Banana Pudding

Another recipe that doesn't call for the oven; but tastes yummilicious! Banana Pudding.

Banana Pudding resembles an English Trifle and is most commonly recognized as a desert from the South. It was published in "The Kentucky Receipt Book" by Mary Harris Frazer in 1903; however, this recipe did not include wafers. Moreover, Banana Pudding was a favorite of the legend, Elvis Presley!

This particular recipe is from Magnolia's Bakery (from the book More From Magnolia). Alyssa Torey (author of the book) claims that this is the second most popular recipe in their bakery after cupcakes. This recipe is also egg-less so it's perfect for any pure vegetarians or anyone with egg allergies!

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

Equipment:
1 Electric Mixer
Measuring Cups
1 Small Bowl
1 Covered Dish for storing pudding overnight
1 Large Bowl
1 Large Wide Bowl/Trifle Dish/small individual desert dishes

Directions:
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.
2. Add pudding mix and beat well, about 2 minutes more.
3. Cover and refrigerate for about 3-4 hours, or overnight, before continuing. It's important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set in.
4. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until peaks form.
5. Gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain.
6. To assemble the dessert, select a large, wide bowl (preferably glass) with a 4-5 quart capacity. Arrange 1/3 of the wafers to cover the bottom of the bowl, overlapping if necessary, then 1/3 of the bananas and 1/3 of the pudding. Repeat the layers twice more, garnishing with additional wafers on the top layer of the pudding.
7. Cover tightly with a plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours--or up to 8, but no longer!--before serving.

* While the layering in this recipe calls for a trifle like appearance, I chose to arrange this in little miniature bowls for individual deserts.