Banana Cream Pie Bars

By srumbel

A simplified version of Banana Cream Pie made into bars with a no-bake crust and topped with layers of luscious ingredients.
from therecipecritic.com

Ingredients

• 45 Nilla Wafers, finely crushed (around 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted
• 1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 1 (8 oz.) tub frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 3 large bananas, sliced
• 2 (3.4 oz.) pkgs. vanilla instant pudding mix
• 3 c. cold milk
• caramel ice cream topping

Preparation

Step 1

Combine wafer crumbs and melted butter and toss until crumbs are coated in butter. Press crumbs into the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking pan. Refrigerate until ready to use. Refrigerating the crust hardens it and helps it stick together.
Beat cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Fold in 1½ cups of whipped topping. Spread evenly over chilled crust. Top with sliced bananas. Next, beat pudding mixes and milk for two minutes until slightly thickened. Spread over bananas. Top with remaining whipped topping and carefully spread out evenly.
Refrigerate for 3 hours before slicing. Drizzle with caramel topping before serving. Note: For easy removal, line baking pan with parchment paper before pressing in the crust, with a slight overhang, so you can lift the bars out of the pan for cutting and serving.