It doesn’t get much better than this. It combines all our favorite dessert flavors, chocolate, peanut butter and banana. It’s multiple desserts in one, cookies and pudding. And best of all it is extremely portable making it the perfect picnic dessert.

I was planning on making these this past weekend sometime and the perfect time presented itself when my husband suggested a picnic. It would be perfect, we eat dinner, enjoy a treat, Josh flies his remote control airplanes, the boys attempt to drive their remote control truck, play, get dirty, all around weekend family fun!

Sounds perfect right? Well I may have had everything to make the banana pudding, but in my sleep deprived state of mind it didn’t occur to me until about an hour or so until we planned to leave to make them. It gets better, I had cook and serve pudding! So when exactly was it going to cool before I put it all together?

I manage to get everything out and started. Jack insists on helping stir the pudding on the stove. Yes I like the help, but I was rushed. We get the pudding finished, I put it in two shallow containers in the freezer for a fast chill. I then proceed to get everything else ready. The boys notice the Nutter Butter cookies and pester me constantly. They want to eat the bananas…. It doesn’t end!

The pudding is now mostly chilled so I am ready to assemble it all. By now the boys are playing outside while Daddy loads up the car with all the toys. While I am assembling everything the boys come in and pester me again. I get distracted, imagine that! I then notice that I forgot to put the banana slices in between the layers, kind of an important step in making banana pudding!

Somehow I manage to finish. I see the boys eating the little bit of leftover pudding out of the bowls, using their dirty hands as spoons! I attempt to take a picture or two for the blog and get bothered again. Now they are in the car, waiting on me. This is the madness I deal with sometimes. Cooking with kids, always an adventure! The good news is they still tasted great. Hope you enjoy them too and have time to make them without a three ring boy circus bothering you! Did I forget to mention that somehow I managed to pack a picnic basket full of dinner and drinks too?!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Pudding in Jars
8 oz. package (or 2 4oz. packages) banana pudding
4 c. milk
8 oz. package whipped topping
1-2 bananas, sliced
42 mini Nutter Butter cookies
1/4 c. chopped peanuts
1/4 c. mini chocolate chips
Chocolate syrup
6 jelly jars (8 oz. size)

Prepare pudding according to package, mixing with milk and either whip or cook. If using cook and serve allow time for pudding to cool! Fold half of the whipped topping into the pudding.

In the bottom of the jars place three cookies. Cover with about 1/4 cup pudding mixture. Add 2-3 banana slices and a drizzle of chocolate syrup. Then a layer of whipped topping. Repeat with another cookie layer, pudding mixture, banana slices and whipped topping. Garnish the top with one cookie, chopped peanuts, mini chocolate chips and chocolate syrup. Put lids on and chill well before serving.

Yields 6 servings
Note: I had a little pudding leftover, but not enough for another full serving….thus the boys eating with their hands!