Banana Butterfinger Graham Cracker Freeze-Saturday Sweet

I always have overripe bananas in the freezer waiting for me to use them up.  Sometimes, they wait too long, and I end up throwing them out, so this week I decided that my Saturday Sweet would be something using some of those bananas.

I have been having fun playing around with instant pudding and frozen whipped topping so wanted to see what would happen if I added bananas.  I also had seen this Butterfinger Desserts Roundup over at CremedelaCrumb, so a couple of Butterfinger candy bars were added to the mix.

I used graham crackers as my bottom crust and added a crunch topping made with graham crackers that I love.  It is  a nice variation for streusel, and it is no secret how I feel about that.  The crunch needs to be made first so it has time to cool.  In the summer, I usually make up a batch when I am baking something else and keep it stored in a zip-top bag until I need it.  When I do that, this is a no-bake dessert.

 Banana Butterfinger Graham Cracker Freeze
12 graham cracker rectangles, divided (I broken in half)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. chopped, toasted pecans or other nuts (optional)
1/3 c. butter, melted
1 small package vanilla instant pudding mix
1 c. milk
2 medium very ripe bananas, mashed
2 (2.1 oz.) Butterfinger candy bars
1 (8 oz.) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Crush 4 1/2 graham cracker rectangles into  crumbs.  Combine cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and toasted pecans.  Stir in melted butter until all ingredients are moistened.  Turn into a 9x13-inch pan and spread evenly.  Bake at 350 degrees 10-15 minutes until lightly browned.   Set aside to cool.  Crumble.  (Note:  may be made ahead and stored in a zip-top bag until it is needed.)   In a medium mixing bowl combine pudding mix and milk.  Beat for 2 minutes with a wire whisk.  Beat in mashed banana.  Crush Butterfingers in their wrappers. (I use my metal meat tenderizer.)  Add to pudding mixture, stirring well to combine.  Fold in whipped topping until well blended.  Line a 9x13-inch pan with foil.  Place the remaining 7 1/2 graham cracker rectangles in the bottom of the pan.  They will not quite fill the pan, so bring the sides of the foil up close to the graham crackers.  Pour pudding mixture into pan.  Sprinkle cooled graham crunch over the top.  Cover with foil and freeze overnight.  Cut into squares to serve.  Makes 12 servings.   Store tightly covered in the freezer.

Linking to these great parties:

Weekend Potluck

Saturday Spotlight

Party Junk

Strut Your Stuff

Weekend Bloggy Reading

Share Your Creativity

What'd You Do This Weekend