Ingredients:

  • 8 oz cream cheese, brick-style, softened
  • 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
  • 12 oz frozen whipped topping, thawed
  • 2 cups whole milk, cold
  • 5.1 oz instant French vanilla pudding mix
  • 7 large bananas, sliced
  • 14 oz Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
  • 0.5 tsp pure vanilla bean paste

Instructions:

  1. Beat the 8 oz of softened cream cheese and 14 oz of condensed milk in a large bowl. Mix until the texture is silky and glossy with no visible lumps of cheese.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the 2 cups of cold whole milk and the 5.1 oz of French vanilla pudding mix. Whisk for 2 full minutes until it starts to resist the whisk. Note: This ensures the starch is fully hydrated.
  3. Gently fold the pudding mixture into the cream cheese mixture using a rubber spatula. Add the 0.5 tsp of vanilla bean paste here. Fold until the color is a uniform pale yellow.
  4. Fold in half of the 12 oz whipped topping. Save the other half for the very top layer to create that cloud look.
  5. Line the bottom of your 9x13 dish with a single layer of Chessmen cookies. Ensure they cover the entire surface like a tiled floor.
  6. Layer half of your sliced bananas over the cookies. Lay them flat to prevent the pudding from sliding around when you serve it.
  7. Spread half of the pudding mixture over the bananas. Use your offset spatula to push the cream into the corners.
  8. Repeat the layers of cookies, bananas, and the remaining pudding. Finish with the remaining whipped topping and a final decorative layer of cookies.
  9. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. The cookies should feel slightly softened but not mushy when you press on them.