In a medium saucepan, combine the water, sugar, and corn syrup, stirring with a small rubber spatula just until the sugar is evenly moistened.

Place over medium heat and cook until the mixture comes to a boil. Once on the heat DO NOT STIR. That will cause crystallization and make for a grainy caramel.

Let the syrup continue to cook, undisturbed, until it shifts from clear to a deep golden amber color! At first, you’ll notice the bubbles are small and fast as it start to caramelize the bubble become thicker and slower. It takes a few minutes to start changing colors and once it does change colors, it can go from perfect to burnt very quickly.

While the caramel cooks, microwave the heavy cream for about 1 minute until it’s warm to the touch (this helps prevent the caramel from seizing).

Once the caramel reaches that rich golden color, remove it from the heat and very slowly pour in the warm cream while whisking constantly. The mixture will bubble up aggressively at first this is normal.

Add the butter, rum, and salt, then continue whisking until the caramel is smooth, glossy, and fully combined. Transfer to a bowl and let it cool slightly. it will thicken as it sits. Let it completely cool before you make the banana pudding.

In a large bowl, add the cold milk, sweetened condensed milk and mix. The mixture will be slightly clumpy and thin. That’s okay. Sprinkle vanilla pudding mixture over the top. Whisk together until smooth. This will take 2-3 minutes. I prefer a hand whisk not a hand mixer because it will get clumpy. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes to thicken up. While it sets, beat the heavy whipping cream.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or using a handheld mixer add the heavy cream and vanilla extract. Beat until stiff peaks form to make whipped cream. If you over beat and it looks grainy, add a tablespoon or two of heavy cream and gently mix to smooth it out.

With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the whipped cream into the pudding mixture. Set aside in the fridge for 1 hour.

To assemble, you can use individual cups, a large casserole dish, or a trifle bowl. Start with a layer of pudding on the bottom, then add a neat layer of whole cookies, followed by a layer of sliced bananas followed by a generous drizzle of the cooled caramel. (SAVE ⅓ cup CARAMEL FOR THE GARNISH) Repeat until you have 2–3 layers total. Finish with a final layer of pudding that fully covers everything, making sure to seal the edges so the cookies don't dry out.

Gently wrap with plastic wrap and allow it to sit on the fridge for at least 6 and up to 24 hours to soften up.

Once you are ready to serve, in a medium size sautéed pan add the butter, banana’s and the brown sugar. Cook over medium-high heat until the bananas are softened and coated in a bubbling, glossy caramel, about 2–3 minutes. Let it slight cool before topping.