Buttercup Bake Shop Banana Pudding...

...is, no contest, one of my very favorite things to eat of all time.

Not only do I love how it tastes (and I do loooooooooove how it tastes), but some of my favorite NYC memories feature the BP from Buttercup. Many a bakery date was had with Marisa, and it's hard to explain the elation Leah and I felt when she & Zac moved ACROSS THE STREET from Buttercup. But the best was on Sam's first trip to visit me when I still lived in The Big Apple, and I took him to taste the magic for the first time. This was years before we became Mr. and Mrs., but maybe the banana pudding has something to do with why we've stuck together all this time...

Last night I was at Leif's house (one of my best friends and an incredible baker) and I noticed that he had the Buttercup Bake Shop Cookbook. What came next can't even be described as a conversation - it was more of a breathless-with-excitement rant from me that went something like this: "Ohmygoshyouhavetomakethebananapuddingit'smyfavoritethingontheplanet!"

And then I went home and promptly forgot all about the encounter.

Until this morning, when Leif picked me up for our morning carpool to work and he had a giant tub of banana pudding in his car. And it was delish! Pretty darn close to the real thing, if you ask me - and a perfect way to start the day!

Could he BE a better friend?! (the Chandler Bing reference is just for you, Leify!)

Have you ever tried the Banana Pudding from Buttercup? Do you love it as much as I do?