Chocolate Pudding Delight
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ to ¾ cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup salted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
Cream Cheese Layer:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup chilled heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pudding Layer:
- 3 ½ to 4 cups chocolate pudding, homemade or from the box - chilled and set (see note)
Whipped Cream Layer:
- 1 ¼ cup chilled heavy cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- Chocolate curls, chocolate sprinkles, dusted cocoa powder, crushed oreos, crispy chocolate pearls or other desired garnish for the top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease the bottom of a 9X13-inch pan with cooking spray.
- For the crust: in the bowl of a food processor (see note below for an alternative to a food processor), add the flour, pecans, and sugar. Pulse until the pecans are very finely chopped. The mixture should be sandy in texture.
- Add the butter pieces and pulse to cut the butter into the dry ingredients. Process until the butter is in small pieces and the mixture clumps together when pressed between your fingers.
- Spread the mixture evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan and press into an even layer. Bake for 15 minutes. Set aside and let cool completely.
- For the cream cheese layer: using a handheld electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle or whisk attachment, beat the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar together until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the heavy cream and vanilla, and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and continue mixing, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, until the mixture is thick and creamy.
- Spread this mixture evenly over the cooled crust. Set bowl aside (no need to wash - we'll use it again in a later step!).
- For the chocolate pudding layer: spread the prepared chocolate pudding evenly over the cream cheese layer.
- For the whipped cream layer: in the same bowl as the cream cheese mixture (using an electric handheld or stand mixer), add the heavy cream and powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and mix until thickened and soft peaks form.
- Dollop the whipped cream evenly over the chocolate pudding and spread into an even layer.
- Refrigerate the dessert for at least 4 hours or up to 12 hours. Garnish the top with chocolate sprinkles, crushed oreos, dusted cocoa powder, or whatever you'd like to decorate with! Cut into squares and serve (it tastes best cold).
Notes
Crust: if you don't have a food processor, finely chop the pecans in a blender or with a knife (you want them very finely chopped - the texture of coarse meal). Toss the pecans with the flour and sugar in a medium bowl, and add the butter pieces. Using a pastry blender, two butter knives, or forks, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter is in tiny pieces and the mixture clumps together when pressed between your fingers.
Homemade Chocolate Pudding: this is my go-to homemade chocolate pudding recipe. I increase the cornstarch to 4 tablespoons for a slightly thicker pudding when using it for this layered dessert (be sure to cook the pudding fully and let it cool completely - it can be made 3 to 4 days ahead of time). A single batch of the chocolate pudding makes about 4 1/2 cups pudding, which means if you use it for this chocolate pudding delight recipe, you'll either have a bit of chocolate pudding leftover (not a bad problem to have!) OR you can use the full amount of pudding for an extra thick pudding layer.
Boxed Chocolate Pudding: one 5.9-ounce box of chocolate pudding prepared according to package instructions (with 3 cups cold milk) will yield enough for this recipe.