Fe Fi Fo Fana: Banana Pudding
- Mandy Crow
- Jul 12, 2017
- 2 min read
I know it’s a widely considered a Southern dish, and I consider myself a Midwesterner at heart, but banana pudding has always been one of my favorite desserts. I like it in all of its forms: homemade custards topped with meringue and toasted in the oven. The recipe on the back of the Nilla Wafers box. Or the recipe I’m sharing with you today—which I have no memory of how it came into my arsenal of banana pudding recipes—which involves instant pudding, whipped topping and sweetened condensed milk.
Sounds a little weird and maybe gross? Wait until you try a bite!
And with the hottest part of summer preparing to bear down on us, you’re going to need some easy, delicious cool desserts for backyard barbecues and picnics, right?
Ingredients
1 large package instant vanilla pudding (I always used the Jell-O brand)
2 1/2 cups of cold milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 ounces)
1 container Cool Whip or whipped topping (the large one)
Sliced bananas (to taste, but usually 2-3)
Vanilla wafers (I use Nilla Wafers because they are the most delicious!)
Directions
In a large bowl, mix together the pudding and milk. You can stir or whisk, but your goal is to make sure there aren’t big lumps of pudding mix.
Fold sweetened condensed milk into the pudding mixture. Blend well.
Fold in half of the container of Cool Whip. Trust me; this is genius. And delicious. But I also must admit that for a big part of my childhood, I ate Cool Whip by itself because I think it’s delicious. Mock and yell
at me if you must, but I still like it!
In a large, pretty bowl, line the bottom and maybe a little of the side with vanilla wafers. Top with sliced bananas, as many as you like.
Layer on banana pudding.
Top with vanilla wafers and sliced bananas, then pudding. Continue to layer until all of the pudding is used up. Your final layer should bea layer of pudding.
Top the final layer with the remaining half of whipped topping. You can decorate that with crushed vanilla wafers.
Then, refrigerate for at least a few hours before serving. I prefer overnight, but 2-4 hours is probably sufficient. This allows all the flavors to meld.
It’s an easy dessert, but a delicious one that’s sure to please a crowd. And who wants to spend a long time slaving over a stove in a hot kitchen in the summer? Not me!
Comments