BANANA PUDDING FOR ONE
PG tested
This isn’t the most traditional banana pudding, but I find that the key to making perfect, last-minute desserts for yourself is to use the things you love, and to use the things you already have. Markets abound with rich, creamy whole-milk yogurts these days, but if they’re not your thing, that’s fine – you could substitute any here, purchased or homemade. Don’t swap on the cookies, though: Gingersnaps bring so much more texture and depth of flavor than the traditional Nilla Wafers.
l like to assemble the pudding in a tall, clear jar, because the layers are pretty to admire, but you can certainly just do it in a bowl.
½ cup heavy cream 9 small boxed gingersnaps
2 teaspoons sugar, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large ripe banana, peeled and cut in half Pinch of salt
½ cup sweetened wholemilk vanilla or honey Greek yogurt
Pour the heavy cream into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the gingersnaps and toss to coat, then remove the cookies and set aside.
Add the sugar and vanilla to the bowl of cream and whisk until it forms stiff peaks. Scoop ⅔ of the whipped cream into a plastic zip-top bag; close the bag and pop it in the fridge until needed.
Gently nudge the remaining whipped cream to one side of the bowl. Place one of the banana halves on the other side of the bowl and mash thoroughly with a fork. Once the banana paste is relatively smooth, gently fold it into the whipped cream, then add the yogurt and continue to fold gently until everything is incorporated. Taste for sweetness, as not all brands of yogurt (or palates) are created equally. Add sugar as you see fit, no judgment.
Thinly slice the remaining half of the banana.
Assemble pudding: Place ⅓ of your pudding mixture on the bottom of your vessel, then layer three gingersnaps on top of the pudding. (Do so gently, as they’ll have softened a little bit.) Add a layer of banana slices.
Snip a corner off the baggie of cream and pipe a layer on top of the bananas. Repeat two times with pudding, cookies and banana slices.
Place the finished, layered pudding in the fridge to rest for at least one hour and up to 24 hours. The longer the pudding sits, the softer the cookies will be, but thanks to their initial soak in cream, they should be spoonable within 60 minutes.
Serves 1.
— Jessicarobyn Keyser