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
Updated 02/18/21
Chocolate Delight Layered Pudding Dessert

Diana Rattray

 
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 25 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
607 Calories
40g Fat
56g Carbs
8g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 607
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 40g 52%
Saturated Fat 27g 135%
Cholesterol 68mg 23%
Sodium 300mg 13%
Total Carbohydrate 56g 20%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 36g
Protein 8g
Vitamin C 1mg 5%
Calcium 188mg 14%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 269mg 6%
*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

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

    Graham cracker crust in the pan
    The Spruce 

  3. Bake for 10 minutes.

  4. Cool completely before assembling the layers.

  5. 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. 

    Whipped sugar and cream cheese
     The Spruce

  6. Spread the mixture over the cooled crust.

    Cream cheese layered over graham cracker
     The Spruce

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

  8. Spread the pudding over the cream cheese layer.

    Chocolate pudding layer
     The Spruce

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

    Whipped topping layer
     The Spruce

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

    Nut topping
     The Spruce

  11. Chill thoroughly before serving.

  12. Enjoy.

    Chocolate delight dessert
     The Spruce

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 two 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.