As much as we love a dish prepared from scratch, we also love a good short cut to help us enjoy a recipe much more quickly. Our 5 ingredient old-fashioned banana pudding is a great shortcut to delicious dessert in a pinch. A few store-bought ingredients help bring this dessert to life, but we can’t resist a little added flare at the end to make this taste even better.
At the grocery store, grab a package of vanilla wafer cookies and a couple instant jello pudding packets, then add to that a few at home ingredients (bananas and egg whites), and you’ve got pretty much everything you need. A little extra effort comes with whipping up the egg whites, but trust us, a little bit goes a long way. To finish up, set everything under the broiler for a few minutes to put a golden crust on top of the whipped egg whites. We love the toasty marshmallow flavor that broiling provides, and it makes a simple dessert look a little fancier. What’s not to love about a simple, comforting dessert that everyone will enjoy?!
INGREDIENTS
25-30 vanilla wafer cookies
2 packages (3.4 ounce) instant butterscotch or toffee pudding mix
2¾ cups cold milk (for mixing instant pudding)
3-4 bananas, sliced
3 egg whites
1 teaspoon cornstarch
*2 teaspoons vanilla extract (optional)
PREPARATION
Mix pudding with cold milk and set aside.
Place vanilla wafers along the bottom of an oven-safe serving dish, including along the sides.
Slice bananas to ¼-inch thickness and place half over bottom layer of vanilla wafers.
Pour half of pudding mixture over the bananas and wafers, gently spreading out to sides of dish.
Repeat with a second layer (remaining bananas and more pudding).
In a mixing bowl, whip egg whites, vanilla (optional), and cornstarch until stiff peaks form. Gently spread whipped egg whites on top of pudding wafer mixture, using a spoon or rubber spatula to make decorative peaks, if desired.
Set broiler to low and place pie under broiler until meringue turns golden brown.
Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes, or until slightly cooled.