Banana Pudding

I made the Magnolia Bakery banana pudding this weekend!  Recipe here.

A few tips to know in advance.  You must chill the filling for 3-4 hours before preparing the rest of the dessert, so plan ahead.  I finished mine with a group of girlfriends over at my house, so they ate it fresh and it was delicicous, but it's even more tasty if you refrigerate it and let it set.

I recommend a few changes from the original recipe.  Make half of the cream filling, but include the full box of Nilla wafers and same amount of bananas.  The recipe makes way too much of the filling.  It will still make enough to easily serve eight people.

Magnolia Bakery's Banana Pudding

Magnolia’s Famous Banana Pudding
from More From Magnolia by Allysa Torey

It's so humid and hot I feel like I'm back in the South.  On days like this, I crave cool sweets that take no effort to eat and just slide right down.  This would be perfect with an ice-cold glass of sun tea.

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups ice cold water
1 (3.4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix (preferably Jell-O brand)
3 cups heavy cream
1 (12-ounce) box Nabisco Nilla Wafers (no substitutions!)
4 cups sliced ripe bananas

In a small bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the pudding mix and beat well, about 2 minutes more. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight, before continuing. It is very important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain.

To assemble the dessert, select a large, wide bowl (preferably glass) with a 4-5-quart capacity. Arrange one-third of the wafers to cover the bottom of the bowl, overlapping if necessary, then one-third of the bananas and one-third of the pudding. Repeat the layering twice more, garnishing with additional wafers or wafer crumbs on the top layer of the pudding. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours - or up to 8 hours, but no longer! - before serving.

Photo: http://yummyinthetummyblog.blogspot.com/