This easy Banana Pudding Layered Dessert is made with layers of sugar cookie crumb crust, banana pudding, creamy sweetened cream cheese mixture, and fluffy whipped topping!A SIMPLE LAYERED BANANA DESSERTWho doesnt love a good Banana Pudding Layered Dessert? Dreamy, creamy banana pudding, with fluffy whipped topping, and sweet bananas, nestled with layers of sugar cookie crumb crust and crumbs on top. I love making these four layered desserts. The options are nearly limitless and you can easily customize it to what you enjoy! This is one dessert everyone will love!FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:Can I use a graham cracker crust? Certainly! Instead of this cookie crust, you could do a graham cracker crumb crust like I did in my Pistachio Layered Dessert. I shared easy to follow directions there that would work perfectly with this layered dessert! How do I keep the bananas from turning brown? This is always the difficulty with banana desserts. You can do a couple of things but it can slightly alter the taste of the bananas. You can sprinkle the bananas with a bit of lemon or orange juice. The citric acid helps slow down the browning process. You can even crush up some Vitamin C and sprinkle it on the bananas. Again, these options can change the taste so its up to you.I prefer not to do anything and we are okay with eating the bananas even when they start to turn brown (even though its not as pretty). Or if you just dont think you would eat this fully before they turn brown, you could cut this recipe in half. Do I have to make the sugar cookies? Not at all. You can use store-bought cookies. You can use your own homemade sugar cookie recipe. You can even grab a log of the premade sugar cookie dough. Whatever works easiest for you! How do I prevent the whipped topping from deflating when mixing? When you add the whipped topping to the cream cheese, fold it in with a rubber spatula by bringing up the ingredients from the bottom of the bowl and folding it into the center of the mixture.Continue this motion until the whipped topping is mixed in with the cream cheese.Do not stir it in with a spoon, it will deflate the whipped topping and not be quite as fluffy. It will still taste good though even if you end up over mixing. It will just be more firm than fluffy. How to store leftovers? Store dessert in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Can I freeze this Banana Pudding Layered Dessert? This dessert would not do well to freeze. The bananas would turn black and would not be appealing. INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)sugar cookie mix plus the ingredients to make the cookies. If you dont want to use that, you could use store bought sugar cookies or even the premade refrigerated cookie dough.butter I use salted butter because there is very little salt in salted butter and we already have so many other sweet ingredients in the recipe. But use what you prefer. vanilla extract if you decide to use vanilla pudding instead of banana pudding, you could always use banana extract instead of vanilla to add a lighter banana flavor.cream cheese softened to room temperature. Use these Tips to Soften Cream Cheese Fast if you need them.powdered sugarwhipped topping the brand name is Cool Whip (or the store brands) whipped topping comes in three sizes. It comes in 8-ounce, 12-ounce, and 16-ounce tubs. For this recipe, I used the 12-ounce tub, but I do believe youd be fine using the 16-ounce tub if you cant find the 12 ounce. You can never have too much Cool Whip, right?!ripe bananas you want to look for yellow bananas with a just a few little brown spots on them for the perfect sweetness.instant banana flavor pudding be sure to grab the Instant Pudding Mix, not the Cook N Serve stuff or it wont set up properly. If you dont care for the taste of instant banana pudding, you can use plain vanilla pudding. Youll still get plenty of flavor from the banana flavor just not as strong.cold milkHOW TO MAKE BANANA PUDDING LAYERED DESSERT:Preheat the oven to 375F degrees and prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, follow the directions on the cookie pouch to make the cookie batter. Drop 12 large spoonfuls of cookie dough on the cookie sheet (its ok if they are close together) and bake in the oven for about 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside and allow the cookies to completely cool, about 30 minutes.While the cookies are cooling, in a large bowl (or stand mixer bowl) add the cream cheese, powdered sugar and one teaspoon of vanilla extract and mix together with a hand mixer until smooth. When the mixture is smooth, scrape down the side with a rubber spatula and add about 2 cups of the whipped topping and fold it into the cream cheese mixture, being careful not to deflate it too much.In a separate medium bowl add the pudding mix and the milk and whisk both together until it is smooth and thickened, about 2 minutes. Allow to sit and finish setting up while you make the crust.Reserve 3 cookies for the top of the dessert and place the remaining in a ziploc