Four Layer Pudding Delight

I'm late, I know. But let me explain myself. Last night I finished Mockingjay, the last book in the Hunger Games trilogy.  And by last night I mean 6 o'clock this morning. After closing the book, I was complete emotional wreck. It's true. The books have that affect on me. So after sleeping in until 12:30, here I am slightly groggy and ready to talk pudding.

Four layer chocolate delight is a pretty common dessert around here. It's simple to make and produces a large amount of servings so it's great for holidays, picnics etc. However, when my mom decided to make it for a church luncheon on day, she experimented and made it with lemon. It was, in a word, AMAZING. Since then, I've been itching to experiments with different flavors. So far, everything has come out delicious making this one of the most highly adaptable recipes I've ever seen.

What you need...

For the crust:
1 stick butter, melted
1 cup plain four
1 cup chopped nuts

For the first layer:
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1 cup cool whip
1 cup powdered sugar

For the second layer:
1 large package pudding, flavor of choice
3 1/2 cups milk

 To prepare your crust, mix the butter, flour and nuts together and spread in the bottom of a 13x9 glass pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until a little brown. Let cool completely.

For the first layer, cream together the sugar and cream cheese. Gently mix in the cool whip. Spread onto the baked crust.

Prepare your pudding. For this batch I used banana and it was oh so good. I prefer cook and serve as it comes out smoother with a stronger flavor. Just make sure to reduce the milk. Be careful when letting it cool- cover it with cling wrap and remove any film that may form. Spread over cream cheese layer. Top with remaining cool whip and refrigerate until ready to serve.

My family and I can't get enough of this stuff. I think banana has been my favorite so far, but I still want to try using coconut or butterscotch. This is particularly easy and is great if you need something to make for an event.

Happy baking and may the odds be ever in your favor ;)
Rosie

Source: Mother Dearest