Description
This Halloween Lush is a festive, layered dessert featuring a chocolate sandwich cookie crust, creamy purple cream cheese layer, vibrant orange gelatin-pudding mixture, and a green whipped topping adorned with Halloween sprinkles. Perfect for spooky celebrations, it combines creamy, fruity, and crunchy textures in a visually striking treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Crust
- 36 chocolate sandwich cookies
- 6 tablespoons butter (melted)
Orange Gelatin Layer
- 6 ounces orange gelatin
- ⅓ cup boiling water
Pudding Mixture
- 6.8 ounces vanilla instant pudding mix
- 2 ½ cups cold milk
Cream Cheese Layer
- 8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 16 ounces whipped topping, divided
- Green and purple food coloring (as needed)
Topping
- Halloween sprinkles
Instructions
- Crush Cookies: In a food processor, crush all 36 chocolate sandwich cookies into fine crumbs to create the base for the dessert.
- Make Crust: Transfer the cookie crumbs to a large bowl and add 6 tablespoons of melted butter. Stir well until the crumbs are evenly coated with butter.
- Press Crust: Press the cookie crumb mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9×13-inch glass baking dish to form a solid crust layer.
- Prepare Gelatin: In a small bowl, combine 6 ounces of orange gelatin with ⅓ cup boiling water. Whisk until the gelatin is fully dissolved and combined.
- Mix Pudding: In a medium bowl, whisk together 6.8 ounces of vanilla instant pudding mix and 2 ½ cups cold milk until smooth and thickened.
- Combine Gelatin and Pudding: Gradually whisk the dissolved orange gelatin into the vanilla pudding mixture until completely combined, creating a vibrant orange layer.
- Make Cream Cheese Mixture: Using an electric mixer in a large bowl, beat 8 ounces of softened cream cheese with 1 cup powdered sugar until smooth and creamy.
- Fold in Whipped Topping: Fold 2 cups of whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture gently until well incorporated.
- Color Cream Cheese Layer: Add a few drops of purple food coloring to the cream cheese mixture and stir until the desired shade of purple is achieved.
- Layer Cream Cheese: Spread the purple cream cheese layer evenly over the prepared chocolate crust in the baking dish.
- Layer Gelatin-Pudding: Pour and spread the orange gelatin-pudding mixture over the purple cream cheese layer, creating a colorful contrast.
- Color Remaining Whipped Topping: Mix the remaining 14 ounces of whipped topping with green food coloring until you get the desired green shade.
- Top Dessert: Spread the green-colored whipped topping evenly over the gelatin-pudding layer.
- Add Sprinkles: Decorate the top of the dessert with Halloween sprinkles for a festive look.
- Chill: Refrigerate the dessert for at least 4 hours to allow all layers to set and flavors to meld.
- Serve: Once chilled, slice and serve this colorful Halloween Lush for a delicious and festive treat.
Notes
- This dessert can be prepared a day ahead and kept refrigerated to enhance the flavors.
- Use a sturdy glass or ceramic dish for best results, as plastic dishes might not hold the layers as well.
- For a dairy-free option, substitute cream cheese and whipped topping with appropriate non-dairy alternatives.
- Adjust food coloring amounts to achieve your preferred color intensity.
- Ensure gelatin is fully dissolved to avoid grainy texture in the orange layer.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Halloween dessert, layered dessert, pudding gelatin dessert, no bake dessert, cream cheese dessert, festive Halloween treat
