Butter Cookie Pudding: A Cosy Dessert for Thanksgiving
8 mins
Cooking Time
Easy
Difficulty
9
Ingredients
Veg
Diet
Thanksgiving always brings rich pies and heavy desserts, so this pudding acts as a refreshing contrast. Soft bananas, warm vanilla sauce, and buttery cookies come together in cosy layers that mimic the comfort of banana cream pie but with half the effort. It chills beautifully, making it perfect for prepping ahead of a big holiday meal.
Begin by whisking milk, sugar, and cornflour in a saucepan until there are no dry pockets of starch left. Place it on medium heat and keep the whisk moving so the bottom doesn’t scorch. Once it thickens and the surface becomes glossy, pull it off the heat. Stir in vanilla extract and butter while still warm so the mixture turns smooth.
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Step 2: Slice the Bananas
Peel the bananas and slice them into even rounds to ensure they layer neatly. If preparing ahead, keep them covered so the air doesn’t darken the surface. The slices should be thick enough to hold shape between pudding layers without turning mushy.
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Step 3: Build the First Layers
Crush the vanilla butter cookies using your hands to get coarse chunks—this gives the pudding small crunchy pockets even after chilling. Spread a cookie layer across your serving dish, keeping it even. Dust a little powdered sugar over it so the base softens gently from the moisture. Add a layer of banana slices, then spoon warm pudding over the top.
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Step 4: Repeat and Finish Layers
Continue layering in the same order: crushed cookies, powdered sugar, bananas, and pudding. Try not to press anything down—leaving the layers loose helps the pudding settle naturally as it cools. Make sure your final layer is pudding so the whipped cream sits evenly later.
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Step 5: Add Whipped Cream Topping
Once the pudding has cooled slightly, spread unsweetened whipped cream across the surface. Keeping it unsweetened balances the natural sweetness from the bananas and cookies. Smooth it with a spatula and add a few cookie crumbs on top for a gentle crunch.
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Step 6: Chill Before Serving
Cover the dish and place it in the refrigerator for at least four hours. Longer cooling, preferably overnight, allows the flavours to settle into a mellow, pudding-pie texture that complements a Thanksgiving spread and makes the cookies cake-soft.