Creamy Banana Pudding Bars

For the vanilla custard:
In a saucepan over medium heat, bring cream and milk to a simmer, whisking several times. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk sugar, cornstarch, salt and egg yolks until combined.

Once the milk is simmering, slowly add about a cup of the warm milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly (this will help bring up the temperature of the eggs without scrambling them). Once the cup of milk is incorporated, slowly pour the entire egg mixture into the saucepan, whisking while you pour. Bring the mixture to a boil, and boil for about 5 minutes, whisking constantly. The mixture will thicken. Remove from the heat and whisk in vanilla extract and butter.

Pour the custard into a large bowl. If you’re worried about lumps, you can set a mesh sieve over the bowl and pour the mixture through the sieve, using a rubber spatula to lightly press the custard through. Allow the custard to cool slightly at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Then cover and refrigerate for several hours, until chilled completely.

For the crust:
Preheat oven to 350° F. Line an 8×8 or 9×9 pan with foil, leaving a couple inches of overhang on two sides. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine vanilla wafer crumbs and melted butter. Once thoroughly combined, press into the bottom of your prepared pan. I use the back of a measuring cup to help evenly press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly, then transfer to the refrigerator to cool completely.

To assemble the bars:
Beat heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

Pour half of the vanilla custard (see note) into the prepared crust and add 2 sliced bananas on top of the custard. Pour the remaining custard on top of that. Top with whipped cream and garnish with additional sliced bananas and crushed vanilla wafer cookies.

Store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Note: If your custard thickened too much, you can vigorously whisk in a few splashes of milk to slightly thin it out.