Chocolate Banana Pudding Pie

CHOCOLATE BANANA PUDDING PIE

Growing up in the south, I feel like I’ve cooked pudding a million ways. I’ve made custard based pudding from scratch, instant, pudding trifles, pudding freezer pops, pudding ice box cake, and straight up amazing banana pudding. Ok, now I feel like bubba from Forrest Gump (fried shrimp, coconut shrimp…) Haha! I digress…. anyways I LOVE pudding. It’s easy, creamy, and a crowd pleaser. It’s a no fuss dessert. And I must say I’ve really outdone myself with this one. After I made it I sent pictures to some of my best girl friends in a group text, the group is entitled “cool mom club”, which by default means we are not that cool lol. After the pics were received I spent the next 40 minutes driving around delivering pudding to a bunch of hungry housewives. They all agree, this pudding is fluffy, chocolatey, and sinfully delicious.

First I broke about 20 chocolate sandwich cookies in half down the middle by pulling them apart at the frosting center. Oh shucks, a handful broke and I had to eat those. My daughter walked in and saw me cooking with Oreos and immediately got her step stool and offered to help. So if you have kids, this is a great way to expose them to cooking.

Then I sliced 4 bananas into discs that were about 1/4 inch thick. Our bananas are huge right now so it may take you 5 or 6.

I lined the bottom of the casserole dish with the Oreos that had been split in half and put a single layer of sliced bananas on top. 

Then in a large mixing bowl I combined a softened 8 ounce block of cream cheese and a can of sweetened condensed milk. 

My helper and I beat the sweetened milk cream cheese mixture with a handheld mixer until smooth. Next we added two boxes of INSTANT chocolate pudding. Don’t use cook and serve or this dessert will be a sloppy mess when you cut it. I prefer the Hershey’s brand but I have made this with store brand and Jello brand and you cannot go wrong y’all!

After the pudding is put in the bowl, add 2.5 cups of milk. We are a whole milk house so that’s what I used. I am sure 2% would be fine. Combine this mixture with a whisk until it’s well mixed.

Now we add our last ingredient to this magical mixture… an 8 ounce tub of whipped topping. Fold that into the chocolate goodness and pour the mixture over those bananas.

At this point you will cover the pudding with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to set. It doesn’t take more than two hours. I hate to admit at this point my daughter and I licked the bowl and beaters clean. You are probably over there judging me. But when you taste this, trust me, you’ll do it too.

After the pudding is set (about 2 hours), you’ll spread that remaining tub of whipped topping over the pudding. Then I took about 4 remaining sandwich cookies and put them in a plastic bag and crushed them up with my hands. 

The very last step is to sprinkle the cookies we crushed in the plastic bag over the whipped topping layer. This is about when I sent pics to my girlfriends claiming that I had “outdone myself” haha!

Its only fair to have a little piece… you know… to make sure it tastes as good as it looks. And it does! Or better! So wow some folks and make this for your next holiday cookout or family gathering… or just because it’s Tuesday and you want chocolate (like I did). If you make this for a crowd, you better hide a piece in the crisper drawer because there won’t be leftovers!

INGREDIENTS

2 3.5 oz packs of INSTANT chocolate pudding (Jello is 3.4 ounces and Hershey’s is 3.56, doesn’t matter)

1 pack of chocolate sandwich cookies, I used 13 Oreo cookies to line the bottom of the dish and 4 for the topping

4-7 bananas, depending on size

8 ounce block of cream cheese, softened

14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

2 8 oz tubs of frozen whipped topping, thawed

2.5 cups milk

DIRECTIONS

1. Line the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish with halved chocolate sandwich cookies. You just pull them apart where the filling is to half them.
2. Slice 4-6 bananas into 1/4 inch discs and cover the cookies with the banana slices
3. In a large bowl combine cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk and beat until smooth.
4. To the large bowl then add pudding and milk. Whisk until combined.
5. Add one tub of the whipped topping to the mixture and fold to combine.
6. Pour pudding mixture over bananas. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.
7. Spread second tub of whipped topping over pudding. Crush a few more chocolate cookies in a ziplock bag using your hands or the smooth side of a meat mallet. Sprinkle cookie crumbs over whipped topping.
8. Ready to serve! If you make this and have time before it gets destroyed by hungry guests, post a pic to instagram and tag @thehungriesthousewife #thehungriesthousewife.