In a large mixing bowl, combine condensed milk, milk, and water using an electric hand or stand mixer. Mix well.
Add pudding mix and sea salt and blend until fluffy combined. The pudding mixture may begin to thicken.
Cover mixture and allow to chill inside the refrigerator overnight.
When chill time is complete, beat heavy whipping cream, banana extract, and vanilla extract in a separate large bowl for 4 to 5 minutes on high speed or until stiff peaks are formed.
Add whipped topping mixture to the pudding mixture and blend using the electric mixture for another minute until fully combined. This will create a light yellow, creamy color. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the edges of the bowl, gathering any excess pudding mixture. Mix well with the spatula before placing it inside the refrigerator for another 30 to 60 minutes to chill again.
After the chill time is complete, it’s time to assemble your banana pudding. Use a trifle dish and add about ⅓ of the pudding mixture to the bottom.
Top with Nilla Wafers, covering fully in a circular motion. Top wafers with banana slices. Repeat with another layer of Nilla Wafers and banana slices.
Top layer with another ⅓ of the pudding mixture and repeat the Nilla Wafer and banana layering process.
Top with the remaining pudding, spreading evenly over top.
Add a couple of banana slices and crushed Nilla Wafers for garnishing.
1 box classic white cake mix prepared according to package directions, cooled
4 to 5 tablespoons vanilla frosting
10 ounces light pink candy melting wafers divided use
2 tablespoons Crisco vegetable shortening divided use
round white sprinkles
Instructions
Shave the brown edges off the cake. In a large mixing bowl, crumble the remaining cake with your hands, or preferably with an electric mixer. Add the frosting and mix to combine.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop the cake mixture with a cookie scoop and use your hands to roll it into tight, smooth, round balls. If the cake mixture does not stay together even after you’ve compressed it, add an additional tablespoon of frosting to the mix. Place each ball on the prepared baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Remove the baking sheet from the refrigerator and poke each ball with a cake pop stick, sticking it about halfway through each ball and then removing it.
Add about 1/2 cup of the melting wafers to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on 50% power for 60 seconds. Add 1/2 tablespoon of shortening and stir gently. Return to the microwave and heat in 30-second intervals on 50% power, stirring in between, until the wafers are melted and silky smooth.
Dip one tip of a cake pop stick into the melted wafers, about 1/2 inch deep. Then place the covered tip of the stick into the hole in the cake ball you created earlier. Repeat with a new cake pop stick for each cake ball. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before proceeding.
Near the end of the chill time, prepare the remaining candy wafers. Repeat Step 4 using the remaining wafers and shortening until the mixture is silky smooth. Pour the melted wafers into a deep bowl or cup for dunking.
Remove the cake pops from the refrigerator. Working one at a time, dunk a cake pop into the melted wafers and carefully pull it out, allowing the excess to drip off. Place the cake pop into a cake pop stand with the stick pointing downward and immediately top with sprinkles. Repeat this process for each cake pop.
Refrigerate the cake pops for another 30 minutes before serving.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cream of tartar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix well.
In a separate large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars until soft using an electric mixer. Add the eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla, and almond extract and mix again until fully blended.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and blend until fully incorporated. The mixture will be very crumbly at first. Continue mixing and knead with your hands if necessary.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Scoop the chilled cookie dough with a large (3-tablespoon) cookie scoop or 1/4-cup measuring cup and use your hands to roll it into smooth, round balls. Place the balls 2 inches apart on the baking sheet and bake for 9 to 10 minutes, checking periodically.
As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, use a flat-bottomed glass to gently press the cookies down into round disks, being careful not to flatten them too much. The edges of the cookies should appear cracked after pressing.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely before applying frosting.
Frosting
Combine the butter, powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract in a medium mixing bowl. Blend until smooth using an electric mixer.
Add 2 to 3 inches of gel food coloring and blend again. If needed, continue adding food coloring until you’ve reached your desired shade of pink. The frosting will be thick and should spread like softened butter or cream cheese.
Using a butter knife, apply the frosting to the cookies starting in the center and working outwards. Allow the frosting to sit for 30 minutes to stiffen before serving.
If you have an espresso machine with a steamer attachment, steam the milk to 150 degrees. If not, follow the next step for heating the milk.
Heat the milk in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds, until it reaches 150 degrees. Or heat it in a small saucepan on the stove top, stirring constantly. Be careful not to scald or boil the milk.
Place the chocolate syrup in a coffee mug.
Add espresso.
Add the heated milk.
Top with vanilla whipped cream.
Drizzle chocolate syrup on top of the whipped cream.
Vanilla Whipped Cream
In a chilled bowl, beat the whipping cream until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes.
Add sugar and vanilla extract.
Beat for an additional minute or until stiff peaks form.
1 cup unsalted butter If you use salted butter omit the 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoon cake batter flavoring
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup rainbow sprinkles
Cream Cheese Cookie Frosting
4 ounces cream cheese softened
3 tablespoons butter softened
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon cake batter flavoring
Instructions
Cookies
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl combine butter and granulated sugar. Cream butter and sugar together with an electric mixture unil the butter is light and fluffy.
After the butter and sugar are light and fluffy, add 2 large eggs and mix well.
Add salt, vanilla extract, cake batter flavoring, baking powder, and flour to the butter mixture. Mix until the flour is well incorporated.
Add 1/4 cup rainbow sprinkles, and mix into batter.
Portion the cookie dough into 12 dough balls with either a 1/4 cup measuring cup. You can use a scale to portion the dough by 75 grams. You will have a very small portion left over.
Place the dough balls onto two parchment-lined baking sheets. Place six dough balls on each sheet. Press each dough ball gently with a glass to spread them out to just under 1/4 inch thickness.
Bake cookies for 11 to 12 minutes, for a slightly underbaked texture. Add a minute or two if you want them more well done.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely before applying frosting.
Frosting
Combine all the frosting ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and blend until smooth using an electric mixer.
Place the frosting in a piping bag with a medium tip. Pipe the frosting onto cookies in a pinwheel pattern, starting from the center and working outward, and immediately top with sprinkles.
Allow the frosting to sit for 30 minutes to stiffen before serving.
