Banana Pudding Brownies
Take your brownie game up a notch with these Banana Pudding Brownies! Made with swirled layers of fudge brownie and banana pudding, then topped with toasted meringue, banana slices, and Nilla wafers, these summer brownies are such a fun and delicious dessert.
Ingredients
Banana Pudding Swirl
- 8- ounce block cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large egg yolks room temperature
- 1/4 cup water room temperature or warm
- 1 3.4-ounce box banana cream pudding mix Jello brand is great
Brownie Batter
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter sliced
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate bar broken into pieces
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs cold
- 1 large egg yolk cold - save egg white for meringue
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Meringue Topping
- 2 large egg whites at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
Garnish
- 1 large banana sliced
- 10-12 Nilla wafers Mini wafers are great, optional but recommended
Instructions
Make The Banana Pudding Batter
- In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, vanilla, egg yolks, water, and pudding mix until smooth.
- Set aside.
Make The Fudge Brownie Batter
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter and semi-sweet chocolate in the microwave for 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until fully melted.
- Mix in the oil and cocoa powder. Whisk in granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well combined.
- Whisk in the flour, cornstarch, and salt until a thick batter forms.
Combining The Layers
- Spoon half of the Fudge Brownie batter into a prepared 9x9" pan (lined with parchment paper) and smooth into an even layer with a spoon.
- Dollop 3/4 of the Banana Pudding batter on top and use a knife to swirl it into the brownie.
- Add the remaining brownie batter on top and smooth into an even layer.
- Dollop the remaining 1/4 of the Banana Pudding batter and use a knife or skewer to swirl it into the brownie.
Bake
- Bake for 43-45 minutes or until the top of the brownie is set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
- Place the brownie pan onto a wire rack to cool for 1 hour. Allow to chill in the fridge, covered, for 2-3 hours or up to 3 days.
Make The Meringue Topping*
- In a heatproof bowl of a stand mixer, add the egg whites, sugar, vanilla, and cream of tartar.
- Bring a medium pot with 2 inches of water to a simmer and set the bowl with the meringue mixture on top. The meringue bowl should not touch the water inside the pot.
- Whisk and allow the meringue mixture to warm up, until the sugar granules dissolve. Use your fingertips to check if the sugar is dissolved. This should take only 2-3 minutes.
- Place the bowl back into the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or handheld mixer or whisk) and beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 10-12 minutes.
- Take the chilled brownie out of the fridge and lift up to remove the parchment paper. Discard the parchment paper. Place the brownie back into the pan or onto a sheet pan so you can easily decorate it. *It's important to remove the parchment, otherwise it will burn.
- Spread the meringue over the brownie.
- Place brownies in the oven on broil for 1-3 minutes, to make the top of the meringue golden. Alternatively, carefully use a kitchen blow torch.
- Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes (up to 2 hours; no longer) if time allows, just to get the meringue cold.
- Decorate the top of the brownie with sliced bananas and nilla wafers before serving. Slice with a sharp knife. Serve right away.
Notes
*If you don’t plan to serve the brownies the day of, store the brownies (covered) in the fridge overnight and top with the meringue the morning of the serving day so it holds up best!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!