Chocolate Delight Dessert

Written by
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Diana Rattray
Tested by
Danielle Centoni Reviewed on 04/12/21 by

Danielle Centoni is a Portland-based, James Beard Journalism Award-winning food writer and cookbook author whose idea of a perfect day always includes butter, sugar, flour, and an oven.

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Danielle Centoni
Updated 04/18/21
Chocolate Delight Dessert

The Spruce / Christine Ma
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Chill Time: 2 hrs
Total: 2 hrs 30 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
405 Calories
27g Fat
37g Carbs
5g Protein
See Full Nutritional Guidelines Hide Full Nutritional Guidelines
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 405
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 27g 34%
Saturated Fat 18g 90%
Cholesterol 45mg 15%
Sodium 200mg 9%
Total Carbohydrate 37g 14%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 24g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 1mg 4%
Calcium 126mg 10%
Iron 1mg 4%
Potassium 179mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This layered chocolate dessert lives up to its name and is always a hit. Chocolate delight is made with a graham cracker crust that's layered with chocolate pudding, sweetened cream cheese, whipped topping, and then sprinkled with chopped walnuts or pecans if you like. But the beauty of this recipe is how flexible it is. You can use a different type of crust, another flavor of pudding, a variety of toppings—the variations are endless.

This recipe calls for frozen whipped topping and instant pudding, but feel free to use homemade if you prefer.

Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

    Ingredients for chocolate delight dessert

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  2. In a bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, and the melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 9 x 13 x 2-inch pan.

    Graham cracker crust in the pan

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  3. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely before assembling the layers.

    graham cracker crust in a baking dish

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  4. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with the confectioners' sugar until smooth. Stir in half of the whipped topping until well blended. 

    Cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and whipped topping

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  5. Spread the mixture over the cooled crust.

    Cream cheese layered over graham cracker

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  6. In another bowl, beat the pudding with the cold milk as directed on the package (but using only 3 cups of milk).

    chocolate pudding in a bowl

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  7. Spread the pudding over the cream cheese layer.

    Adding chocolate pudding over cream cheese layer

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  8. Top the dessert with the remaining whipped topping and spread to cover completely.

    Whipped topping layer over chocolate pudding

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  9. If desired, sprinkle with chopped pecans or walnuts.

    sprinkle the whipped topping with nuts

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  10. Chill thoroughly before serving, about 2 hours.

    Chocolate Delight Dessert

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

Tip

  • Allow the cool whip to thaw in the refrigerator over night before using in this recipe.

Recipe Variations

  • Salted Pretzel Crust: Combine 1 1/2 cups of crushed pretzels with 1/3 cup of granulated sugar and 1/2 cup of melted butter. Pat the mixture into the baking pan and bake at 350 F for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely and proceed with the recipe.
  • Nut Crust: In a bowl, combine 1 cup of finely chopped pecans with 1 cup of all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup of melted butter. Pat the mixture into the baking pan. Bake at 350 F for about 20 minutes, or until set and lightly browned. Cool completely and proceed with the recipe.
  • Shortbread Cookie Crust: Replace the graham cracker crumbs with 2 cups of finely crushed sandies or pecan sandies.
  • Vanilla Wafer Crust: Replace the graham cracker crumbs with 2 cups of finely crushed vanilla wafers.
  • Butterscotch Delight: Use 2 boxes of butterscotch pudding instead of chocolate pudding and replace the pecan topping with Heath toffee chips, shaved semisweet or milk chocolate, or chopped candy bars of your choice.
  • Lemon Delight: Use lemon pudding and top with toasted coconut or shredded or grated lemon zest.
  • Banana Delight: Use banana pudding and top with toasted coconut.
  • Pistachio Delight: Use pistachio pudding and top with chopped pistachio nuts.
  • Cookies and Cream Delight: Use 1 package of instant chocolate pudding mix and 1 package of instant cookies and cream pudding. Or use white chocolate pudding and sprinkle 1 cup of crumbled Oreo cookies between the first whipped topping layer and the pudding layer.