Banana Pudding Cheesecake

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Gather the ingredients. Preheat oven to 350 F. 

2. Step 2

   In a large bowl combine crushed vanilla wafer cookies, melted butter, and sugar. In this recipe, vanilla wafer cookies are crushed and used in the crust, while whole vanilla wafer cookies are also used as a garnish on top of the finished cheesecake. When you purchase an 11-ounce box of vanilla wafer cookies, first remove 12 cookies for the garnish. Then, pulse the remaining cookies in the box in the food processor. They will measure out to the 2 cups of cookie crumbs necessary for the crust. 

3. Step 3

   Pat the crust mixture into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 10-inch springform pan. To prevent leaks, line the outside of the pan with aluminum foil or place the springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet. 

4. Step 4

   In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, eggs, mashed bananas, and lemon juice until smooth.

5. Step 5

   Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, or until the cheesecake is light brown on top. 

6. Step 6

   Cool completely at room temperature. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 12 hours before serving. 

7. Step 7

   When ready to serve, prepare the topping. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, pudding mix, and confectioners' sugar. Beat for 2 minutes. Gently stir in the whipped topping.

8. Step 8

   Spread the topping over the top of the cheesecake. 

9. Step 9

   Remove the side of the springform pan and place on serving platter. Garnish with vanilla wafer cookies and fresh banana slices. 

10. Step 10

    Enjoy!