Easy Chocolate Delight Dessert

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 02/15/24
Tested by
Danielle Centoni
Danielle Centoni
Tested by Danielle Centoni

Danielle is a James Beard Award-winning food writer and editor based in Portland, Oregon.

Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Chill Time: 2 hrs
Total: 2 hrs 30 mins
Servings: 12 servings

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.

Slices of layered chocolate delight dessert with whipped topping on white fluted plates

The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma
what you'll need to make this chocolate delight desert
A Sturdy Baking Pan
A Zippy Hand Mixer
A Handy Dandy Offset Spatula

"This layered dessert is a definite crowd-pleaser, and it is so rich and decadent that one recipe will feed a big crowd. It takes just minutes to put together but be sure to give it a couple of hours to chill after assembling." —Danielle Centoni

Chocolate Delight Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

    Ingredients for chocolate delight dessert recipe gathered

    The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma

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

    Graham cracker crust pressed into a metal rectangular baking pan

    The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma

  3. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely before assembling the layers.

    Lightly browned graham cracker crust in a metal rectangular baking pan

    The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma

  4. 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. 

    Cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and whipped topping stirred together in a bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma

  5. Spread the mixture over the cooled crust.

    Cream cheese mixture evenly spread over graham cracker crust

    The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma

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

    Thick chocolate pudding mixed in a bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma

  7. Spread the pudding over the cream cheese layer.

    Chocolate pudding spread evenly over cream cheese layer

    The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma

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

    Whipped topping spread evenly over chocolate pudding

    The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma

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

    Chopped nuts sprinkled over final whipped topping layer

    The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma

  10. Chill thoroughly before serving, about 2 hours.

    Slices of layered chocolate delight dessert on small plates

    The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma

Tip

  • Allow the cool whip to thaw in the refrigerator over night before using in this recipe.

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 2 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.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
451 Calories
27g Fat
49g Carbs
5g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 451
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 27g 34%
Saturated Fat 18g 90%
Cholesterol 44mg 15%
Sodium 455mg 20%
Total Carbohydrate 49g 18%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 38g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 109mg 8%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 182mg 4%
*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.)