Whoa, that's a mouthful of a title. It's also a mouthful of delicious no-bake goodness: a Banana Chocolate Chip Shortbread Icebox Cake!
I honestly think I like no bake desserts best. One, they're easy. Two, they're so good. And three, well, three is the major draw: it was 88° here last week and I did NOT want to turn on my oven. As it was, we had to turn on the A/C so Jordan could go to sleep.
The A/C. 88°. In April. <–Why I hate summer in Sacramento.
Normally, my favorite layered dessert to make are the "lush" variety. You know, like Coconut Cheesecake or Strawberry Shortcake. Those have layer of crumbled cookie crust topped with layers of pudding and whipped cream. This dessert is very similar, except it's even easier, if that's even possible.
The difference is that this is an icebox cake: it's pudding and whipped cream layered with whole cookies. The pudding makes the cookies soft enough to slice into quasi-cake slices. No crushing, no rolling, no ziploc bag or melted butter.
I didn't think no bake desserts could get any easier, but I was wrong.
I had a box of banana pudding taunting me from the pantry and I thought a banana version of an icebox cake would be delicious. This makes a 8×8 pan size and it goes down really easy (who knew a box of pudding was really one serving?) so I try only to make these recipes when I have someone to share them with.
I mean, we all know Mel won't share banana pudding with me. My parents weren't in town. And then I remembered that Jordan's teacher just returned from maternity leave. She's got a 6 week old baby at home and has to teach a class full of 5th graders all day (my version of hell), so I figured a nice big pan of Banana Icebox Cake might hit the spot.
And then I remembered she's gluten-free. But that's okay, because so are the cookies I used in this recipe. So not only is it a no-bake dessert, it's a gluten-free one too!
Shortbread cookies pair perfectly with banana pudding. Chocolate pairs perfectly with bananas. See where I'm going? Chocolate Chip Shortbread and Banana Pudding were just meant to be together, don't you think?
If you haven't tried Walkers Shortbread, I don't know what you're waiting for. It's the best shortbread out there and every box I open I manage to polish off in a hot minute. My family might get one cookie…if they're lucky (and yes, Mel even likes it; it's the ONLY shortbread he will eat!)
Anyway, once I realized that Walkers made Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Shortbread, it was only a matter of minutes before I had this icebox cake chilling in my refrigerator. And, well, Jordan's teacher *may* have gotten the pan minus a few slices…
The beauty of an icebox cake is how easy it is. All you have to do is layer the cookies on the bottom of the pan, top it with pudding, bananas, and whipped cream, then more cookies and more of the rest. Once it's assembled, be sure to chill it for at least 4 hours (or overnight) so the flavors mix together and soften the cookies just enough so that you can slice it easily.
Add this recipe to your list for all your summer cook outs and potlucks because unless you have a few extra pant sizes laying around, you'll need extra people to keep you from eating it all! (Or maybe I'm the only one with that problem??)
Banana Chocolate Chip Shortbread Icebox Cake
Yield: 10-12 servings
Banana Chocolate Chip Shortbread Icebox Cake - this easy NO BAKE recipe is also gluten-free! Layers of cookies and banana pudding - the best party dessert.
Ingredients:
- 1 box (3.4 ounces) instant banana pudding mix
- 1 1/2 cups nonfat milk
- 2 boxes (4.9 ounces each) Walkers Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Shortbread (or use any shortbread cookie flavor)
- 1 (8 ounce) container Cool Whip (light or fat-free is fine)
- 1 medium banana, sliced (plus more for garnish, if desired)
- Mini Chocolate Chips, for garnish, optional
Directions:
- Whisk pudding mix and milk in a medium bowl. Let sit to set up for about 5 minutes.
- Place cookies in a single layer (about 9) in the bottom of an 8x8" baking dish.
- Fold half the Cool Whip (about 1 cup) into the pudding. Spread half the pudding mixture on top the cookies in the pan. Arrange banana slices on top of the pudding, then spread half of the remaining Cool Whip (about 1/2 cup) over the top of the bananas.
- Reserve 1 cookie, then place the remaining ones in a single layer on top the Cool Whip, cover it with the remaining pudding mixture and the rest of the Cool Whip. Crush the reserved cookie and sprinkle it over the top, along with some mini chocolate chips for garnish.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes:
If you don't like Cool Whip, feel free to replace it with about 2 cups of freshly whipped cream.
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No Bake Coconut Cheesecake Lush Dessert
This post has been sponsored by Walkers Shortbread. All opinions are 100% my own.
Source: Crazy for Crust
