When I was younger, my mom always made the same meal when we had company over: lasagna, salad, and company dessert. So when I wanted an easy, no bake dessert one Sunday, I made a gluten free version of Mom’s company dessert. And it was delicious!
Combine 1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup of sugar, and 1/3 cup melted butter and press into the bottom of a 13×9 pan. I used a box of Pamela’s gluten free grahams in my immersion blender’s food processor, and that was just over 1-1/2 cups. Except I accidentally grabbed the cinnamon version, not the regular. It was still tasty, but definitely a different flavor than I remember!
In a large bowl, beat 8 oz. softened cream cheese with 1/4 cup sugar and 2 Tbsp. milk. Fold in half of an 8 oz. container of Cool Whip. Spread this filling mixture on top of the crust.
In the same bowl you mixed the filling in, mix 2 packages of chocolate pudding mix (the 4-serving size) with 3-1/2 cups milk. Spread the pudding over the cream cheese filling layer.
Finally, spread the remaining Cool Whip on top, and grate part of a chocolate bar over the top to look fancy. Note that unless you are a magician, some of the chocolate pudding will mix into the Cool Whip as you’re spreading it. That’s okay – the color gives it some of that homemade charm! Also, feel free to eat the rest of the chocolate bar as a reward for all of your hard work…
Put the dessert in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to help the pudding set. And then try to only eat one slice.
Company Dessert
Serves 12-16
Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp. milk
- 8 oz. container of Cool Whip
- 2 packages chocolate instant pudding (4 serving size)
- 3-1/2 cups cold milk
Directions:
Combine graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup of sugar, and melted butter and press into the bottom of a 13×9 pan.
In a large bowl, beat softened cream cheese with 1/4 cup sugar and 2 Tbsp. milk. Fold in half of an 8 oz. container of Cool Whip. Spread this filling mixture on top of the crust.
In the same bowl you mixed the filling in, mix 2 packages of chocolate pudding mix with 3-1/2 cups milk. Spread the pudding over the cream cheese filling layer.
Finally, spread the remaining Cool Whip on top, and grate part of a chocolate bar over the top.
This was originally called striped delight (or something like that) because the layers make stripes. But since we always had it when company came over, it quickly became known as “company dessert”.
So. This is not a real food recipe by any means. If you want, you could make your own chocolate pudding – you’ll need 4 cups total. And you can whip your own cream. If you really wanted to, you could make your own graham crackers. It’s still a sugary dessert, but those choices would make it a little bit better for you. Or you could just acknowledge that this is a special occasion dessert, one that fits in with an 80/20 lifestyle. That’s how I see it, anyways. And it’s definitely worth being part of that 20 percent – it’s so yummy!
Do you have a favorite meal to make when you have company?
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