Chocolate Delight

With layers of vanilla and chocolate pudding and a few hours in the fridge, chocolate delight might just bring back memories of summer nights long passed. That's the case for Erin Napier.

"My grandmother, Ouida Walters Rasberry, was the maker and keeper of our family's recipes," writes Erin Napier, HGTV star and co-host of Home Town alongside her husband, Ben Napier. Erin Napier's childhood memories are colored by time spent in Ouida's kitchen, learning her grandmother's Southern cooking secrets that could hardly be documented. Napier has followed through on her commitment to carry on her grandmother's culinary traditions; while cleaning out her late grandmother's house, she found a vault of Ouida's handwritten recipes stuffed in fruit-shaped canisters.

"They were all there: the peanut brittle, Jim's favorite Christmas cake, spaghetti and meatballs, and her famous creamy layered dessert called Chocolate Delight—a simple and frequent character on her dinner table alongside the hand-battered fried chicken and butter beans," Napier writes. "It felt like she was alive and well and giving us this one final gift that would carry on in us and our children and their children."

Learn how to make chocolate delight, and serve it up at holidays, birthdays, potlucks, and every occasion in between.

What Is Chocolate Delight?

While the origin of chocolate delight may not be well-documented, it's a dessert that's been a beloved classic in households across the country for decades. Typically featuring a cookie crust, cream cheese layers, chocolate pudding or ganache layer, and whipped cream or frozen whipped topping, the dessert is chilled and sliced into servings for an eye-catching, crowd-pleasing treat. It's famous for being easy to prepare, over-the-top delicious, and an ideal combination of sweet and chocolatey flavors.

Ingredients for Chocolate Delight

While 10 ingredients are needed to make this easy dessert, convenience items like self-rising flour, frozen whipped topping, chocolate and vanilla instant pudding mixes, and chocolate syrup make up a good portion of the list. To make chocolate delight, you'll need:

• Self-rising flour: Helps form the crumbly bottom layer of the dessert.
• Toasted pecans: Adds a nutty crunch to the crust.
• Unsalted butter: Binds the crust.
• Cream cheese: For a creamy, tangy layer.
• Powdered sugar: Sweetens the cream cheese layer.
• Frozen whipped topping: Adds a light, airy component to the dessert.
• Whole milk: Used to prepare the chocolate and vanilla puddings.
• Chocolate and vanilla instant pudding mixes: For a luscious pudding layer within the dessert.
• Chocolate syrup: Optional, for drizzling over the top of chocolate delight.

How To Make Chocolate Delight

With pudding mix and frozen whipped topping in the mix for easy-to-create layers, this dessert comes together with just 15 minutes of active time. Full instructions are below, but here's a brief recap before you get started:

• Step 1. Prepare oven and baking dish: Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 13- x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• Step 2. Make crust: Stir together flour, pecans, and butter. Press evenly into baking dish and bake until set, about 20 minutes. Cool.
• Step 3. Make cream cheese layer: Beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Fold in 1 cup whipped topping. Spread evenly over crust.
• Step 4. Make pudding layer and whipped topping: Whisk together the milk and pudding mixes until combined. Let stand until slightly set. Pour over cream cheese layer, then top with whipped topping.
• Step 5. Add chocolate drizzle: Drizzle with chocolate syrup.
• Step 6. Chill dessert: Cover and chill 2 to 8 hours.

Chocolate Delight Variations

To shake up this classic, give some of these variations a try:

• Crust: Replace the self-rising flour crust with a cookie crumb crust for a nut-free, crisp base.
• Top with nuts: Sprinkle with toasted pecans for a nutty crunch and to signal there are nuts in the crust.
• Flavor the cream cheese: Vanilla extract, lemon zest, or a splash of rum or bourbon in the cream cheese mixture can add complexity.
• Double the chocolate: Mix Dutch-processed cocoa powder or Nutella into the cream cheese filling for an extra-chocolatey version, or stir in chocolate chips or chunks for extra crunch.
• Mocha: Add espresso powder to the pudding mixes for a mocha twist.
• Garnish: Top with chocolate shavings, chocolate chips, or caramel sauce along with the chocolate syrup for a decadent finish.

Can I Make Chocolate Delight Ahead?

Chocolate delight can be prepared, wrapped, and refrigerated up to two days ahead if needed. For the freshest presentation, top with whipped topping and chocolate syrup on the day of serving.

How To Store Leftover Chocolate Delight

Store leftover chocolate delight well-wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The layers may begin to break down over time, but it will still be delicious. You can also freeze leftovers for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving. Note that the texture may change slightly after thawing.

More Decadent Chocolate Dessert Recipes You'll Love

These pudding-based desserts come together quickly and easily for showstopping crowd-pleasers you'll want to make on repeat:

• Chocolate Chip Cookie Delight
• Death by Chocolate
• Dirt Pudding
• Hot Chocolate Lasagna
• Chocolate Parfait
• Chocolate Trifle
• Mississippi Mud Pie
• Brownie Trifle
• Chocolate Lasagna

Editorial contributions by Katie Rosenhouse.