Chocolate Lush

Chocolate Lush is a decadent layered dessert that tantalizes taste buds with its rich blend of creamy chocolate pudding, velvety cream cheese, and a crunchy cookie crust.

Each spoonful unveils a harmonious marriage of textures and flavors, delivering a luscious symphony of chocolatey indulgence.

A 30-minute no-bake recipe that makes a whole luscious chocolate delight with 4 layers of sweet goodness – now, how about that!

This tasty treat can easily become your new favorite dessert this year. Plus, this chocolate lover’s dream is great for special occasions.

What Is A Lush dessert?

Lush dessert has nothing to do with bath products and lip balms, it is an old-fashioned layered dessert, usually no-bake, with rich and decadent layers of different creamy flavors like chocolate, cookie crust, pudding, no-bake cheesecake, and whipped topping.

Other names for this dessert: Better Than Robert Redford dessert, Better Than Sex, Sex in a Pan, Slush Cake, Chocolate Lasagna, and Delight. I did not invent them, but I think you get the idea…Whoever first made or tried it was blown away.

Why You Have To Make It

• It looks absolutely stunning! It is destined to be a crowd-pleaser.
• Layered cake with no baking or cooking involved – a perfect lazy dessert recipe.
• The lush! It has chocolate, more chocolate, cream cheese, and whipped topping – its second name should be a guilty pleasure.
• Great for birthdays, last-minute guests, Mother’s Day, and to be honest, any occasion that calls for a dessert (we know very well, it is all of them!).

Chocolate Lush Ingredients Notes

This easy dessert has 4 no-bake no-cooking layers: chocolate crust layer, cream cheese layer, chocolate pudding layer, and a generous layer of whipped cream.

4 layers but only 7 simple ingredients – this recipe is that easy!

Oreo Crust

• Chocolate sandwich cookies, Oreos are my go-to choice and I’ve tested this Oreo cookie crust a hundred times. You can crush them by hand/rolling pin or using a food processor or a blender.
• Melted butter binds all the crushed cookies together and forms a solid crust. Unsalted butter is better to use for the dessert.

Cream Cheese Layer

• Cream cheese softened at room temp – the base of our silky smooth layer. If you wish you can add vanilla extract to flavor it.
• Confectioner’s sugar. Even though I prefer to use confectioner’s sugar, powdered sugar will work just fine too.
• Whipped topping (such as Cool Whip) or homemade whipped cream. Frozen whipped topping works fine too just thaw it overnight.

Chocolate Pudding Layer

• Chocolate instant pudding mix. I use two boxes for one whole cake (12 standard servings).
• Cold milk – it is very important to use only cold milk to mix the pudding! You can also use half and half for the creamier mix.

Topping

• Whipped topping
• Chocolate shavings or grated chocolate (optional, for garnish)

You’ll Also Need

• 9×13-inch baking pan. The glass ones are the best to make sure all the layers are on display!
• large bowl or two to mix the different layers.

How To Make This Chocolate Lush Recipe

Bottom Layer – Crust Layer

1. Crush the chocolate cookies in a food processor until fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse again until well-mixed and moistened.
2. Transfer the mixture to a 9×13 dish and press into an even layer to form the crust. Set aside.
3. I use the bottom of a glass to press the cookie crumbs nicely into the baking dish. You need to really press it down because the next layer – cream cheese – is very dense and “sticky” and it can mess with the crust crumbs.

First Layer – Cream Cheese Filling

1. Beat the softened cream cheese and confectioner’s sugar in a mixing bowl at low speed until smooth. 
2. Fold in 1 cup of whipped topping in the cream cheese mixture until fully combined. 
3. Spread the cream cheese evenly over the prepared crust.

Second Layer- Pudding Layer

1. Whisk the instant chocolate pudding mix and cold milk in another mixing bowl for about 2 minutes until it thickens. 
2. Allow the pudding mixture to set for a few minutes, then spread the pudding over the cream cheese layer. It usually won’t take longer than 5 minutes.

Final Layer – Whipped Topping

1. Spread the remaining 2 cups of whipped topping over the chocolate pudding to make the third layer – the last top layer.
2. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or until set before serving.

Garnish Ideas

Optional, garnish this delicious dessert with:

• shaved chocolate or grated chocolate for an extra touch
• coconut shavings or toasted coconut,
• sliced strawberries and whole blueberries,
• sprinkle chopped pecans, hazelnuts, or chopped walnuts,
• You can drizzle some chocolate sauce or decorate the top with mini chocolate chips or peanut butter pieces.
• If you want to keep things simple, dust the top layer with some cocoa powder.

Storage

Store leftover chocolate lush in the fridge, wrapped, for 3 days.

This dessert doesn’t freeze well. If you have to do it, wrap it and freeze it for a week maximum. Thaw on the kitchen counter.

You can make chocolate lush 4 hours ahead of time or overnight. The longer it sits in the fridge, the softer the crust becomes.

Substitutions And Variations

• The easiest way to customize this dessert is to swap the pudding for another flavor. Vanilla pudding is one of the most common choices, but you can try banana, pistachio pudding, or even lemon pudding to play with the sweet and tart combination. Vanilla lemon lush delight with coconut and zest is heavenly good!
• Graham cracker crust, shortbread crust, or crushed vanilla wafers are other easy crust options for a chocolate lush recipe. A more elegant crust option is to make (and bake) nut crust – you simply mix butter, finely chopped nuts, and all-purpose flour and bake for 10 minutes.
• You can flavor cream cheese layer with lemon extract, vanilla, or even peanut butter.
• This recipe is quite heavy on sugar and calories, but it can be easily fixed with light cream cheese, low-cal whipped cream, and sugar-free pudding.
• You can make everything from scratch, from crust to pudding and whipped cream, if you have time.

Tips To Make The Best Chocolate Delight Lush Dessert

• Offset spatulas spread cream cheese and whipped toppings better than silicone into an even layer.
• Use regular Oreos not double stuffed to make sure the crust will hold together.
• If using nuts for garnish, toast them to get the most nutty flavor. Pop them in the oven at 325-350F for 15-20 minutes until they are lightly browned. You can roast whole or halved pecans but for topping I recommend finely chopped pecans (simply pulse them in a food processor).
• To make the pudding layer extra creamy and sweet, mix in a full can of sweetened condensed milk.
• Chill the crust in the fridge for 30 minutes. It will help spreading the cream cheese layer.

If you love this no-bake recipe, you’re going to love these other easy desserts too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Great Lush Recipes

Lemon Lush Dessert

Halloween Lush

Chocolate Mint Lush Dessert

Strawberry Delight

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