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About This Recipe
This Chocolate Pudding Delight is one of my favorite classic desserts! You might also know it as Chocolate Delight, Chocolate Pecan Delight and even Golfer’s Delight. This layered chocolate dessert is made with a buttery, pecan shortbread crust, sweet cream cheese layer, rich chocolate pudding layer and topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. It’s rich, creamy, and you won’t believe how easy it is to make!!
It’s the perfect chilled dessert for special occasions or family gatherings! Oh, and it’s the best dessert to prep in advance! Make this the night before and let it set up overnight in the fridge for even better results the next day!
I went ahead and took the liberty of lightening this easy chocolate delight recipe up a bit but I promise no one will ever know!! Or simply just use the regular ingredients if you aren’t worried about calories or sugar as much! We all know I’m about the real deal every now and again!
For more lightened up classic desserts, try my Lightened Up Chocolate Eclair Cake, The Best (Low Calorie, Low Sugar) Strawberry Pretzel Salad, No Bake Oreo Pie with Cool Whip or my new Cottage Cheese Banana Pudding Parfaits!
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Delight Dessert
- Easy dessert: This quick and easy dessert is made with simple ingredients and easy to prep in less than 30 minutes!
- Lighter twist on one of my favorite desserts: All the creamy, chocolatey goodness of the original but lightened up just a bit!
- Make-ahead friendly: A great dessert to prep in advance! It even taste better the next day!
- Crowd-pleaser: Always a hit at holidays, potlucks, and family dinners—and no one will guess it’s lightened up!
- Warm weather treat: This chilled dessert is perfect for warm weather days, summer BBQs, a special occasion or just when you need a serious chocolate fix.
- Butter: The melted butter helps bind the pecans and flour together for the crunchy crust. I prefer to use unsalted butter in most of my baking to control the amount of salt.
- Pecans: Chopped pecans bring a delicious nutty crunch to the crust layer, adding the perfect amount of texture and taste to every bite.
- All-purpose flour: I just used regular all-purpose flour for the crust. Use gluten-free flour if needed.
- Cream cheese: To help lightened this dessert up a bite, I used light cream cheese for the middle layer. Of course, you can use regular cream cheese, greek cream cheese or dairy-free cream cheese if needed.
- Cool whip: Make sure to let your cool whip thaw (I like to place it in the fridge the night before) so that it will mix properly with the cream cheese.
- Powdered sugar: Regular confectioners’ sugar or your favorite sweetener of choice works!
- Pudding mix: I used two boxed of sugar free chocolate pudding mix. Make sure to use the instant pudding mix NOT the cook and serve kind.
- Milk: Any milk works! I used fat free skim milk but use what you have!
- For garnish: Shaved chocolate (from Hersey’s chocolate bar) or more chopped pecans!
- Pudding mix: Switch up the flavor of this layered pudding dessert by using vanilla pudding, lemon pudding, butterscotch pudding, etc.
- Pecans: If you don’t like pecans, you can sub for another nut like almonds, walnuts or pistachios. You can also leave the nuts out entirely to make this dessert nut-free, just know it will make the crust softer.
- Extra chocolate: Want it extra chocolatey? Add a teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa powder to the pudding mix for a richer taste.
- Dairy-free: To make this dessert dairy-free, use dairy-free butter, dairy-free cream cheese, dairy-free cool whip and vegan pudding mix
How To Make
The full printable recipe is below, but let me walk you through the process so you know what to expect when you’re making it!
1. Pecan crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch dish. Melt the butter. Mix with the pecans and flour until combined.
2. Press evenly into the dish with your hands. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the crust to cool down fully before moving on to the next step (this usually takes about an hour at room temperature, but you can speed things up by putting it in the fridge or freezer).
3. Cream cheese layer: In a mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Incorporate the powdered sugar; keep mixing until thoroughly combined.
4. Fold in 2/3 of the cool whip (leaving 1 cup for topping).
5. Spread evenly over the cooled crust.
6. Pudding layer: In a large bowl, combine the two boxes of chocolate pudding with cold milk, whisking until the mixture thickens.
