Sweet Dreams Banana Pudding

Ingredients:

• One 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

• 1 cup very cold milk

• 1/2 cup very cold water

• 13.4 oz box instant vanilla pudding

• One 12 oz box of Nilla Wafers

• 3 cups heavy whipping cream

• 1/2 tsp clear vanilla flavoring

• 4-5 bananas, ripe but not brown

• 1-2 drops blue food coloring

• 1-2 drops red and blue food coloring

Gluten-Free Note:

To make this recipe GF, get gluten-free Nilla Wafers. There are many brands. Most instant pudding mixes are GF, but please check the ingredient section.

Directions

1. Using a hand mixer, stand mixer, or a whisk (note: whisking by hand will take longer and result in a less fluffy consistency), and combine the sweetened condensed milk, cold water, and cold milk. Mix on low-medium speed for 1-2 minutes (around 12-20 minutes by hand)

2. Add the vanilla pudding mix and beat on medium for 2 minutes. The pudding mixture should begin to thicken.

3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight to allow the pudding to fully set.

4. Using a mixer, combine the heavy cream and vanilla flavoring. Beat the cream until it is stiff.

5. Save about 5 tablespoons of whipped cream (or about 1/3 if you're making a large dish) for decorating later.

   1. Coloring the reserved whipped cream:

      1. In the reserved bowl, add 1 drop of blue food coloring and mix. Keep adding small drops until you reach the desired shade of baby blue. Refrigerate the colored cream until you're ready to use it.

6. Gently fold the remaining whipped cream into the fully set pudding until it's completely combined and uniform in color, with no streaks.

To Assemble:

1. Use a large serving bowl, trifle dish, or individual serving cups.

2. Line the bottom with enough wafers to cover the base.

3. Evenly layer 1 1/2 cups of slices bananas on top of the wafers.

4. Spread 1/3 of the pudding mixture over the bananas, leaving none of the bananas visible.

5. Repeat the layers until you have 3 layers of wafers, bananas, and pudding.

To Finish:

1. Use the reserved colored whipped cream to create small decorative peaks on top.

2. If desired, sprinkle any leftover wafer crumbs for extra texture.

3. Cover and refrigerate until serving. This dessert can last up to 1 week when stored properly. Enjoy!!