Chocolate Sin in a Pan
It's also called a four layer dessert. Whatever you call it, it's delicious and it will go fast at family gatherings and pot lucks. So decadent, yet so easy to make.
It's also called a four layer dessert. Whatever you call it, it's delicious and it will go fast at family gatherings and pot lucks. So decadent, yet so easy to make.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup pecans chopped
- 1 cup flour
- second layer
- 3 cups cold milk
- crust - first layer
- 1 stick butter or margarine softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 12 ounces cool whip divided use
- third layer
- 2 3 ounce boxes instant pudding i use chocolate, but any flavor is fine
- 1/2 cup cool whip
- fourth layer
- remaining cool whip
- reserved chopped pecans
- Carbohydrate 46.981166 g
- Cholesterol 56.169 mg
- Fat 37.519149 g
- Fiber 3.01221005330086 g
- Protein 9.518351 g
- Saturated Fat 18.155814 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (212g)
- Sodium 696.8784 mg
- Sugar 43.9689559466991 g
- Trans Fat 2.82315460000001 g
- Calories 554 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix together the flour, butter and chopped pecans, reserving a few tablespoons of the pecans for garnish.
- Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and press the flour mixture for the first layer into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes and set aside to cool completely.
- Mix together the cream cheese and powdered sugar until mixed well and creamy. Fold in one cup of Cool Whip and stir to mix well. Spread this over the cooled crust gently. You don't want to disturb the crust.
- Mix the two boxes of pudding mix, the milk and the vanilla. Whisk until thick and then stir in 1/2 cup of Cool Whip and mix well. Spread the pudding mixture over the cream cheese mixture.
- Spread the remaining Cool Whip over the pudding layer and sprinkle with reserved pecans. Cover and refrigerate for an hour or so to set before serving.
Spreading cold pudding directly over a soft cream cheese layer without letting the baked pecan crust cool completely causes fats to melt prematurely and ruins the structural integrity of the dessert. When multiplying this formulation for larger groups, maintain the exact ratio of one stick of butter to one cup of flour for the base, but ensure your mixing vessels are large enough to incorporate whipped toppings without deflating their trapped air bubbles.
- Bake the flour and pecan crust at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for precisely 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned.
- Allow the baked base to reach room temperature before applying dairy layers, preventing thermal shock that liquefies fats.
- Whisk cold milk into instant pudding mix until visibly thickened before folding in whipped toppings.
- Refrigerate the assembled pan for a minimum of one hour to allow starch molecules to fully retrograde and set.
Proper refrigeration ensures clean slices through all four distinct layers. Watch for complete cooling of the crust to prevent separation issues.
