Banana pudding has been served many times in my family as long as I can remember. It was my dad’s favorite dessert.
Recently, I was visiting my daughter, Cristen, and her family and she asked me to make banana pudding for an Apartment Life event she was attending. Cristen is a Program Director for Apartment Life, a unique culture that is all about caring for your neighbor.
During the Christmas holiday season, I was asked to volunteer at an Apartment Life festivity by serving food. It was a joy to mingle with the CARES Teams and leaders and to get a glimpse of their love for their communities. So I was delighted to have another opportunity to be a behind-the-scenes participant in this incredible program by making the Chunky Banana Pudding.
Ingredients
- 2 Boxes Nabisco Nilla Wafers
- 6 Bananas
- 4 Large Boxes Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
- 8 Cups Milk
- 2 Large Cartons Cool Whip
- 1 Can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
Instructions
- Stir the pudding mix with milk.
- Blend in condensed milk.
- Add Cool Whip.
- Place the first layer of cookies in the bottom of a long rectangular glass dish.
- Slice 3 bananas and put the pieces between the cookies.
- Pour pudding over cookies and bananas.
- Place the second layer of cookies and bananas on top of the first layer.
- Pour pudding over second layer of cookies and bananas.
- Layer cookies in rows on top of pudding.
- Let set in refrigerator 1-2 hours.
- Ready to serve!
I’ve liked all the variations of banana pudding that I’ve ever made. They include:
- adding cream cheese – It needs to be melted in the microwave or brought to room temperature and of a creamy texture before mixing with the pudding, or it may turn out too bumpy.
- using the cooked pudding vs instant – If you prefer hot banana pudding vs cold, cook it on the stove, truly homemade.
- decorating the top layer of pudding with crushed cookies and placing whole cookies along the sides.
Take a large dish of this dessert to your Super Bowl party, and plan on bringing it home empty. The good news, however, is that the 4 boxes of pudding and 2 cartons of Cool Whip might give you enough left over for a small portion to keep at home. You may not have extra cookies, though. Two boxes of wafers are enough for the recipe, but having the third box is a good idea. Use them for snacks and for the additional banana pudding you keep at home.
Got a tried-and-true banana pudding that is different than the variations listed here? Share your version in the comment section, and I’ll try it out.
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Banana Pudding is one of my favorites, this looks amazing! Hope you are having a great day and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
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Miz Helen
I love banana pudding. The addition of sweetened condensed milk makes it sound very rich and decadent. Yum. Definitely making this.
Apartment Life sounds like a wonderful initiative – and what a lovely dessert to bring along! Your Banana Pudding looks delicious, perfect for entertaining.