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Peanut Butter Banana Pudding is a fun and delicious variation to the classic dessert. Nutter Butters replace vanilla wafers and a peanut butter fluff layers gets added for additional peanut butter flavor. One of the best flavor combinations is peanut butter and bananas so this variation really works well. The entire recipe gets displayed in a trifle dish to really show its beauty. It’s a showstopper.
The base is a traditional vanilla pudding mix which includes instant vanilla pudding (bigger box 5.1 oz), milk, cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and Cool Whip. This is the same lineup of ingredients as a traditional banana pudding recipe. Another traditional ingredient are sliced bananas. Obviously you need those for banana pudding. Just be sure they are ripe, still firm but not green. Unlike banana bread, you don’t want to use too ripe or spotted bananas for this recipe.
The peanut butter fluff layer is what takes this dish over the top. The texture is much thicker than the pudding and creates a swirl of peanut butter in each serving that balances and constrasts the sweet smooth pudding perfectly. It’s made with Cool Whip, pbfit peanut butter powder and a little milk. The milk thins it out just enough. Because it’s thick, you won’t be able to spread it into an even layer. Drop dollops of the fluff as evenly as you can on top of that first layer of pudding.
Another way to take the dessert over the top is to add a zig zag design in the top using hot fudge and peanut butter dessert sauces. Heat the sauces up in the microwave so they are pourable but not super runny. Start with the hot fudge and pour 4-5 lines on top of the pudding. Pour a peanut butter line right next to the hot fudge lines but leave space in between each set of lines so you can still see pudding. Drage a knife back and forth running through the lines of dessert sauce. The prettiest pattern forms!
Peanut Butter Banana Pudding
Ingredients
Pudding
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 5.1 oz box of instant vanilla pudding
- 3 c 2% milk
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 c cool whip thawed
- 28 Nutter Butter cookies
- 5-6 bananas sliced
- hot fudge dessert sauce optional
- peanut butter dessert sauce optional
Peanut Butter Fluff
- 8 oz container Cool Whip
- 1 c pbfit peanut butter powder don't pack it
- 1 tbsp milk
Instructions
- To a large bowl make the pudding layer by beating softened cream cheese.
- Add the sweetened condensed milk and beat until smooth and all the lumps have worked out.
- Add instant pudding mix, 2 cups milk and vanilla. Beat on low until it comes together and there are no lumps.
- Once the mixture has thickened after several minutes, add the third cup of milk and beat. Set aside to thicken.
- To a separate bowl beat together 8 oz thawed Cool Whip and a cup of loosley packed pbfit peanut butter powder. Switch to a scraper and bring the fluff togehter. Thin it out with a tablespoon of milk. Set aside.
- Slice 5-6 bananas.
- Fold 1 cup of Cool Whip into the vanilla pudding mixture once it has had time to thicken a bit.
- To a trifle dish layer Nutter Butters on bottom, half of the bananas, half of the vanilla pudding, all of the peanut butter fluff, Nutter butters, banans, half of the vanilla pudding.
- An optional topping is hot fudge and peanut butter dessert sauce. To create a pretty design pour lines of warmed up hot fudge on top of pudding followed by lines of warmed up peanut butter sauce right next to the hot fudge line. Leave space between the set of lines so the pudding shows. Drage a knife in an "S" shape starting at the bottom and working your way up.
- Add a dollop of Cool Whip on top and a crush Nutter Butter.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours then enjoy!