Super Creamy Banana Pudding Recipe

Growing up, we would often have banana pudding as dessert (especially since it is one of my father's comfort foods). So when I went off to college, anytime I felt homesick I would make some banana pudding and I would feel like I was sitting at the table with my parents and sister. The only thing was, even though it tasted delicious, to me it was always so heavy and thick. But a few years ago a coworker shared this amazing recipe that featured a lighter and airy version of banana pudding and I was hooked. So give it a try...you never know, it could become one of your family favorites too!

Ingredients:
2 bags of Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies (or if you're a traditionalist, 1 box of Nilla Wafers)
8-10 bananas sliced
2 cups milk
1 5oz box instant vanilla pudding
1 8oz package softened cream cheese
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 12oz container cool whip thawed

What to do:
Line the bottom of a 13x9x2 baking dish with cookies side by side
Layer bananas on top of the cookies
In a separate bowl, combine the milk and the pudding and blend together with a mixer.
In another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together, mixing until smooth.
Fold the cool whip into the cream cheese mixture.
Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding, and fold together until well blended.
Pour 1/2 the pudding mixture over the bananas.
Layer the remaining bananas over the pudding mixture.
Pour the remaining pudding mixture over the bananas.
Cover with another layer of cookies.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Remember, the longer you let it sit, the more moisture the cookies will absorb allowing them to become mushy. So if you like the cookies crunchy, serve immediately. Otherwise, if you make it the night before you plan to serve it, the cookies will be cake like (my favorite way).