Banana Delight

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Deliciously creamy layers of pudding, cream cheese, and sweet bananas create this dreamy banana delight dessert.

Prep Time20

Chill Time2

Total Time2 20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Banana Delight Recipe

Servings:

Calories: 679kcal

Ingredients

2 tablespoons salted sweet cream butter, softened (for buttering the baking dish)
11 ounces vanilla wafers (reserve 4 to 6 wafers for an optional crushed wafer topping)
4 large ripe bananas, peeled and sliced
16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¾ cup powdered sugar
16 ounces whipped topping, thawed
6.8 ounces instant banana cream pudding mix
2 cups cold whole milk

Instructions

With your hands or a pastry brush, butter a 9x9-inch baking dish with 2 tablespoons of softened butter.
Line the bottom and sides of the buttered baking dish with a single layer of vanilla wafers (I got 56 wafers in the bottom and up the sides of the dish).
Lay a single layer of the sliced bananas on top of the bottom layer of the vanilla wafers. Two large sliced bananas were the perfect amount for this layer. Set it aside.
Using a stand mixer or a medium-sized mixing bowl and a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, beat the cream cheese and vanilla extract for 1 to 1½ minutes until smooth.
Add the powdered sugar and 1 cup of the whipped topping. Beat for another 1½ to 2 minutes until smooth.
Evenly spread the cream cheese layer over the sliced bananas and vanilla wafers.
Lay another single layer of the vanilla wafers on top of the cream cheese layer. Lay the remaining sliced bananas on top of the vanilla wafers. Two large sliced bananas were the perfect amount for this layer.
Add the cold milk and 1 cup of the whipped topping to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Sprinkle the pudding mix over the milk and whipped topping. Use a handheld mixer on medium-high speed to mix for 1½ to 2 minutes until the pudding is thickened.
Evenly spread the pudding layer on top of the vanilla wafer and banana layer. Cover the baking dish and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Just before serving, spread the remaining thawed whipped topping over the pudding layer. Crush the 4 to 6 reserved vanilla wafers and sprinkle the wafer crumbs over the top of the whipped topping. Slice into 9 slices and serve.

Notes

You can treat the bananas with a spritz of lemon juice or lime juice to prevent them from browning. To avoid changing the flavor, you won’t want to use a ton of citrus juice — just a quick brush to each side or spritz from a spray bottle.
Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature, so it blends completely and doesn’t leave lumps in the cream cheese mixture.
Make sure to give your dessert time to chill in the fridge before serving to ensure all of the fantastic flavors have time to mingle.

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