This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. If you click on one of the links and purchase something from Amazon, I will receive a small ad fee that does not affect your purchase price.
When I noticed the Meyer Lemon Cookies were on sale at Costco I had an idea to make a lemon version of banana pudding and use a lemon cookie instead of a vanilla wafer. I mentioned it to my husband who unexpectedly got excited about the idea and immediately walked back to get the cookies. His reaction was especially surprising considering he is allergic to a milk protein and can’t really eat pudding made with cow’s milk. I decided at the grocery store the next day that it was just meant to be when I accidentally discovered that Nabisco now makes lemon flavored Nilla wafers!
After surprising me with his reaction, my husband was surprised to learn that I was making the pudding from scratch. He asked if pudding could be made without a box of pudding mix…isn’t it “from scratch if you use the kind you cook?” As I said no, I couldn’t believe he would ask me such a thing after all those banana cream pies I made…then I remembered I had not made a banana cream pie in a very, very long time. I am not going to say how long as it ages me and is embarrassing. I will say that I am not sure my daughter has ever had a banana cream pie that I have made. 😮
Back to the topic at hand…I made a simple lemon pudding and layered it with the cookies into individual containers. I decided to top my pudding with whipped cream this time, but it would have been just as easy and as good to top it with meringue made from the leftover egg whites as per my old fashioned banana cream pudding and pie recipes. Because I don’t serve all of my puddings right away and store some of them in the refrigerator a day (or two), I stabilize my whipped cream. Although this can be done well using unflavored gelatin dissolved in a little bit of water for a long and several other methods, I find the easiest and very effective method is to just add Dr. Oester’s Whip It to the heavy cream before whisking it. I can buy Whip It at a local grocery store, but you can also order it from Amazon.
Lemon Pudding
Ingredients
- 3/4 c. granulated sugar
- 1/4 c. brown sugar
- 1/4 c. cornstarch
- 2 1/2 c. whole milk
- 4 large egg yolks, slightly beaten
- 2 large lemons, zested and juice
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 3 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Lemon thin cookies or lemon Nilla wafers
- Whipped Cream Topping or Meringue Topping
Instructions
Pudding
- In a medium saucepan not on the heat, whisk the sugar until it is lump-free.
- Sift in the cornstarch and whisk until it is fully incorporated.
- Slowly whisk in the milk.
- Then whisk in the egg yolks until they are fully incorporated.
- Place pan on medium heat. DO NOT COOK AT TOO HIGH OF A TEMPERATURE.Stir gently continuously until it becomes thick. It should easily thickly coat the back of a spoon to the point you could run your finger through it and see a distinct line. Keep in mind that you will be adding more liquid next, so you want it thick at this point. Because you are cooking cornstarch, do not overcook/over stir the pudding after it thickens because it will reach a point that the cornstarch breaks and it will become thin and/or release liquid.
- Remove from heat and whisk in lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and butter.
- Whisk until everything is well incorporated and the pudding has started to thicken again after adding the juice.
- Place a cookie or cookies in the bottom of a dish or bowl. If you plan to top the pudding with meringue make sure it is an oven-proof dish.
- Top the cookie layer with some of the hot pudding.
- Add another layer of cookies, and top with pudding.
- You may want to add one more layer of cookies and more pudding, but it is really a personal preference. Too many cookies can really overwhelm the dish.
- The top layer should be a pudding layer.
- If you are topping the pudding with meringue, add it now while the pudding is still hot. Place it in a preheated 350 degree oven until golden brown.
- If you are topping with whipped cream, place a sheet of wax paper or plastic wrap over the entire surface of the pudding and press it until it touches the surface. This prevents a "skin" from forming on the pudding.
- Allow to cool and then refrigerate.
- Top with whipped cream after it has cooled for at least an hour in the refrigerator.
Whipped Cream
- 1 c. heavy whipping cream
- 1 package of Dr. Oetker Whip It stabilizing powder
- 1 + Tbsp. extra fine granulated sugar
- Whisk cold whipping cream and the stabilizing powder in a cold bowel until soft peaks start to form.
- Gradually add sugar while continuing to whisk until desired consistency.
- DO NOT OVER WHISK or else it will break (add a few drops more cream to fix) or turn into butter...no correction available...just continue on and make butter.
- Top chilled pudding after removing the wax paper or plastic wrap.
- Top with another cookie for decoration, if desired.
- Serve cold.
Meringue
- 4 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
- 8 Tbsp. extra or superfine sugar
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- Using a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until a soft peak forms.
- Add the cream of tartar
- Add the sugar gradually, 1 Tbsp. at a time.
- Add the vanilla extract.
- Beat just until stiff peaks form. The meringue will break if you get the whites too stiff.
- Top the hot pudding(s) with meringue being sure to touch the meringue to all the sides of the dish so the meringue won't shrink from the sides.
- If using individual dishes, place on a sheet tray to make the puddings easier to handle.
- Bake at 350 degrees F until golden brown.
- Serve warm or cold.
Notes
If you want your pudding to have a little brighter yellow coloring, use only white granulated sugar. I think brown sugar add a depth to the flavor, but it does darken the pudding some. Also, choose a source/brand of eggs that usually have darker yellow yolks. The yolks color is depends mostly on what the chicken eats.
Whipped cream can be stabilized for a longer time by adding Whip It or dissolved unflavored gelatin. Although not as long of a shelf life, it can also be stabilized by adding a little powdered milk or corn starch. There are several other methods to stabilize whipped cream that have varying degrees of shelf life extension.
