Pumpkin Pudding

I do NOT like pumpkin pie. I think it's a serious texture issue for me. So for Thanksgiving this year, I decided to make some pumpkin pudding. I saw it on Rachael Ray last year and was excited to try it. It was a big hit! Mostly just to my husband really. A lot of people filled up on pie before they could try it, but I'm glad Luke liked it!Here's the recipe:

• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground clove
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 5.1-ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 12-ounce box Ginger Snaps

( I didn't have ground clove, so I used pumpkin pie spice instead, and I also used vanilla wafers instead of ginger snaps. Oh and instead of whipping cream, I used Cool Whip: a lot cheaper and a lot easier)

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, pumpkin, spices, pudding mix and a good splash of water (about 1/4 cup). Using an electric mixer, beat everything together until smooth and thickened, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture until blended and no streaks of pudding remain.

3. To assemble, layer the cookies and pudding mixture in a serving dish (or several individual dishes) in whatever fashion you like. Cover the puddings with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 and up to 8 hours (you want the ginger snaps to soften up from sitting in the pudding mixture).
So there you go! Enjoy! There's a few weeks left in Fall for you to bust out this recipe!