MAJA BLANCA (Coconut Pudding)

Maja Blanca is one of the many Filipinos’ *all-time* favorite desserts. Personally, what I like best about it is the texture; so soft, light and creamy. This dessert is basically a combination of coconut milk, milk, cornstarch and sugar, and is so simple and easy to make. Maja Blanca is traditionally made with sweet corn kernels to give some contrast, and topped with either Latik or toasted coconut flakes.

Although I like corn, but on this one I thought I’d give it a little twist. So I opted to use fruit cocktail, and after slicing the maja blanca, I realized that using the latter was an excellent idea! Not only did it make the squares looks prettier, the chunks of fruits were also a perfect match with the soft and creaminess tasting of the pudding.

In twenty minutes, my coconut pudding was done and cooling. If you are looking for a quick and simple Filipino dessert, give this Maja Blanca recipe a try.

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Prep & Cook Time: 20 mins |Total Time: 20 mins | Yield: 24 squares

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Ingredients

• ¾ cup milk
• ¾ cup cornstarch
• 3 ¾ cups coconut milk
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 can (14 oz) No-Sugar Added Fruit Cocktail
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• Salted Caramel sauce, for drizzling

Directions

1. Grease a 9 x 13-inch (cake) baking pan. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine milk and cornstarch together and whisk until well incorporated. Set aside.
3. In a medium pot, pour the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Lower the heat.
4. Stir in sugar, condensed milk, fruit cocktail (with its juice) and vanilla extract.
5. Gradually add cornstarch mixture into the pot, stirring constantly, simmer until the mixture reaches your desired thickness, about 8 minutes.
6. Transfer pudding mixture into a prepared baking pan. Smooth out the top using spatula.
7. Allow mixture to cool, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
8. When ready, cut your yummy Maja Blanca into 24 squares. Transfer to a dessert plate, drizzle with caramel sauce and serve.

Note: Making this creamy coconut pudding ahead of time keeps the outside texture slightly firm, which makes the whole cutting a lot easier without breaking your delicious squares. 🙂

Addictive Banana Pudding

Ingredients:
2-3 pckgs. Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies, or your preferred one(s)
8 ripe bananas, sliced
2 cups milk
1 (6oz) box instant French vanilla pudding
1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12-14oz) container frozen whipped cream, thawed

Directions:
Line the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.

In a large bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer. Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.