Collect the Cream: After milking, let your fresh milk sit for 12-24 hours. Those gorgeous golden cream caps will rise to the top – Jersey cream is incredibly thick and rich!

Skim the Cream: Carefully skim the cream caps using a large spoon or cream skimmer. You'll get about 1-2 cups of cream from 2-3 gallons of milk.

Churn the Butter: Pour the cream into your KitchenAid mixer bowl (using the whisk attachment) or a high-speed blender. If using a KitchenAid, start on medium speed and gradually increase - you'll see it go from cream to whipped cream, then suddenly it will separate into butter and buttermilk! In a blender, pulse in short bursts to avoid overheating. The whole process takes about 5-10 minutes depending on your method.

Rinse and Salt: Strain out the butter, rinse with cold water until the water runs clear, and add a pinch of salt if desired. Press out excess water with wooden spoons.

Preheat and Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, cream the softened fresh butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.

Add Eggs: Beat in the whole egg first, then add the egg whites one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and mix until well combined.

Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and salt.

Combine: Gradually fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture until just combined. Don't overmix.

Shape and Bake: Drop rounded teaspoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake for 18 minutes until edges are lightly golden.

Cool: Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Make a Slurry: In a mason jar with lid, shake together ¼ cup of your fresh raw milk with the cornstarch until smooth. This little trick prevents lumps - trust me on this one! Set it aside.

Heat the Milk: In a medium saucepan, whisk together the remaining milk, that pinch of salt, and sugar. Heat over medium heat until it's steaming nicely - you'll see little wisps rising from the surface. Don't let it boil though, or you'll have a mess on your hands!

Temper Those Eggs: While the milk is heating, whisk your egg yolks in a separate bowl. Once that milk is steaming, here's the important part - slowly stream about ½ cup of the hot milk into those egg yolks, whisking like crazy the whole time. This keeps the eggs from scrambling. Then slowly add the egg mixture back to the pot, followed by your cornstarch slurry. Keep cooking over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it starts to simmer and thickens up beautifully.

Finish with Love: Remove from heat and whisk in that gorgeous fresh butter and vanilla extract. The butter will make it extra silky!

Prevent the Skin: Pour the custard into a bowl and press plastic wrap directly onto the surface - this prevents that annoying skin from forming. You can serve it warm if you're impatient like my kids, or chill it for several hours for the perfect consistency.

Whip: In a chilled bowl, whip heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until soft peaks form.

Layer: In a large glass bowl or individual serving dishes, create layers in this order:

Vanilla wafers

Sliced bananas

Vanilla custard

Repeat layers as desired

Top: Finish with a generous layer of whipped cream.

Chill: Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight to allow flavors to meld and wafers to soften slightly.