Description
Southern charm meets creamy delight in this best banana pudding, a classic dessert that whispers comfort and nostalgia. Sweet layers of ripe bananas, silky custard, and crisp vanilla wafers create a heavenly treat you’ll savor with pure Southern hospitality.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 6 to 8 bananas, sliced
- 2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen Cookies OR 2 bags Vanilla Wafers
Dairy and Dairy Alternatives:
- 2 cups milk
- 1 (8 ounces) package cream cheese
- 1 (14 ounces) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 (12 ounces) container frozen whipped topping, thawed (or equal amount sweetened whipped cream)
Flavor and Thickening Agents:
- 1 (5 ounces) box French Vanilla pudding
Instructions
- Arrange a single layer of vanilla wafer cookies across the bottom of a spacious rectangular baking dish, creating a uniform base.
- Strategically place freshly sliced ripe bananas atop the cookie foundation, ensuring even distribution.
- Whisk pudding mix with milk using an electric mixer, blending until the mixture transforms into a silky, thick consistency.
- In a separate mixing bowl, thoroughly combine cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk, beating until achieving a perfectly smooth texture.
- Gently incorporate whipped topping into the cream cheese blend, folding delicately to maintain a light, airy structure.
- Merge the pudding mixture with the cream cheese-whipped topping combination, stirring until completely integrated and uniform.
- Cascade the luxurious cream mixture over the layered cookies and bananas, ensuring complete coverage.
- Crown the dessert with a final decorative layer of vanilla wafer cookies, creating an attractive crumbly topping.
- Chill the assembled dessert in the refrigerator for a minimum of four hours, allowing flavors to meld and pudding to set completely.
- Before serving, let the pudding rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to optimize texture and taste.
Notes
- Prevent banana browning by tossing sliced bananas in a bit of lemon juice before layering to maintain their fresh, vibrant color.
- Create a gluten-free version by substituting regular vanilla wafers with gluten-free cookie alternatives like almond or rice-based cookies.
- Enhance the pudding’s richness by using full-fat cream cheese and whole milk for a more decadent texture and deeper flavor profile.
- Make ahead and store the dessert in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days, allowing the flavors to meld and the cookies to soften beautifully.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Chilling
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg