Banana Pudding

At my quilting group potluck dinner earlier this month I ate some unusually good banana pudding that my friend Pat made.

Knowing that she always makes good stuff, I had asked Pat what she had brought that day, then jokingly I asked "It isn't fattening, is it?".
She started talking about how she sometimes uses sugar free pudding and so forth so I really wasn't expecting it to be that good.

After the first bite I knew Pat wasn't telling the whole story. She smiled and told me it had cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk in it. Definitely fattening but really good.

She gave me the recipe and I made it for Sunday dessert. Everyone liked it.

Banana Pudding
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
5 oz. vanilla instant pudding mix
3 cups milk
1 t. vanilla extract
8 oz. Cool whip
4 or 5 bananas, sliced
 Vanilla wafers ( roughly 8 to 10 oz.)

With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until fluffy, add sweetened condensed milk, instant pudding mix, milk and vanilla, beating well after each addition.

Fold in half  of the cool whip.

 You can use any dish that's big enough to layer the ingredients. I used a large 9 x 13 clear glass dish.
Cover the bottom with a layer of vanilla wafers, then a layer of sliced bananas. Pour half of the pudding mixture over this.

Repeat the layers with your remaining vanilla wafers, bananas and pudding mixture.

And spread the other half of the cool whip over the top.

Chill for several hours so it's deliciously cold and the vanilla wafers get a little bit soft. 

Use a big spoon to serve. All you will hear for the next few minutes is spoons clinking on the plates as everyone gobbles theirs down. 

I sent the leftovers home with my sons so I am not sure how long this holds up after the first day...but I would guess it would begin to get watery and the bananas would darken.