Silky vanilla spiced rum pastry cream is layered with cinnamon pecan wafer cookies, freshly whipped cream and banana slices for the ultimate from scratch banana cream parfaits. Best of all, these individual banana cream parfaits are ready quickly and easily for a treat that can feed a crowd or just dessert for two! Additionally, these are a fantastic make ahead treat for brunch and holidays.
I have been having a lot of people dropping in lately. And I’ve been busier than usual. Which translates to, I have been needing desserts that only look and taste like they took all day! These from scratch banana cream parfaits are such a tasty twist on the original layered banana cream pie treats. They have subtle punches of rich and buttery flavor from the spiced rum and cookies while maintaining the silky and cool effects everyone loves about parfaits.
Easy Desserts
In addition to my recent random company I’ve been walking to Bea’s school everyday to pick her up. Oh man, I may be skinny but I am out of shape! I realized the only exercise I’ve gotten in the past few months is vigorous whipping of cream or heavy lifting at Costco. I decided I needed to start exercising more. So Tilly and I have been walking the 1.3 miles to Bea’s school and back every afternoon.
Tilly, the lucky gal she is, has a snack in the double stroller while I gasp uphill in Mom jeans and stop frequently to catch my breath while pretending I’m looking at a text. The mailman was faster than me on the first couple of days. That was embarrassing! On day 3, the wind was fighting me back downhill with a vengeance. The way back consists of Bea sprinting most of the way home and me chasing her with burning lungs.
BUT, by day 6 I got some cute leggings and ran half the way there! And now I don’t have the urge to fall down and cry on the way back. I’m officially a woman who works out! I’m still not as fast as a lady with a baby who runs by me everyday without breaking a sweat. But I’m at least going faster than the mailman now.
Since I usually bake in the afternoon I’ve been turning to easier desserts that require less time than Brioche Feuilletee and Guinness Chocolate Pecan Rolls!
What I love about these from scratch banana cream parfaits is that I can make the pastry cream in 10 minutes. Then I let it chill while I do the walk. It’s ready to be layered up by the time I’m back. Easy! And now I’m definitely earning my nightly dessert calories!
Cinnamon Pecan Wafer Cookies
While traditional banana cream parfaits use boxed vanilla cookies, I baked up cinnamon pecan wafer cookies instead. In fact, the flavors of these banana cream parfaits are a bit like my Bananas Foster Galette.
The homemade wafer cookies use ground pecans with brown sugar and cinnamon for extra flavor and warmth. While I love banana cream pie parfaits, I have always found myself craving more zing and flavor depth. So these cookies give subtle spice that goes well with the touch of rum in the pastry cream. And the delicate crunch makes for such a perfect bite when mixed with fresh bananas, cool whipped cream, and the luscious pastry cream.
Please feel free to swap out storebought Nilla wafers in place of the pecan cinnamon cookies if desired.
Best Pastry Cream For Banana Cream Parfaits
Pastry cream is silky, luscious, and a stand alone star dessert. I love pastry cream! It’s also simple to make and takes only minutes of stovetop cooking time. The pastry cream I have added is an incredible base that you can flavor anyway you want and use it for future desserts. Pastry cream is perfect in Choux buns, Tarts, anything you can think of.
Parfait Perfection
Parfaits and trifles are my favorite make ahead treat or go-to dessert when I’m making brunch for a holiday like Easter or Mother’s Day. Layered desserts like these have an inviting visual appearance and let you know exactly what you are getting with each bite.
Quick desserts like these are also simple to assemble and you can make any amount of your choosing. The following recipe makes four 6 ounce servings.
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From Scratch Banana Cream Parfaits
Silky vanilla spiced rum pastry cream is layered with cinnamon pecan wafer cookies, freshly whipped cream and banana slices for the ultimate from scratch banana cream parfaits. Best of all, these individual banana cream parfaits are ready quickly and easily for a treat that can feed a crowd or just dessert for two! Additionally, these are a fantastic make ahead treat for brunch and holidays.
Ingredients
Cinnamon Pecan Wafer Cookies
- 6 tab unsalted butter softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup roughly ground pecans toasted
- 2/3 cup AP Flour or whole wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Vanilla Spiced Rum Pastry Cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1½ tablespoons spiced rum
Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 large bananas sliced
Instructions
Pastry Cream
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In a medium saucepan, whisk together the milk, sugar, eggs, cornstarch, and salt over medium low heat.
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Whisk it frequently for 6-8 minutes, until thickened. It will bubble and be smooth and thick.
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Remove from heat and whisk in butter until smooth. Then add extract and rum. *If you have any lumps, then use a mesh sieve for the next step.
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Then pour into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pushing wrap against the surface to prevent a film from forming. Chill for an hour.
Pecan Wafer Cookies
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Cream butter with sugars for 5 minutes on medium speed.
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Then add egg and vanilla and beat an additional 2 minutes.
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Combine the remaining dry ingredients. Then gradually add this to the batter while beating on low speed.
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Use a small cookie scoop to make cookie dough balls. Put on parchment, about 3 inches apart. I do 6 cookies per sheet.
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Bake 8-9 minutes, until the outer edges are golden brown. Then remove and cool before layering in parfaits.
Assembling parfaits
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Whip the heavy cream until stiff. Then take half and fold into pastry cream.
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Slice up bananas.
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Layer the parfaits like this: Pastry cream layer followed by banana slices. Then add cookies and layer of remaining whipped cream. Repeat. Finish by putting a couple banana slices and cookie crumbs on top of last whipped cream layer.
Recipe Notes
- Use box vanilla cookie wafers in place of homemade cookies.
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