March 01--Magnolia Bakery's banana pudding is one of the foods I would take on a desert island, or at least that's what I would say if we were playing that dumb game about what foods you'd take on a desert island. It's nothing fancy -- the Magnolia cookbook even calls for instant pudding -- but everything about it is perfect.
Today, Magnolia surprised pudding fans (we're a sizeable group) with a new take: chocolate banana pudding. Years of being disappointed by new Oreo flavors has hardened me to excitement for tweaks on reliable desserts, but I was curious enough to head to the downtown Chicago location and order a pint ($6.50), known in bakery-speak as a "large."
The standard pudding is a vanilla base with banana slices and vanilla wafers. The new pudding is a chocolate base with banana slices and chocolate cookie crumbles.
The chocolate flavor is delightfully rich. But the cookie crumbles aren't as crunchy as the wafers, and the chocolate pudding is thicker than the vanilla. Depending on your pudding preference, that could be a pro. But my favorite thing about the classic banana is how creamy but light it is, like the world's most decadent cloud. I hear it has to do with adding condensed milk to the pudding mix and folding in whipped cream and magic.
Verdict: I'm still team classic, but for chocolate lovers, this is a pleasant addition to the roster. For the indecisive? Get both; sharing optional.
mconrad@tribpub.com
Twitter @marissa_conrad
