Directions
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut cream pudding mix and whole milk until smooth and thickened.
2. Gently fold in half of the whipped topping into the pudding until well combined.
3. In a 9×13 inch baking dish, arrange a single layer of vanilla wafer cookies.
4. Evenly spread half of the pudding mixture over the cookies.
5. Sprinkle half of the well-drained crushed pineapple over the pudding layer.
6. Repeat the layers starting with cookies, then the remaining pudding mixture, and the rest of the pineapple.
7. Spread the remaining whipped topping over the top and sprinkle with shredded coconut.
8. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight, to allow the cookies to soften into cake-like texture.
9. Garnish with maraschino cherries before serving, if desired.
Variations & Tips
For those who like a bit of texture, consider adding chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts to the layers. If you have folks who aren’t fans of coconut, you can simply omit the coconut flakes and use banana cream pudding mix instead for a different but equally delicious tropical flair. For an adult version, mix a little rum extract into your pudding mixture for an authentic Pina Colada taste.
