Buzzed on Pumpkin
Welcome back to episode 7 of the Banana Pudding Series… today we’ve got a good one! If you’re a fellow pumpkin spice lover you’re going to be obsessed with this Brown Butter Pumpkin Biscoff Banana Pudding. And if that name didn’t already win you over, I don’t know what will. It’s essentially all the buzz words that we love when it comes to fall desserts. This treat has layers of Biscoff cookies, bananas, a brown butter pumpkin custard, and whipped cream. It’s filled with sweet, warm spices that truly make up the perfect fall dessert.
Pumpkin Pastry Cream
If you’ve been tuning into the series, you know that I always like to start with the pastry cream. Pour the milk into a sauce pot and heat it over medium high heat until it just comes to a simmer. In the meantime, add the egg yolks, cornstarch, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt into a bowl. Whisk the ingredients together until it turns into a pale brown color. Then mix in the pumpkin puree.
When the milk is simmering, remove it from the heat. Scoop a ladleful of the hot milk then slowly pour it into the egg mixture while whisking quickly to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Continue adding in the milk while whisking until half of the milk has been used. Pour the mixture back into the pot with the remaining milk and whisk. Return the pot to the stove and heat over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the cream starts bubbling and thickens into a custard. Remove the pot from heat.
Brown Butter Supremacy
Brown butter is definitely a key ingredient to fall desserts. It adds a caramelized nutty flavor to them and that’s essentially all you want when it comes to the cozy season. To make it, add the unsalted butter to a small pan and heat it over medium heat. Cook for about 5-8 minutes until the butter has developed into a toasted, golden brown color. Pour it into the hot custard along with the vanilla extract and mix until combined. This is when the pastry cream truly comes to life. The warmth and nuttiness of the brown butter elevates the spices in the custard. It immediately becomes so aromatic the moment the butter hits it. If your pastry cream is lumpy, you can pass it through a fine mesh sieve. Transfer the pastry cream into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic wrap makes contact with the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Place it in the fridge to cool completely.
Add the heavy cream and powdered sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the whisk attachment and mix on high speed until you get soft peaks. When the pastry cream has cooled, mix it with a rubber spatula to loosen it. Add about 2½ cups of the whipped cream into the pastry cream. Gently fold them together until evenly combined.
Spread a layer of the Biscoff cookies into a 9×13 inch pan or 2½ – 3 quart baking dish. 24 cookies should be just enough to cover the bottom of the dish in a single layer. Add on a layer of the sliced bananas. Then spread on a layer of the pumpkin pastry cream so that the bananas are fully covered. Add on a layer of the whipped cream. Repeat this process one more time to create another set of layers. Crush some of the remaining Biscoff cookies into crumbs and sprinkle them over top. Lightly sprinkle some additional pumpkin pie spice over top as well. For best consistency, let the banana pudding set over night.
Deliciously Untraditional
This Brown Butter Pumpkin Biscoff Banana Pudding is the dessert you want to show up with at any holiday gathering this year. It’s not the most traditional dessert but, trust me, it’ll having everyone raving. It’s airy and creamy but filled with so much flavor. The Biscoff cookies work great in this recipe because they already have a warm, cinnamon flavor so it pairs perfectly with the remaining ingredients. Obviously, we can’t forget about the bananas. They add a soft bite and their subtle sweetness is the perfect balance to the decadent custard. Let me know if you try this Brown Butter Pumpkin Biscoff Banana Pudding in the comments below and I’ll catch you in the next episode of my Banana Pudding Series!
Brown Butter Pumpkin Biscoff Banana Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cups Whole Milk
- 5 Large Egg Yolks
- 3 tbsp Cornstarch
- ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
- ¼ cup Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp Pure Pumpkin Puree
- 2 ½ tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3 cups Heavy Cream
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar
- 6 Bananas (sliced)
- 48 Biscoff Cookies (two 8.8 oz packages)
Instructions
- Pour the milk into a sauce pot and heat it over medium high heat until it just comes to a simmer. In the meantime, add the egg yolks, cornstarch, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt into a bowl. Whisk the ingredients together until it turns into a pale brown color. Then mix in the pumpkin puree.
- When the milk is simmering, remove it from the heat. Scoop a ladleful of the hot milk then slowly pour it into the egg mixture while whisking quickly to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Continue adding in the milk while whisking until half of the milk has been used.
- Pour the mixture back into the pot with the remaining milk and whisk. Return the pot to the stove and heat over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the cream starts bubbling and thickens into a custard. Remove the pot from heat.
- Add the unsalted butter to a small pan and heat it over medium heat. Cook for about 5-8 minutes until the butter has developed into a toasted, golden brown color. Pour it into the hot custard along with the vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
- If your pastry cream is lumpy, you can pass it through a fine mesh sieve. Transfer the pastry cream into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic wrap makes contact with the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Place it in the fridge to cool completely.
- Add the heavy cream and powdered sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the whisk attachment and mix on high speed until you get soft peaks. When the pastry cream has cooled, mix it with a rubber spatula to loosen it. Add about 2½ cups of the whipped cream into the pastry cream. Gently fold them together until evenly combined.
- Spread a layer of the biscoff cookies into a 9×13 inch pan or 2½ – 3 quart baking dish. 24 cookies should be just enough to cover the bottom of the dish in a single layer. Add on a layer of the sliced bananas. Then spread on a layer of the pumpkin pastry cream so that the bananas are fully covered. Add on a layer of the whipped cream. Repeat this process one more time to create another set of layers. Crush some of the remaining biscoff cookies into crumbs and sprinkle them over top. Lightly sprinkle some additional pumpkin pie spice over top as well. For best consistency, let the banana pudding set over night. Enjoy!
