Marshmallow sauce

Active: 10 minutes; Total: 22 minutes; Yield: 2 cups

Water	½ cup + ½ cup
Gelatin, unflavored	1 teaspoon
Sugar, granulated	1 ½ cups
Corn syrup, light	1 cup
Salt	1/8 teaspoon
Vanilla	1 teaspoon

1. Place ½-cup water in the bowl of a stand mixer. 
2. Sprinkle over the gelatin; set aside. 
3. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the remaining water, sugar, corn syrup, and salt. 
4. Allow the sugar to dissolve, but do not stir as this can cause the syrup to crack. 
5. Simmer undisturbed over medium heat until the syrup reaches soft ball stage, or 240F when read on a candy thermometer. 
6. Pour the mixture into the bowl with the bloomed gelatin. 
7. Whip on low for 2 minutes to cool down the mixture. 
8. Add the vanilla, and whip on high for 10 to 12 minutes, until the mixture is thick, white, and fluffy. 
9. Store in an airtight container for up to 8 weeks. 

Recipe from biggerbolderbaking.com.

Pineapple sauce

Active: 10 minutes; Total: 20 minutes; Yield: 2 cups 

Pineapple, fresh, finely chopped	2 cups
Sugar, dark brown	1/3 cup
Salt, fine sea	¼ teaspoon
Cornstarch	1 tablespoon
Corn syrup	¼ cup
Lemon juice	1 teaspoon

1. In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, salt, and cornstarch. 
2. Stir in the corn syrup and pineapple; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. 
3. Cook until the sauce starts to thicken, about 2 to 3 minutes. 
4. Remove from heat, and stir in the lemon juice. 
5. Cool completely before using; store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Banana puddings with miso caramel

Active: 45 minutes; Total: 5 hours 30 minutes; Refrigerate: 4 hours to overnight; Serves: 8

Cream, heavy	1 cup + 1 cup
Miso, white	2 teaspoons
Sugar, granulated	¾ cup + ½ cup + ½ cup
Water	2 tablespoons
Corn syrup, light	1 teaspoon
Milk, whole	½ cup + 3 cups
Cornstarch	2/3 cup
Egg yolks	8 large
Butter, unsalted	6 tablespoons + 4 tablespoons
Vanilla extract, pure	1 tablespoon
Salt	1 teaspoon + ½ teaspoon
Bananas, ripe, chopped	4 medium
Sugar, dark brown	2 tablespoons
Graham crackers, finely ground	5 crackers
Flour, all-purpose	3 ½ tablespoons
Sugar, light brown	1 ½ teaspoons

1. Combine 1-cup cream with miso in a small saucepan. 
2. Bring just to a simmer over medium heat; remove immediately, and set aside. 
3. Combine ¾-cup sugar, water, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. 
4. Cook over medium-high heat, without stirring, until a deep-amber caramel forms, about 5 to 6 minutes. 
5. Remove from heat, and gradually whisk in the warm cream mixture, ensuring you get the sugar in the sides of the pan; let cool 10 minutes. 
6. Pour through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a heatproof container; discard the solids. 
7. Whisk together ½-cup milk, ½-cup sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolks in a medium bowl. 
8. Combine the remaining milk and remaining ½-cup granulated sugar in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat. 
9. Remove from heat, and very gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture to temper it. 
10. Return the mixture to the saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. 
11. Remove from heat, and whisk in 6 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until incorporated. 
12. Whisk in the vanilla and salt. 
13. Transfer the pudding to a medium bowl, and press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface; let cool completely, and then refrigerate until well chilled, about 4 hours. 
14. Fold in the bananas, and refrigerate 30 minutes more. 
15. Preheat your oven to 325°F; line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. 
16. Melt remaining 4-tablespoons butter with the dark brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar id dissolved, about 2 minutes. 
17. Whisk together the graham cracker crumbs, flour, light brown sugar, and ½-teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. 
18. Stir in the butter mixture until the crumbs are evenly moistened. 
19. Spread the mixture in a ¼-inch-thick layer on the prepared baking sheet. 
20. Bake until dry and crisp, about 16 minutes, breaking up and stirring the crumbs halfway through; cool completely, and then crush into fine crumbs. 
21. Beat the remaining cream until stiff peaks form; set aside. 
22. Spoon the banana pudding into eight 8-ounce glasses; top evenly with the caramel, whipped cream, and crumb topping. 

Recipe by Kemuri Tatsu-ya in Austin, TX, and published in Food & Wine. 

