No Bake Strawberry Shortcake Dessert

INGREDIENTS:

1 box (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding

1 1/2 cups nonfat milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

25 Golden Oreos (or another vanilla flavored cookie/graham cracker)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 containers (8 ounces each) Cool Whip Topping (see note about using fresh whipped cream)

1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced and patted dry

DIRECTIONS:

Whisk pudding, milk, and vanilla in a medium sized bowl. Let it sit while you prepare the crust.
Crush the cookies in a large gallon sized ziploc bag using a rolling pin. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cookie crumbs. Place the 2 tablespoons melted butter in the bag and press with your hands to work the butter through the remaining cookie crumbs. Pour crumbs into a 9” square baking dish. The crust won’t be solid, it’ll stay crumbly.
Fold 8 ounces of the whipped topping into the pudding. Place half the pudding mixture on top of the crust. Place the strawberries in a single layer over the pudding. Spread remaining pudding mix over the top of the berries. Top with more whipped topping and sprinkle the remaining cookies over the top.
Chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

NOTES:

If you want to use fresh whipped cream, go ahead! You’ll need at least 2-3 cups of cold heavy whipping cream. Whip it until stiff peaks form then substitute it for the whipped topping. 8 ounces of Cool Whip is approximately 4 cups of whipped cream.
If you want, try using cheesecake or lemon instant pudding. They’d both be delicious in this!