bag and crush the cookies into coarse crumbs (you can use a food processor too).Pour the crumbs into a 913 baking dish (glass preferred) and add the melted butter and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract and mix together with a fork.After evenly mixed, press the crumbs into the bottom of the baking dish to form a firm crust.Assemble the dessert by first spreading the cream cheese mixture over the cookie crust and smooth it out with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.Slice about 3 4 bananas and top this layer with a single layer of bananas.Carefully drop spoonfuls of the banana pudding over the sliced banana layer and spread out evenly with an offset spatula, trying not to move the bananas.Top with the remaining whipped topping and spread out evenly with offset spatula. Cover thedessert with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for about 4 hours to set up.When its time to serve, remove from the refrigerator and break up the remaining cookies into chunks. Sprinkle the cookie chunks and add some banana slices on the top.Slice and enjoy!!CRAVING MORE RECIPES?Best Banana PuddingBanana Pudding PieBanana Pudding Poke CakeBanana Pudding CheesecakeWalking Banana PuddingBanana Cake with Buttercream FrostingBanana Bread PuddingBanana Bread Crumb CakeBanana Pudding Fluff PrintBanana Pudding Layered DessertLayers of sugar cookie crumb crust, banana pudding, creamy sweetened cream cheese mixture, and fluffy whipped topping.Course DessertCuisine AmericanPrep Time 30 minutes minutesCook Time 10 minutes minutesChill Time 4 hours hoursTotal Time 4 hours hours 40 minutes minutesServings 15Calories 337kcalAuthor Brandie SkibinskiIngredients1 (17.5 ounce) pouch sugar cookie mix (I used Betty Crocker)ingredients needed to make cookie mix: usually butter or margarine and an egg2 teaspoons vanilla extract (divided use)8 ounces block cream cheese, softened to room temperature1 cup powdered sugar12 ounce tub frozen whipped topping, thawed (this is the midsize tub not the smaller or larger one, divided use)2 (3.4 ounce) boxes INSTANT banana creme pudding3 cups cold milk cup butter, melted (I use salted but you can use unsalted)4-6 ripe bananas (divided use, see notes below)InstructionsPreheat the oven to 375F degrees and prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper.In a medium bowl, follow the directions on the cookie pouch to make the cookie batter (combining 1 (17.5 ounce) pouch sugar cookie mix with ingredients needed to make cookie mix: usually butter or margarine and an egg).Drop 12 large spoonfuls of cookie dough on the cookie sheet (its ok if they are close together) and bake in the oven for about 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside and allow the cookies to completely cool, about 30 minutes. While the cookies are cooling, in a large bowl (or stand mixer bowl) add 8 ounces block cream cheese, softened to room temperature, 1 cup powdered sugar and one teaspoon vanilla extract and mix together until smooth. When the mixture is smooth, scrape down the side with a rubber spatula and add about 2 cups whipped topping and fold it into the cream cheese mixture, being careful not to deflate it too much. In a separate medium bowl add 2 (3.4 ounce) boxes INSTANT banana creme pudding and 3 cups cold milk and whisk both together until it is smooth and thickened, about 2 minutes. Allow to sit and finish setting up while you make the crust. Reserve 3 cookies for the top of the dessert and place the remaining in a ziploc bag and crush the cookies into coarse crumbs (you can use a food processor too). Pour the crumbs into a 913-inch baking dish (glass preferred) and add 1/2 cup butter, melted and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and mix together with a fork.After evenly mixed, press the crumbs into the bottom of the baking dish to form a firm crust. Assemble the dessert by first spreading the cream cheese mixture over the cookie crust and smooth it out with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Slice about 3-4 bananas and top this layer with a single layer of bananas. Carefully drop spoonfuls of the banana pudding over the sliced banana layer and spread out evenly with an offset spatula, trying not to move the bananas. Top with the remaining whipped topping and spread out evenly with offset spatula. Cover the dessert with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for about 4 hours to set up.When its time to serve, remove from the refrigerator and break up the remaining 3 cookies into chunks. Sprinkle the cookie chunks and slice up 1-2 bananas to layer on top before serving. Slice and enjoy! Keep covered and refrigerated when not enjoying. NotesPlease refer to my FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.The amount of the bananas may vary depending on how small or larger yours are. Just use your best judgement when it comes to how much you need for each layer.NutritionCalories: 337kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 12g | Sodium: 295mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 36g