bourbon, banana liqueur, and vanilla paste. Set aside.

• Make the pudding base
  In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar (if using), cornstarch, and salt. Set aside.

• Temper the eggs
  In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. Off heat, slowly whisk a small amount of hot milk into the egg mixture to temper. Once bottom of bowl feels warm, gradually whisk in the remaining milk.

• Cook the pudding
  Return the mixture to a clean saucepan (important to prevent scotching at bottom). Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until the pudding thickens and becomes glossy, about 2 minutes. (Watch carefully; mine thickened a little faster than the original recipe suggested.)

• Finish the pudding
  Off heat, whisk in the banana-bourbon mixture and butter until smooth. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

• Prepare the crumble
  Place the wafers in a zip-top bag and crush lightly with a rolling pin or your hand, leaving a mix of crumbs and larger pieces. Toss with cinnamon and salt. Drizzle with melted butter and bake at 325°F (163°C) for 5–10 minutes, until lightly toasted.

• Assemble the pudding
  In a trifle dish or glass bowl, layer pudding, sliced bananas, and crumble. Repeat layers until filled, finishing with pudding on top

• Best served chilled. Enjoy!