tropical fruit parfait

The days are longer, the sun is hot, and I find myself looking out my office window craving trips to the beach and floating in the ocean. This fruit parfait with pudding is fun, refreshing, and the perfect treat to bring to the next pool party.

Ingredients:

8-10 kiwis
4 bananas
2 cups diced mangoes
1 box of blackberries
1 box of raspberries
1 box of blueberries
1 lemon or lemon juice

1 box of Nilla wafers
1/8 cup of sugar
1 stick of butter, melted

1 8-oz cream cheese
1 tin of Cool Whip
1 14-oz can of sweetened condensed milk
1 5-oz French vanilla Jell-O pudding
2 cups of milk

Optional:
Toasted coconut flakes
Crushed almonds

Directions:

Dice the fruit and toss with a little lemon juice to preserve color. Set aside while you prep the rest.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a blender or food processor to crush/grind the Nilla wafers with sugar and melted butter. Put in a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

Make the pudding mix with milk and set aside. Blend the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk, then fold in Cool Whip, then the pudding.

Either using one glass bowl or several smaller glasses/cups, layer everything -- the fruit, the pudding, the crushed cookies. Decorate the top with fruit.

I recommend putting in the fridge to set for at least 15-30 minutes.