My Version of Banana Pudding

Banana puddin' is a classic Southern dessert consisting of layers of sliced banana, vanilla custard, vanilla cookies (like Nilla wafers) and meringue or whipped cream. My take on this dessert is much simpler and requires minimal effort if you're craving a late-night sweet snack. It gets a gold star from my mama who grew up in the South and is picky about packaged foods (pudding mix)! Also experiment with different fruits like peaches, blueberries, etc!

Ingredients: (fills three 5 inch bowls or four-8 ounce ramekin cups) 

1 pkg (3.8 ounces) cooked vanilla pudding mix (I used Dr. Oetker Organic brand) or store-bought pudding cups
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large ripe bananas
1/2 cup granola or other crunchy treat like vanilla cookies, nilla wafers, animal crackers, etc. (I used TJ's low-fat vanilla-almond granola)
small vanilla meringues
white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, yogurt chips, nuts chocolate syrup, honey etc.

Directions: 
1. If using pudding mix, prepare according to directions. Keep warm.
2.  Thinly lice bananas into disks.
3.  Pour a small portion of pudding into individual bowls and layer with sliced bananas. Add desired crushed cookies, candies, granola, etc.
4. Continue to layer pudding, fruit and toppings. Crush meringue at the top and decorate nicely.
5. Chill to set the pudding or eat warm.