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Hi Bold Bakers!
Welcome back, Vedika — she’s here today with her Chocolate Banana Pudding recipe! Check out a few of the other fantastic recipes she’s shared with our Bigger Bolder Baking community, like her Cinnamon Roll Palmiers, Salted Caramel Fudge, and Dirty Chai Brownies too!
If you’re looking to upgrade an old classic, look no further — this Chocolate Banana Pudding is the way to go. Made with layers of velvety chocolate pudding, crushed Oreos, whipped cream, and bananas, this no-bake dessert is an easy-to-whip-up crowd-pleaser!
If you’ve heard of the famous Magnolia Bakery, chances are you’re familiar with their much-lauded banana pudding. Traditional Banana Pudding, like the one served at the New York City-famous bakery, is made with vanilla pudding, plain cookies, bananas, and cream.
But what if we infuse that winning combination with a bit of chocolate? The result is the same luxurious texture but with a richer and more complex flavor. Even if you skip the bananas, the pudding and Oreo combination by itself is beyond delicious!
Table Of Contents
- Tools You Need To Make Chocolate Banana Pudding
- Ingredients
- Banana Pudding Ingredient Substitutions
- How To Make Chocolate Banana Pudding
- Why Is My Pudding Grainy?
- Making Ahead And How To Store Pudding
- Related Recipes
Tools You Need
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Heavy duty pot
Ingredients For Chocolate Banana Pudding
- Sugar: I use white granulated sugar for this recipe to achieve the perfect level of sweetness.
- Cornstarch: Helps achieve a thick pudding.
- Salt: A little salt helps to counter the sweetness.
- Instant espresso powder: Coffee helps bring out the flavors of chocolate. This won’t make your pudding taste like coffee, but you can omit it if you prefer.
- Egg yolks: Egg yolks make the pudding rich and help thicken it.
- Whole milk: I recommend using whole milk for this recipe, not skim. Whole milk gives your desserts more flavor.
- Bittersweet chocolate: Be sure you use good quality chocolate. I like to use 75% cacao solids.
- Unsalted butter: Butter gives even more richness to the pudding.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla, like salt, helps bring out all the flavors of your pudding.
- Oreos: For a nice, chocolatey crunch. You can also use chocolate wafers or Digestives in place of Oreos.
- Heavy whipping cream: Whipped cream makes this dessert lighter, and airier, and counters the intensity of the chocolate.
- Bananas: It is a banana pudding, after all!
Banana Pudding Ingredient Substitutions
If you would like to substitute elements in this recipe, bananas can be replaced with other fruit, such as raspberries or strawberries. It can also be entirely omitted. Similarly, Oreo cookies can be replaced with any cookie you like, such as Speculoos Cookies or Digestives.
How To Make Chocolate Banana Pudding
- You’ll start with making chocolate pudding. First, you’ll whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt, instant espresso powder, and egg yolks. You’ll then gradually add the milk to the yolk mixture and place all the ingredients on the stovetop, cooking until thickened.
- At that point, you’ll add in the butter, vanilla, and chocolate.
- This recipe is all about assembling, so you’ll whip the cream with a touch of sugar and vanilla, crush the Oreos and slice the bananas.
- After that, it’s all about the layers!
Why Is My Pudding Grainy?
The tricky part in this recipe is making sure to cook the pudding at the right temperature and not on too high of a flame. High temperature may cause it to overcook and result in a grainy pudding. Regarding the heat, low and slow is the way to go.
Can I Make Chocolate Banana Pudding In Advance? How To Store Pudding
If you want to make this Chocolate Banana Pudding recipe ahead of time, you can prepare the pudding several days in advance. However, once you assemble it, this dessert is best served immediately.
The Bold Baking Network
Bigger Bolder Baking is thrilled to introduce you to the Bold Baking Network, a team of talented chefs, creators, and experts looking to teach, entertain and help you on your baking journey. Here are more articles from our amazing collaborators!
- New Year’s Eve Black Cocoa Cupcakes
- Hanukkah Apple Fritters
- Homemade Chocolate Baklava
- Dirty Chai Brownies
- Cinnamon Roll Muffins
Try These Recipes!
Chocolate Banana Pudding
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Pudding
- ⅔ cup (150 g /5.3 oz) granulated sugar or demerara sugar
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 large egg yolks
- 3 cups (750 ml/25.4 fl oz) whole milk
- 1 ⅓ cups (200 g/7.1 oz) semi sweet chocolate (62% cacao solids), chopped
- 2 tablespoons (25 g/0.9 oz) unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Whipped Cream
- 1 ½ cups (12 fl oz/360 ml) heavy whipping cream, chilled
- 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar or demerara sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Layers
- 20 Oreo cookies, roughly broken or crushed
- 3-4 bananas, sliced
- chocolate, to grate on top (optional)
Instructions
To Make the Chocolate Pudding
- Use a medium saucepan (don’t place it on the stovetop yet!) to mix together the sugar, cornstarch, instant espresso powder, and salt until incorporated. Add in the egg yolks, and whisk until smooth. It should form a thick paste. Very gradually, pour in the milk 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring continuously, until all of the milk is added.
- Place the saucepan over low heat and gently cook the mixture, stirring constantly using a whisk, until it comes to a boil and thickens, for around 10-15 minutes. It should be thick enough that if you lift up the spatula and run your finger along the middle, the pudding holds its shape.
- Take the saucepan off the heat and stir in the dark chocolate, butter, and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Pour the mixture into a glass bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let the pudding cool, then place it in the fridge for at least two hours.
To Make the Whipped Cream
- Whip the heavy whipping cream with the granulated sugar/demerara sugar and vanilla extract until you are left with soft peaks.
- Divide the whipped cream in half. Fold half of the whipped cream into the pudding until smooth. This lightens up the pudding. Set aside the remaining whipped cream for the top.
To Make the Layers
- To assemble, you’ll either need individual serving dishes or glasses or a large trifle dish. Start by adding a layer of pudding, a layer of crushed cookies, and a layer of sliced bananas. Repeat 2-3 times. To finish, pipe or dollop the whipped cream and add a few banana slices and chocolate shavings. Serve immediately or after 1-2 hours. Leftovers should be stored in the fridge. This is best eaten right away due to the fresh fruit and cookies.
Will this be too sweet? Can i reduce the sugar because my family does not eat that much sugar