Paula Deen Banana Pudding

My mother made this pudding the other week and brought it over.  We loved it!  Then this week my husband went to the store and came home with a huge bunch of bananas, then didn't eat any.  So I surprised him last night with a banana pudding.

I used fat free and reduced fat on the sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese, pudding and cool whip.  I would have used 2% milk if I had had that.  I was just curious if they could tell that fat free items had been used and they couldn't tell.  Now they make reduced fat vanilla wafers but I won't cut corners there because I find that they are hard.

The recipe calls for a large box of French vanilla instant pudding and 2 c milk.  When I talked with my mother about her recipe she said she used two small boxes of banana cream and 3 c milk.  They did not have the French vanilla is sugar free so I got two small boxes of the banana cream so I used 3 c milk.  I started out with just a hair over 2 cups but it was way too thick and didn't mix well so I added the rest of the 3rd cup.

I lined the bottom of my bowl with the wafers.  I really needed a bigger bowl but I wasn't sure how big it needed to be.  My mother used a really big bowl and it didn't fill it up so go figure.

I sliced up two bananas on top of the wafers and spread them out a little.

Then I creamed the cream cheese and the sweetened condensed milk together until smooth.

It calls for 12 oz of whipped cream and to fold it into the cream cheese mixture.  I put about 3/4 of the container in there intending to put the rest on top but there wasn't room.  Next time I think I will just put a layer of the whipped cream on top of the pudding/cream cheese mixture instead of mixing it.

Fold it into the mixture without breaking it down.

Folding

Then add pudding mixture to the cream cheese mixture.

Fold all that together until well mixed.

Looks to be pretty well mixed together.

Add a layer on top of the bananas and wafers.  Make sure to cover the bananas well so they won't turn dark.

Add another layer of wafers and bananas.

Pile up the bananas again.  This was about 3 bananas cut up.

Pour the rest of the mixture on top of the bananas.  Now this is where I would have put the whipped cream but there wasn't room.  Think I need a bigger bowl next time.  I decorated with a few wafers on top.  That is all there was to this banana pudding recipe.  Very easy and very easy to make with reduced fat and calories.  Just like Dreamland!

Banana Pudding Recipe.

1 box vanilla wafers
5-7 bananas depending on size, sliced
2-3 cups milk (use 3 for 2 boxes of pudding)
1 5oz box instant French vanilla pudding (can use 2 small boxes of banana cream)
1 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 12 oz container whipped cream thawed

Line the bottom of bowl with vanilla wafers and top with  layer of sliced bananas.
In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well.  Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth.  Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture.  Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended.  Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover the bananas, then layer again ending with the pudding mixture on top.  May add a layer of whipped cream on top.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.