For as long as I can remember, my sweet Mom has made the same dessert for many church, work, and family gatherings. (And she has been to a LOT of these gatherings!) A few weeks ago, my parents and I were reminiscing and realized that this dessert bowl always came home empty. In fact, there were a few times when friends were just plain mad when they missed the dessert. Others started sneaking in and getting the dessert first before their meal. Let's just say that this dessert has made my Mom sort of famous. :-) Of course, my Mom has passed this recipe to me and my sisters, and now our friends are fighting over the same dessert. 

This dessert is so easy to make! It typically only takes 10 minutes to put it together. The hardest part is waiting for it to chill in the refrigerator (because it is best if it's really cold)!

My Mom typically serves this dessert in a large glass bowl. She puts half of the pudding in the bottom of the bowl followed by a layer of crushed OREO cookies. She then repeats the process by adding the rest of the pudding to the bowl and topping it all off with the remaining crushed OREOs.

For Christmas, I decided to put a little twist on my Mom's classic OREO pudding dessert. Instead of serving the dessert in a large bowl, I am going to create individual portions in small juice glasses, AND I am going to top the dessert with whipped cream, a sprinkle of crushed peppermint candy, and a small peppermint stick. How festive does this look?

 

 

Whether you choose the festive presentation or just stick with Mom's typical crowd-pleasing presentation, you just have to try this dessert!

 

Tutorial

Step 1: Gather all of the ingredients.

 

 

You'll need:

  • 5.1 oz box of vanilla instant pudding (avoid Cook & Serve pudding)

  • 3 cups milk (to use when mixing pudding according to package directions)

  • 8 oz cream cheese (softened; either leave out on the counter for 30 minutes before creating the dessert or place the cream cheese in the microwave for 15-30 seconds)

  • 1 cup confectioners sugar

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter (softened; either leave out on the counter for 30 minutes before creating the dessert or place the butter in the microwave for 15-30 seconds)

  • 8 oz container of Cool Whip (make sure the container has been thawing in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before creating this dessert)

  • 14.3 oz package of OREO cookies

  • Optional: whipped cream and peppermint sticks (we prefer the soft peppermint sticks, but a regular candy cane would work too)

 

Step 2: Create vanilla pudding according to package directions.

      • Pour the vanilla instant pudding powder and 3 cups of milk in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

      • Whisk the pudding for 2 minutes. (I'm a rule follower. I always set a timer and whisk for a full 2 minutes!)

      • Place the pudding bowl in the refrigerator so that the pudding will soft set.

       

      Step 3: Mix rest of dessert ingredients with pudding.

          • Place 1/2 cup (1 stick) of softened butter, 1 cup of confectioners sugar, and 8 oz of softened cream cheese in a mixing bowl.

          • Mix ingredients together on medium speed for 30 seconds to 1 minute. If your butter and cream cheese are softened, 30 seconds should do it!

          • Remove pudding from refrigerator. Add the pudding to the butter, sugar, and cream cheese mixture.

          • Mix ingredients together on medium speed for another 30 seconds.

          • Add the Cool Whip to the pudding mixture.

          • Mix ingredients together on low speed for 15-30 seconds. You do not want to over mix. Just make sure that there are no lumps of Cool Whip in the pudding mixture.

           

          Step 4: Crush OREO cookies.

              • Open the package of OREO cookies, remove the cookies, and place them in a large Ziploc bag.

              • Crush the cookies! I typically use a rolling pin, but you can get creative with this step. Just do not break anything but the cookies!

               

              Step 5: Layer your dessert!

                  • Mom's Bowl Presentation: If you want to layer your dessert just like my Mom does, find a large glass bowl. Pour half of the pudding in the bottom of the bowl and then add a layer of crushed OREO cookies (using about half of the cookie crumbles). Repeat the process by adding the rest of the pudding to the bowl and topping it off with the remaining crushed OREOs.

                  • Christmas Individual Portion Presentation: Find several small glass containers (example: juice glasses). Add pudding mixture to the bottom of the glass (filling up about 1/4 - 1/3 of glass container). Add a layer of crushed OREO cookies. Repeat the process by adding another layer of pudding and topping it with crushed OREOs. You can then add whipped cream, a sprinkle of crushed peppermint candy, and a small peppermint stick!

                   

                  Step 6: Chill the dessert.

                      • Place your dessert in the refrigerator. Chill for several hours before serving.

                       

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