In today’s post: Chocolate delight is a classic dessert that’s said to be the next best thing to Robert Redford! Layers of pecan shortbread, cheesecake cream, and chocolate pudding make this a treat everyone will love.
Why You’ll Love This Dessert
This recipe has been around for a long time, and if it’s the next best thing to Robert Redford it must be good! Here’s why we like it:
- It’s not too sweet and not too rich, just a really refreshing mix of chocolate and a light cream cheese cheese layer. And you can’t go wrong with pecan shortbread for a crust!
- The layers look impressive, but this dessert is really easy to put together. You’ll mix up the simple crust, bake it and let it cool first. Then after that the other layers come together quickly. Chill it for a few hours and it’s ready to go.
What Kind of Pudding?
The middle layer of chocolate delight is chocolate pudding. It’s easiest to use instant chocolate pudding and we think it tastes great! You can also used boxed cook and serve pudding but you will need to make the pudding in advance and let it cool down to room temperature before layering the dessert (the same applies if you’d like to substitute homemade chocolate pudding). You’ll need about four cups of chocolate pudding.
How to Make Chocolate Delight
The process for making this dessert is quite simple. First, you’ll mix up an easy pecan shortbread crust. If you have a high powered blender this is SUPER simple – just drop everything in (including the pecans) and pulse until you have a sandy mixture. Press that into a 9×13 baking pan and bake. Once the crust is cool, you can mix up the creamy layers:
- You’ll start with an easy cream cheese layer you can whip together with a hand mixer in a bowl. Make sure you use granulated sugar, not powdered sugar, because that actually helps the cream cheese go smooth instead of lumpy!
- Then you’ll top the cream cheese layer with instant chocolate pudding – again, I use my blender to make pudding because it’s so fast. Just pour in the milk and pudding mix and pulse until combined and thick.
- You’ll top it all with a layer of Cool Whip and then chill it for a few hours before serving.
Recipe Source: Recipe adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe and Valerie’s Kitchen
Chocolate Delight
Ingredients
Crust
- 3 oz Pecans chopped finely, about 3/4 cup
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- 2 tablespoons Sugar
- 1/2 cup Salted Butter
Cream Cheese Layer
- 8 oz Cream Cheese softened
- 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 8 oz Cool Whip thawed, from a 12 oz container
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Chocolate Pudding Layer
- 2 boxes Instant Chocolate Pudding 3.9 oz or 4 servings EACH
- 3.5 cups 2% or Whole Milk
Top Layer
- 4 oz Cool Whip thawed, the rest of the 12 oz container
- Chocolate curls or Chopped pecans for topping
Want more project ideas? Sign up to get my favorite easy crafts and recipes straight to your inbox!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch pan. Set the cream cheese out on the counter to soften.
- Place the pecans in a food processor or high powered blender and pulse until finely chopped. Add the remaining crust ingredients and pulse until combined into a sandy mixture. Pour into the greased 9×13 pan and press down into an even layer.
- Bake crust for 15 minutes and then set aside to cool completely before moving on to the next steps. This will take about an hour at room temperature
- In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Add a large spoonful of whipped topping and beat in with the mixer. Then use a spatula to fold the rest of the Cool Whip in. *Remember, you are using about 8 oz of Cool Whip in this step and reserving 4 oz for topping the dessert.* Spread the cream cheese layer over the cooled crust.
- Mix both boxes of chocolate pudding together with 3.5 cups of milk (this is half a cup less than the boxes call for). Mix very well until smooth and thickened. Spread over cream cheese layer.
- Spread remaining 4 oz of Cool Whip over the chocolate pudding layer and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for at least four hours. Add any garnishes just before serving. Store refrigerated.
Leave a Comment