Banana Pudding

Okay, so I got this recipe on the back of a Keebler Vanilla Wafer box, but it was a favorite for us this past summer. Yummy, pretty light, and it's easy! I meant to post this all Sept...I'm just a day late. Everyone's desserts look soooo good!

48 Vanilla Wafers , divided
3 cups milk
1 package (4-serving size) vanilla flavor instant pudding & pie filling
4 medium bananas, sliced, divided
Frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed

1. Line bottom and sides of 8 x 8 x 2-inch square or 1 1/2-quart dish with half of wafers.
2. In medium bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 mins, go by directions on box.
3. Top wafers with half of banana slices, then half of pudding. Repeat layers using remaining wafers, banana slices and pudding.
4. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or until set. Serve with whipped topping. Garnish as desired. Store in refrigerator. Servings: 9

Chocolate Mousse Trifle

I was going to make this so that I could get a picture, but haven't gotten around to it yet. So I'm posting it, and hopefully will get add one later. It's all chocolatey goodness whether you use mousse or jello pudding!

5 cups cubed brownies (1/2 inch cubes)
1 2.8 pkg chocolate mousse mix (or jello pudding)
1 12 oz frozen whipped topping, thawed (or whip your own cream . . . I'm not really a Cool Whip fan)
1/4 cup English toffee chips or almond brickle chips
grated or shaved chocolate

Place half of the cubed brownies in trifle bowl or other clear bowl. Prepare mousse mix according to package directions. Spread half over brownies top with half of the whipped cream; sprinkle with toffee bits. Repeat layers of brownies, mousse and whipped cream. Sprinkle with grated chocolate. Refrigerate until serving.

Fudgy Cream Cheese Ribbon Cake

This is the recipe I was going to bring to the swap, but I had a baby instead. :)

1 (18 1/2 ounce) box chocolate cake mix
1 (3 1/2 ounce) box instant chocolate pudding mix
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350º. Grease and flour, (may use baking cocoa instead), 10” bundt cake pan WELL. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Adding dry instant pudding mix. Pour batter into pan. Set aside. In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and cornstarch until fluffy. Slowly beat in sweetened condensed milk. Beat in egg and vanilla, beating til smooth. Spoon evenly over cake batter. Bake 50-55 minutes til toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10-15 minutes; CAREFULLY remove from pan onto cake plate. You may have to tap sides quite a bit to loosen or run a knife around edge to help loosen. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or drizzle with white chocolate and/or chocolate glazes if desired.

Pistachio Dessert

First Layer:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup soft butter or margarine
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
 
Mix all together and press in bottom of pan and flatten.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until light brown.  Cool in fridge.
 
Second Layer:
1 8 oz cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 small tub of cool whip (save 1 cup for the top of dessert)
 
Whip cream cheese and powdered sugar together than add cool whip then spread on cooled first layer.  Cool in fridge.
 
Third Layer:
2 small pkgs. of instant pistachio pudding (or your choice of flavor)
3 cups milk
1 tsp. vanilla
 
Beat until pudding consistency.  Spread on second layer, cool.
 
Fourth Layer:
Spread on one cup cool whip.  Chill until cold throughout. 

Orange Sludge

This recipe is from The Domestic Art (Volume II); these cook books were created by a woman in Utah for her friends and family but they became so popular by word of mouth that she kept on printing and selling them.
I'm planning to bring this to the gathering this weekend.

Orange Sludge

Combine dry in a medium dish:
1 (3 oz.) box vanilla pudding
1 (3 oz.) orange jello
1 (3 oz.) tapioca pudding
Stir in 3 cups boiling water. Mix until smooth. Set in the refrigerator for an hour or two.

Add:
2 cans mandarin oranges, drained
About ½ container whipped topping
Stir and refrigerate several hours.

Chocolate Pudding Dessert

And of course, you can't have this be the topic and not add THIS dessert. We had this all the time in YW & RS back home. I LOVE it.

Crust:
1 stick butter
1 c. flour
1/2 t. vanilla
2 T. sugar
1/2 c. nuts
Mix ingredients and bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes.

Filling:
1 c. powdered sugar
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 of 12 oz. cool whip
Mix and pour on cooled crust and chill.

1 large box instant Chocolate pudding.
Mix by following directions on box. Pour onto filling. Add remaining cool whip and sprinkle with nuts.

Fudge Striped "Salad"

2 small packages vanilla pudding
16 oz. cool whip
2 small cans mandarin oranges
1 pkg. Keebler fudge striped cookies
2 c. butter milk
2 cans pineapple tidbits
bananas or strawberries, optional

Drain all fruit, mix buttermilk, pudding & cool whip. Add fruit and mix. Before serving, save 6 or 7 cookies for the top of the salad and crumble up the rest and stir into the salad. Place remaining cookies on top. Enjoy immediately!

Chocolate Eclair Cake

Crust:
1 cube butter/margarine
1/4 t. salt
1 c. water
1 c. flour
4 eggs

Filling:
3 c. milk
3 small packages instant vanilla pudding
8 oz. cream cheese
12 oz. cool whip
Hershey's Magic Chocolate Shell

Crust Directions:
Bring margarine, water & salt to a boil, remove from heat. Add flour and beat in eggs, one at a time. Spread on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Prick with a fork. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Cool.

Filling Directions:
Beat together milk, pudding, and cream cheese. Spread on crust. Spread cool whip on top of filling. Drizzle Hershey's Magic Shell on top of cool whip. Chill 4 hours!

Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding

I know Jamie just posted a banana pudding recipe, but I love this recipe--so there's no harm in multiples, right?




2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessman cookies
6-8 bananas
2 cups milk
1 (5 oz.) box instant French vanilla pudding
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 oz.) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Line the bottom of a 9x13 dish with 1 bag of chessman cookies & layer bananas on top. In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix & blend well using a handheld mixer. 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 with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve. This always tastes better to me the day after you make it and all the juices make the cookies softer. Delicious!

Fruity Summer Pudding

This yummy dessert is easy to make and really hits the spot on hot nights! I made it for the 4th of July, and it turned out great, but I'd make a couple changes:

1 recipe fruit compote
1 loaf dense white bread
-the recipe called for bread, but it would be even better if you used those angel food cake loaves

To make compote:

2 pints berries
-I used strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries; all of them boiled down nicely except for the blackberries, so I wouldn't recommend using them
1/4 C. sugar

Simmer berries and sugar (you can add more for sweeter compote) over medium-low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the juice comes out and the berries have almost lost their shape, then let cool for about 10 min.

To assemble:

Cut crusts off approximately 8 pieces of bread, or thinly slice angel food loaf to bread slice width. Line a deep (4-5") dish with plastic wrap, and spoon in compote (try and use about 1/3 of the berries) to cover the bottom. Layer bread/cake on top and rip pieces so it is fully covered. Cover this layer with the rest of the berries and lots of sauce. Layer again with bread/cake, and ladle out the rest of the sauce on top. Now, find something, like a plate or tupperware container that will fit just inside the rim of the casserole, and use this,along with something heavy, like a can, to press down the pudding. Pop it in the fridge overnight to soak and solidify. When you're ready to serve, flip it over your serving dish, and garnish it with whatever you like. Unwhipped cream was amazing, or whipped, or vanilla ice cream, or whatever else you choose!