Banana Pudding with Gluten-Free Vanilla Wafers and Honey Custard
Cravings are an interesting thing. Something comes along, tickles my brain, gets the neurons talking to one another, and the next thing you know, I’m in the kitchen baking something I haven’t considered in years. Such is the case with these vanilla wafers. I used to adore vanilla wafers – right from the box, mind you – no milk, no pudding, nothing except the pure sweet vanilla crunch that I enjoyed for as long as I could remember...until a few years ago when I (happily) lost the gluten. Honestly, vanilla wafers have not crossed my mind in the past several years. I suppose I’ve been too busy concocting other gluten-free goodies to even consider them. Until now. After last week’s invasive dental procedure #7 (and hopefully the last!), I felt like a treat, but nothing decadent and gooey. I wanted sweet simplicity, and that is when neuron A said to neuron B, “hey, let’s get her to make gluten-free vanilla wafers; it’s been a while”, and off to the kitchen I went. Keep in mind, I’m not attempting to put Nabisco out of business here, so these aren’t supposed to be an exact replication. Instead, I’ve opted for the fewest ingredients possible to get from craving to wafer without employing soy, eggs, dairy, nuts, or gluten. I’m pleased with my results, and I hope you will be, too. And as for the banana pudding, well, there were a couple of bananas in the fruit bowl, some neurons started chatting, and the next thing you know…
Enjoy!
For the banana pudding, you will need the following:
1 recipe vanilla wafers 1 recipe honey custard 4 medium bananas, peeled & sliced
First, make the wafers. Honestly, you could stop here and it would still be a great day!
Gluten Free Vanilla Wafers
1 c. sugar
½ c. Earth Balance® Soy-Free buttery spread
1 ½ T. vanilla extract
1 T. egg replacer dissolved and whisked in ¼ c. warm water
1 c. sorghum flour
½ c. white rice flour
½ c. corn starch
Pinch of sea salt
Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or spray with non-stick spray.
In a small mixing bowl, combine flours, corn starch, and salt. Set aside.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine sugar and spread and stir until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and egg replacer, stirring to combine. Add dry ingredients, a little at a time, stirring in between additions to make sure all dry ingredients are fully incorporated.
Scoop 1-inch balls of dough and place on cookie sheet, spacing 2 1/2 –inches apart. Using the bottom of a clean glass or measure cup, flatten balls of dough until approximately 2 ½-inch diameter (not this precise, but you get the idea).
Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until edges just begin to turn golden – you do not want to brown these.
Allow to cool on pan for a few minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.
Now, if you’re making the banana pudding, here’s the custard recipe that I use, or you could use these wafers and make your own version of the pudding.
Honey Custard (gluten-dairy-egg-soy-nut-free)
2 c. rice milk (or other milk of your choice)
½ c. honey (I used wildflower honey of medium darkness)
4 T. corn starch
1 t. vanilla extract
1 T. Earth Balance soy-free buttery spread
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine milk, honey, and cornstarch, whisking until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for a minute or two, until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract and spread. Stir and set aside while you assemble the bananas and wafers.
To assemble the pudding, layer wafers and banana slices in either an 8”x8” (approx.) serving dish or in individual bowls (I opted for 4 individual bowls). Layer until you have used all bananas and wafers, evenly dividing them between all bowls if you’re making individual servings. Then, carefully pour the custard over the layers of bananas and wafers, dividing it evenly if using individual bowls. Serve immediately; top with whipped topping if you like. There will be no leftovers.
Cravings are an interesting thing. Something comes along, tickles my brain, gets the neurons talking to one another, and the next thing you know, I’m in the kitchen baking something I haven’t considered in years. Such is the case with these vanilla wafers. I used to adore vanilla wafers – right from the box, mind you – no milk, no pudding, nothing except the pure sweet vanilla crunch that I enjoyed for as long as I could remember...until a few years ago when I (happily) lost the gluten. Honestly, vanilla wafers have not crossed my mind in the past several years. I suppose I’ve been too busy concocting other gluten-free goodies to even consider them. Until now. After last week’s invasive dental procedure #7 (and hopefully the last!), I felt like a treat, but nothing decadent and gooey. I wanted sweet simplicity, and that is when neuron A said to neuron B, “hey, let’s get her to make gluten-free vanilla wafers; it’s been a while”, and off to the kitchen I went. Keep in mind, I’m not attempting to put Nabisco out of business here, so these aren’t supposed to be an exact replication. Instead, I’ve opted for the fewest ingredients possible to get from craving to wafer without employing soy, eggs, dairy, nuts, or gluten. I’m pleased with my results, and I hope you will be, too. And as for the banana pudding, well, there were a couple of bananas in the fruit bowl, some neurons started chatting, and the next thing you know…
Enjoy!
For the banana pudding, you will need the following:
First, make the wafers. Honestly, you could stop here and it would still be a great day!
Gluten Free Vanilla Wafers
1 c. sugar
½ c. Earth Balance® Soy-Free buttery spread
1 ½ T. vanilla extract
1 T. egg replacer dissolved and whisked in ¼ c. warm water
1 c. sorghum flour
½ c. white rice flour
½ c. corn starch
Pinch of sea salt
Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or spray with non-stick spray.
In a small mixing bowl, combine flours, corn starch, and salt. Set aside.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine sugar and spread and stir until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and egg replacer, stirring to combine. Add dry ingredients, a little at a time, stirring in between additions to make sure all dry ingredients are fully incorporated.
Scoop 1-inch balls of dough and place on cookie sheet, spacing 2 1/2 –inches apart. Using the bottom of a clean glass or measure cup, flatten balls of dough until approximately 2 ½-inch diameter (not this precise, but you get the idea).
Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until edges just begin to turn golden – you do not want to brown these.
Allow to cool on pan for a few minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.
Now, if you’re making the banana pudding, here’s the custard recipe that I use, or you could use these wafers and make your own version of the pudding.
Honey Custard (gluten-dairy-egg-soy-nut-free)
2 c. rice milk (or other milk of your choice)
½ c. honey (I used wildflower honey of medium darkness)
4 T. corn starch
1 t. vanilla extract
1 T. Earth Balance soy-free buttery spread
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine milk, honey, and cornstarch, whisking until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for a minute or two, until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract and spread. Stir and set aside while you assemble the bananas and wafers.
To assemble the pudding, layer wafers and banana slices in either an 8”x8” (approx.) serving dish or in individual bowls (I opted for 4 individual bowls). Layer until you have used all bananas and wafers, evenly dividing them between all bowls if you’re making individual servings. Then, carefully pour the custard over the layers of bananas and wafers, dividing it evenly if using individual bowls. Serve immediately; top with whipped topping if you like. There will be no leftovers.
RSS Feed
