Banana pudding is a tried and true classic. It’s been satiating banana lovers since at least 1878, when it was first introduced in the New York Times. Simple, silky, and decadent, this popular dessert needs little accompaniment other than a luscious dollop of whipped cream on top. With such a long history of development and variations, you might think there would be little room for improvement — but think again. There are actually all kinds of tasty upgrades for banana pudding from bacon sprinkles to boozy layers of syrupy bourbon. One particularly indulgent way to level up your banana pudding is to swap out the customary vanilla-flavored wafers (commonly used in this pudding since the 1920s) for Golden Oreos.
If you’ve never had one, Golden Oreos still contain the same signature creme filling we all know and love from their classic counterparts, but with crisp buttery-golden vanilla flavored wafers in place of the original chocolate ones. They’re arguably more sugary and flavor-packed than your standard vanilla wafer and they stand up to the pudding a bit better (even with next-day helpings) adding a bit more structure and therefore more substance with less mush. Golden Oreos made their debut on grocery store shelves back in 2004, and ion 2024 Nabisco released a gluten-free version, leaving no one behind (but plenty of crumbs — to be devoured) and opening up this banana pudding swap to those with dietary restrictions.
How to elevate your banana pudding with Golden Oreos
When making Golden Oreo banana pudding, any classic banana pudding recipe will do. Like meringue? Do meringue. Prefer Cool Whip or real whipped cream? Hey, whatever tops your pudding! But there are things to consider when assembling this much-beloved pudding. Like, can you take the sweet? Golden Oreos are decidedly sweeter than vanilla wafers due to the sugary cream filling (not to mention the second cookie wafer). You may want to dial back the sugar in your recipe or scrape the cream filling off your Oreos, using just the wafers. Though, that seems to defeat the whole purpose of using Golden Oreos.
Next, to crush or not to crush? Because Oreos are a layered cookie, using whole cookies can leave you with a crunchier result, while breaking up the cookies’ surface area will allow for greater pudding penetration, resulting in an overall softer mouthfeel, more akin to the original. But marry the two and you’ve got a winning combo. Simply line the bottom of your serving dish with whole cookies, enveloping them in rich vanilla pudding before adding banana slices. Subsequent layers get broken cookies for a more cake-like bite. No bananas? Sub butterscotch pudding for a creative riff on an old fave.
