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The Next Best Thing to Robert Redford

The first time that my husband spent Thanksgiving with my family we were all gathered around the dessert table after dinner and my Aunt pulled out a pan of a layered pudding dessert. My husband exclaimed, “The Next Best Thing to Robert Redford! This was my favorite growing up!” We all started laughing because we only knew it as the layered pudding dessert. Not to mention that it was especially funny coming from my husband. A quick search on Google, however, revealed that my husband wasn’t nuts. There is actually a dessert with this name.

So here it is. The recipe that my husband grew up on. This rich, creamy and chocolaty dessert definitely isn’t for the weak. A little bit of the buttery cookie crust topped with vanilla-chocolate pudding and whipped cream goes a long way. The dessert is a crowd-pleaser and it’s simple to make, so it’s great for parties. The original recipe calls for frozen whipped topping but I couldn’t resist using homemade whipped cream.

4.7 from 51 reviews
The Next Best Thing to Robert Redford
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 24-32
 
This rich, creamy and chocolaty dessert definitely isn't for the weak. A little bit of the buttery cookie crust topped with vanilla-chocolate pudding and whipped cream goes a long way.
Ingredients
Bottom Layer
  • 1 cup unsifted flour
  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
Middle Layer
  • 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4½ ounces homemade whipped cream
Top Layer
  • 1 large package instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 1 large package instant chocolate pudding mix
  • 3 cups cold milk
Garnish layer
  • Roughly 4½ ounces homemade whipped cream
  • Chocolate shavings
Instructions
Bottom Layer
  1. Mix together the flour, butter and chopped nuts until the dough is crumble-like.
  2. Press the mixture into a greased 9x13-inch pan.
  3. Bake the cookie crust at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly golden.
  4. Let the cookie crust cool.
Middle Layer
  1. Beat the sugar into the cream cheese until it is smooth.
  2. Fold in the whipped cream.
  3. Spread the mixture over the cooled crust.
Top Layer
  1. Beat the milk into the pudding mixes until the mixture is smooth and thickened.
  2. Spread the pudding over the middle layer.
Garnish Layer
  1. Spread whipped cream over the top.
  2. Sprinkle the the dessert with grated chocolate candy bar, such as Baker's Real Semi-Sweet Chocolate Shavings.
  3. Cover the layered dessert and refrigerate it until you are ready to serve it.