7. Gently layer the chocolate pudding on top of the cream cheese layer. Chill for 15-20 minutes.
8. Topping: Spread the remaining whipped topping on top of the pudding layer. Chill in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours, or until it sets. Garnish with shaved chocolate or chopped pecans immediately before serving if desired and enjoy!
Cover chocolate pudding dessert with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for 4-5 days. The pecan cookie crust will start to soften after a few days as the dessert sits but it will still taste delicious!
Helpful Tips
- Toast the pecans: For even more nutty pecan flavor in the crust, you can lightly toast the chopped pecans in a dry skillet before adding them to the crust for extra flavor.
- Cool completely: Make sure to let the crust cool COMPLETELY before adding the cream cheese layer or else it will melt your other layers. This usually takes about an hour at room temperature, but you can speed things up by putting it in the fridge or freezer.
- Soften cream cheese and cool whip: Make sure to let your cream cheese sit at room temperature (normally around 30 minutes) before mixing to avoid lumps. Also, make sure your cool whip is thawed! I like to place it in the fridge the night before using to make sure it properly defrost.
- Fold the cool whip: Gently fold the cool whip into the cream cheese mixture (not stir) to keep it light and fluffy.
- Pudding mix: Let the pudding mix and milk sit for a few minutes to fully thicken before adding on top of the cream cheese layer.
- Let chill: Let dessert chill for at least 4 hours (if not overnight) before serving so everything has time to set up! You can also pop it in the freezer for about 30 minutes (just be careful not to leave it too long or it’ll freeze solid).
Can I make this dessert ahead of time?
Yes, this is a great make-ahead dessert! Prep it the night before and chill overnight so the layers set beautifully.
Can I use regular pudding mix instead of sugar-free?
Absolutely. Regular instant pudding works great—just be mindful it may slightly increase the macros. Just be sure to use the instant chocolate pudding mix (not the cook and serve kind).
Can I freeze this dessert?
Yes, for a short time. You can freeze for about 30–45 minutes before serving for a firmer, almost icebox-style texture. Just avoid freezing for long periods or the layers may separate once thawed.
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure leave a review, tag me on Instagram or TikTok at @LaurenFitFoodie or hashtag #LaurenFitFoodie so I can see your creations!
Chocolate Pudding Delight (Lightened Up)
Ingredients
Pecan cookie crust:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (122g) 1 stick
- 1 cup very finely chopped pecans (120g)
- 1.25 cup all-purpose flour (150g)
Cream cheese layer:
- 8 oz. light cream cheese
- 8 oz. light cool whip save 1 cup for topping
- 1 cup powdered sugar (120g)
Pudding layer:
- 2 1.4-oz. boxes sugar free chocolate pudding mix
- 3 cups fat free milk cold
Garnish:
- Shaved chocolate from Hersey’s bar or chopped pecans optional to garnish
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Instructions
- Pecan crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch dish.
- Melt the butter. Mix with the pecans and flour until combined. Press evenly into the dish with your hands. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the crust to cool down fully before moving on to the next step (this usually takes about an hour at room temperature, but you can speed things up by putting it in the fridge or freezer).
- Cream cheese layer: In a mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese until smooth. Incorporate the powdered sugar; keep mixing until thoroughly combined. Fold in 2/3 of the cool whip (leaving 1 cup for topping). Spread evenly over the crust.
- Pudding layer: In a large bowl, combine the two boxes of chocolate pudding with cold milk, whisking until the mixture thickens. Gently layer the chocolate pudding on top of the cream cheese layer. Chill for 15-20 minutes.
- Topping: Spread the remaining whipped topping on top of the pudding layer.
- Chill in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours, or until it sets. For easier cutting of this dessert, pop it in the freezer for about 30 minutes before you serve it. Garnish with shaved chocolate or chopped pecans immediately before serving if desired and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition is hand-calculated and accurate. No autocalulations! However, note that values can vary based on the brands you use and if you substitute ingredients.
