Banana Pudding with a Kick Recipe

How to make it

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• Place the pudding mix from both packages and 3 cups of milk into a 2-quart mixing bowl. (Do not mix according to package directions. You'll use less milk than the package indicates.) Whisk for 1 minute until all of the powdered mix disappears. Set aside. (The pudding will be thin, but it will thicken as it stands.) Peel one banana, cut it into slices about ¼ -inch thick, and set aside. Mix the bourbon and apple juice together in a small cup or dish and set aside.
• Pour about ¼ cup pudding into the bottom of a trifle bowl (or any glass bowl with a 16-cup capacity) and spread it very thinly around the bottom of the bowl. Place enough vanilla wafers lying flat over the pudding to cover the bottom of the bowl. Then, against the side of the bowl, place an alternating ring of banana slices and wafers, with the top sides of the wafers and flat sides of the banana slices pressed against the outside of the bowl to show through the glass. Press them into the pudding to hold them upright.
• Using a spoon, drizzle about half of the bourbon-and-apple- juice mixture over the wafers to moisten them slightly. Place the remaining banana slices that you've cut so far over the wafers. Pour half of the remaining pudding over the bananas, and spread it as evenly as possible, making sure that some of the pudding reaches the edges of the bowl so it will show through the glass. Spread about half of the whipped topping over the pudding layer, making sure that some of it reaches the edges of the bowl.
• Place another layer of vanilla wafers over the whipped topping, and drizzle on remaining bourbon mixture. Peel and slice two more bananas. Place another alternating ring of banana slices and wafers around the outside edge of the bowl, as before. Scatter the remaining banana slices over the wafers, as before.
• Pour the remaining pudding over the banana layer, spreading it as before, and then the remaining whipped topping, spreading it over the top of the trifle. Use a damp paper towel to clean splatters from the rim of the trifle bowl. Peel and slice one banana. Place another alternating ring of banana slices and wafers around the edge of the bowl as a garnish, pressing the cookies about halfway into the whipped toping. (Do not peel the remaining banana. It will be used as garnish when serving.)
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours. Just before serving, unwrap the trifle and peel and slice the remaining banana. Arrange the slices over the whipped topping. To serve, present the trifle whole (at its most beautiful), then spoon into individual dessert bowls. Makes 15 generous servings.
• Notes: Be sure to buy instant pudding (the no-cook variety) that serves four, and do not make it according to the package directions. (You'll use less milk for this recipe.) French vanilla flavor also works.
• You can omit the bourbon and use 2 tablespoons of apple juice for an alcohol-free version. Also, if you don't have apple juice, you can mix the bourbon with 1 tablespoon of water.
• PER SERVING (Made with reduced-fat vanilla wafers): Calories 218 (15% fat) Fat 4 g (3 g sat) Cholesterol 98 g Sodium 265 mg Fiber 1 g Carbohydrates 45 g Protein 3 g