Alright friends... Today all diets are off!!!! You know I am huge on health, but I am also a big believer in a good treat every now and then. And this is probably one of the BEST treats I have ever ever ever ever had. Ever. One of my mom's favorite desserts is banana pudding, so I wanted to make it for her for Mother's Day. I'd never made it before, so I searched the net to come up with something good...
That's when I ran across the recipe for "
Not Yo Mama's Banana Pudding." It's one of Paula Deen's old recipes that had a 5-star rating and over 2,000 good reviews - so I knew it was going to be good. I've had LOTS of different banana puddings, but this is honestly one of the top three desserts I've ever had. Even better than most chocolate desserts I've had (never thought I'd say that!). It's rich, creamy, full of really good banana flavor, SUPER easy to make, and the cookies are a little soft (from storing it in the fridge overnight). The recipe is a little different in that it calls for Pepperidge Farm's Chessmen cookies as opposed to vanilla wafers. I PROMISE you won't miss those wafers one bit!! The other good thing about this dessert is that the longer is sits, the better it gets. It's the perfect cool dessert for a summer backyard BBQ or party - and would be great for Memorial Day! My mom loved it and I'm hoping that my co-workers (who will be getting the banana pudding you see there) will love it just as much as she did... :)