Southern Banana Pudding vs Koulourakia: Traditional Greek Butter Cookies

Both desserts lean on sugar, milk, butter and eggs, but put them to opposite uses. In the banana pudding, milk and egg yolks are cooked on the stovetop into a flour-thickened custard, enriched with butter and vanilla, then layered warm with vanilla wafers and sliced bananas and finished with a baked meringue or whipped cream. Koulourakia instead cream butter with sugar for an airy dough, using milk only to bring it together and an egg-yolk wash for a golden finish. The result is a soft, spoonable, chilled pudding versus twisted cookies baked golden and firm, scented with vanilla and optional orange zest.