Building a better banana split

Strawberries, rinsed, hulled, coarsely chopped	1 pint
Cream, heavy	1 pint + 2/3 cup + ½ cup
Half-n-half	1 ½ pints
Eggs, lightly beaten	2 large
Sugar, granulated	1 ½ cups + 1/3 cup
Flour	1 teaspoon
Vanilla extract	1 teaspoon + 1 teaspoon + 1 teaspoon
Cocoa powder, Dutch processed	1 tablespoon + ¼ cup
Sugar, dark brown	¼ cup + 2/3 cup
Salt	¼ teaspoon + ¼ teaspoon
Cornstarch	1 tablespoon
Corn syrup	¼ cup + ½ cup
Pineapple, fresh, finely chopped	2 cups
Lemon juice	1 teaspoon
Chocolate, bittersweet, chopped	3 ounces + 3 ounces
Butter, unsalted	2 tablespoons
Almonds, chopped, toasted	½ cup
Banana, peeled, split in half lengthwise	1 large
Cherries, maraschino	2

1. Set aside about one-third of the chopped strawberries. 
2. Combine the remaining strawberries and 1/3-cup sugar in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. 
3. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens. 
4. Remove from heat, and stir in the reserved strawberries and 1-teaspoon vanilla. 
5. Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature; store in a mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. 
6. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, 1 ½-cups sugar, flour, and 1-teaspoon vanilla until creamy; add 1-pint cream and half-n-half. 
7. Divide the custard equally into three smaller bowls. 
8. Cover one bowl of plain vanilla with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator. 
9. In one bowl, whisk in 1-tablespoon cocoa powder; cover with plastic wrap and chill. 
10. In the last bowl, whisk in 1-cup of the strawberry sauce; cover with plastic wrap and chill. 
11. Pour the vanilla custard into your favorite ice cream making machine and churn into a frozen confection, following the manufacture’s instructions; store overnight in an airtight container to make the ice cream freeze harder. 
12. Repeat with the chocolate and strawberry custards, cleaning between batches. 
13. Meanwhile, make the pineapple sauce by combining the 1/3-cup dark brown sugar, salt, and cornstarch in a saucepan. 
14. Stir in ¼-cup corn syrup and pineapple. 
15. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. 
16. Cook until it starts to thicken, about 2 to 3 minutes. 
17. Remove from heat, and stir in the lemon juice. 
18. Cool completely before using; store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks. 
19. In a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the 2/3-cup cream, ½-cup corn syrup, 1/3-cup brown sugar, ¼-cup cocoa powder, salt, and 3-ounces chocolate to a boil. 
20. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
21. Remove from heat, and stir in the remaining chocolate, butter, and 1-teaspoon vanilla, stirring until smooth. 
22. Let cool for 20 to 30 minutes before using; store in a jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute until its pourable but still thick. 
23. Whip ½-cup cream until stiff peaks form; spoon into a pastry bag that has a star tip attached, and chill until needed. 
24. Place the banana in a long boat dish. 
25. Place a large scoop of chocolate ice cream between the split banana in the center of the dish. 
26. Add an equally large scoop of vanilla and strawberry ice cream on either side of the chocolate. 
27. Spoon the pineapple sauce over the vanilla ice cream. 
28. Spoon the strawberry sauce over the strawberry ice cream. 
29. Pour the hot fudge over the chocolate ice cream. 
30. Generously pipe two large blobs of whipped cream between the ice cream scoops, and sprinkle with toasted almonds. 
31. Top the cream blobs with cherries.

Peanut butter thumbprint cookies with dark chocolate

Flour, all-purpose	1 ¼ cups
Baking soda	¾ teaspoon
Baking powder	½ teaspoon
Salt	¼ teaspoon
Butter, unsalted, room temperature	½ cup + 2 tablespoons
Sugar, granulated	½ cup
Sugar, dark brown	½ cup firmly packed
Peanut butter, crunch	½ cup
Egg, lightly beaten	1 large
Vanilla extract	1 teaspoon
Chocolate, dark, broken into pieces	2 ounces
Corn syrup, light	¾ teaspoon

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F; line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 
2. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside. 
3. In a large bowl, with a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. 
4. Stir in the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla. 
5. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until combined. 
6. Roll pieces of the dough into 1-inch balls, and place on the baking sheets about 1 inch apart. 
7. Bake for 10 minutes, and then remove from the oven. 
8. Using a small spoon, make a small indention into the middle of each cookie. 
9. Return the cookies to the oven for another 6 to 7 minutes, or until set. 
10. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 to 2 hours. 
11. Melt the chocolate, butter, and corn syrup together using a hot water bath; stir until completely melted and smooth. 
12. Remove the bowl from the water and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. 
13. When the cookies are completely cooled, use a spoon to fill each indention with the chocolate filling. 
14. Set aside and let the chocolate cool and harden, 1 to 2 hours. 

Recipe mildly adapted from Guittard Chocolate Cookbook