Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding

This recipe comes courtesy of Paula Deen and her show "Paula's Home Cooking" on Food TV. What I like most about this recipe is that it gets its banana flavor only from real bananas!

Ingredients List:

2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
6-8 bananas, sliced
2 cups milk
1 5-ounce box instant French vanilla pudding
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 12-ounce container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Line the bottom of a 9"x13"x2" baking dish with one bag of cookies. Layer the banana slices over the cookies and set aside.
In a very large mixing bowl, combine milk and pudding mix. Blend according to package instructions using an electric hand mixer. Set aside.
In another large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and condensed milk using the electric hand mixer until smooth. Using a large rubber spatula, fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. When combined, fold the cream cheese mixture into the pudding mixture.
Pour the mixture over the bananas and cover with one bag of cookies. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours before serving so the pudding has a chance to set.
Just a note about arranging the cookies. Each bag contains 24 cookies. I was able to fit 23 cookies into the bottom of the pan (I ate the leftover cookie), but as you can see in the photo, 24 cookies will not cover the pudding completely because the pan is wider at the top than at the bottom. You might try arranging the cookies into 4 rows of 6 cookies instead.