Striped Delight

I had never heard of Striped Delight until I met met husband. It is his favorite dessert and he requests it every birthday. This year was no different, so Steve got his delicious treat :) I made the Striped Delight using all regular, full fat ingredients so I am warning you that it is not very point friendly. However, in the past, I have made it using low-fat ingredients. Both taste delicious! I am not a huge pudding fan but when I tried this dessert my taste-buds sang! The buttery graham cracker crust and the layer of cream cheese with sugar and cool whip is my favorite. All the ingredients really come together in this dish to make it taste great!

Striped Delight
1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs (I used one sleeve *9 graham crackers* put in the food processor)
1/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. melted butter
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. sugar
2 tbsp. milk
1 (8 oz.) container Cool Whip (I always get the big 16oz tub & use half for the cream cheese layer & half for the topping)
2 pkgs. (4 serving size) Jello brand chocolate instant pudding (This time I used Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate pudding & now I can never go back! It was amazing!)
3 1/2 c. cold milk
Sprinkle with nuts, sprinkles, any topping you want (I always shave chocolate on top of mine)

*Combine crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar and melted butter. Press firmly into bottom of 13x9 inch pan. You can let the crust chill for a couple of minutes or if you want a firmer crust, bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes then cool. This was the first time that I actually baked the crust and it made all the difference! I would definitely recommend baking it first! 

Beat cream cheese with sugar and 2 tablespoons milk until smooth. Fold in half the whipped topping. Spread over crust. Prepare pudding as directed on package using 3 1/2 cups milk. Pour over cream cheese layer. Chill overnight. Spread remaining whipped topping over pudding and sprinkle with chocolate shavings.

*One time I actually used crushed up Oreos in place of the graham cracker crumbs for the crust. Steve said it was too sweet for him but that was MY favorite way to eat this! You can also make it using your favorite flavor of pudding, it doesn't have to be chocolate.

Happy Birthday Babe!!