Looking for a dessert for your Memorial Day gathering? Here's a recipe for those warm weather months when you need something cold and delicious that is sure to be a crowd pleaser. I first came across this recipe while attending the 155th anniversary reenactments at Shiloh battlefield in Tennessee in 2017. I had just finished my comprehensive exams before graduating from graduate school, so my husband and I rented a room at a bed and breakfast (https://www.pillowstreetbnb.com/) out of town for the weekend to celebrate. We ended up being the only people staying that weekend and the owner took great care of us. She even fixed us breakfast each morning and dinner one night. She served the best banana pudding with dinner and I knew I just had to have the recipe. She was kind enough to share it with me and it has been a favorite of friends and family ever since. Get out your recipe cards and a pen, you'll want to write this one down.
Ingredients:
- One 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
- One 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
- One 5 ounce package of instant banana cream pudding (I use Jello brand)
- 2 1/2 cups cold milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla (I use Watkins)
- One 8 ounce container of whipped topping (I use Cool Whip)
- Four bananas, sliced
- 10 ounces of vanilla wafers (I use Nilla wafer cookies)
Directions:
- Mix cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk together until smooth, scraping sides of bowl as needed, about 2-3 minutes on medium speed.
- Add the dry pudding mix, milk, and vanilla. Begin mixing on low for 30 seconds, slowly turning up speed until it's on the highest setting. Mix for 4-5 minutes until thickened and smooth, scraping sides of bowl as needed.
- Fold half of whipped topping into pudding until combined.
- Line the bottom of a 9x13 dish with as many wafer cookies as possible in a single layer. Evenly place the bananas on top of the cookies.
- Spread the pudding on top of the bananas and spread the remaining whipped topping on top of pudding. Keep refrigerated when not eating.
Notes:
- I like to decorate the top with more cookies. It makes for a pretty presentation.
- I recommend making this the day before or several hours before you plan to eat it in order to give the cookies time to soften up.
