Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding

My contribution to the 4th of July Block Party on my street:

This is my first of two…or maybe three servings?

It’s very simple, incredibly light (watch out you might think it’s calorie free) and super dreamy. Last year I doubled the recipe, but not enough people saved room for dessert after all the grilled meats & salads. This year there was NOTHING left. NOTHING. NOTHING!!!! I didn’t have the chance to eat a bowl full in my pjs the next morning. SIGH. It is super easy to make—So I won’t be waiting til next summer to make it again. Promise. Now let’s get started!

Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding
(from the More from Magnolia Cookbook)

Ingredients:

-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

1.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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

****now if you don’t like bananas, I would think raspberries would be scrumptious with this recipe as a substitution! I’ll try that for you! ***