When I was in college I used to get really bad charlie horses in my calves.  They’d wake me up in the middle of the night and I’d be in so much pain.  A bit of 3 a.m. stretching would always do the trick, but they were far from enjoyable.  I’d read somewhere that bananas would help, so I’d drink a banana milkshake from Cook Out on a pretty regular basis, you know, for my legs.

And while I’m not getting the charlie horses anymore, I’ll eat this pudding forever.  You know, just in case.  This banana pudding from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook is just so wonderful!  So absolutely delicious.  Go ahead.  Try it! Jess made it for Natalie’s baby shower last weekend (photos coming soon!) and it was such a hit.  And fortunately for me, Jess made so much of it that I’ve been eating all.week.long.  I’m so happy that they’re already in individual servings, so I can’t go too far overboard.

Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding

16 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cups ice cold water

Small box (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix

3 cups heavy whipping cream

Box Nilla Wafers

4 sliced bananas

1.  In the bowl of a mixer, beat sweetened condensed milk and water for about a minute.  Add the pudding mix and beat for about two more minutes.  Transfer to a smaller bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.  You want the mixture to be extremely firm.

2.  In a large bowl on medium speed, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the pudding mixture until fully combined and no streaks of pudding are visible. Mix in the bananas.

3.  In individual jars, divide pudding and top with crushed vanilla wafers.  Cover tightly and refrigerate for about 8 hours before serving.