Chocolate Pudding Dessert

One of my favorite childhood desserts was pudding. I even took it in my lunchbag. Back then it came in a little stubby tin can with a pull top lid. Here in the U.S. and Canada pudding is a custard based dessert made of milk or cream, eggs and sugar. Gelatin or startch help to cool the dessert and then it is cooled before serving. A variety of flavors is available. One of my husbands favorites is chocolate. Lucky for him today is chocolate pudding day. 

CHOCOLATE PUDDING DESSERT

crust:    1-1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup (1-1/2 cubes) butter

1/2 cup chopped nuts (your favorite kind)

Cut butter into flour until finely mixed.  Mix in nuts.  Press into bottom of 9 x 13" pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  Set aside and cool completely.

1(8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup cool whip

3 cups cold milk

1 (3oz) instant vanilla pudding

1 (3oz) instant chocolate pudding

2-3 cups cool whip

Whip cream cheese and powdered sugar with a hand mixer.  Gently fold in 1 cup cool whip.  Spread over cooled crust.  Mix milk and puddings together with wire whisk until completely dissolved.  Spread over cream cheese layer.  Frost with remaining cool whip. 

NOTES:  Sometimes I'll use finely crushed Oreos in place of the flour called for in the crust.  You can also use other pudding flavors:  lemon, pistachio, banana cream, etc.