Layered desserts like Pistachio Dessert, White Chocolate Lasagna, and Magic Pumpkin Cake are among our favorite family treats. This Peppermint Chocolate Delight is a delicious Christmas must-make!

festive christmas treats

The kids love whipping up Christmas treats like the Christmas Popcorn we whipped up last week. It was so good, but I have a recipe today that I think is even better. It’s called Peppermint Chocolate Delight. We made it a few weeks ago and it was so good that it was gone super fast. It has a cracker crumb bottom, cream cheese layer, chocolate pudding layer and whipped topping with candy cane pieces. I think it’s another great dessert to make for Christmas. The chocolate and peppermint combo is amazing. In fact, I might have to try making chocolate dipped peppermints because I love the combination!

Making Peppermint Chocolate Delight

CRUST. Begin by crushing wafers in a Ziploc bag. Add melted butter and mix until well coated. Press onto the bottom of 13×9 dish. CREAM CHEESE LAYER. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, 2 tablespoons milk and peppermint extract until well blended. Fold in half of Cool Whip and mix well. Spread over crust. PUDDING. Make pudding by whisking milk and instant pudding in a bowl until thickened. Pour over cream cheese layer and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes. SERVE! Top with remaining Cool Whip and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Add crushed candy canes right before serving. ENJOY!

Recipe Tips

Ingredient Tips:

Be sure to use instant chocolate pudding otherwise the pudding will not set without the extra step of cooking it.  Use whole milk for a thicker creamier pudding. Instead of using vanilla wafers, use Oreos or graham crackers.

Keep the cookie layer in place when spreading the cream cheese layer: You want to be careful when adding each new layer so that the layer underneath doesn’t get displaced. I like to drop dollops of the next layer all over before carefully spreading it across the pan. Also, sticking the pan in the fridge or freezer while you whip up the next layer can help the previous layer set more quickly.  How to make beautiful clean cuts: Many times my family will simply use a spoon and dig into this dessert without worrying about it being picture perfect. However, there are times when I really want it to look beautiful like when serving company. Placing it in the freezer for about 30 minutes before cutting and wiping the blade after each cut will help yield clean slices. 

Storing info

STORE peppermint delight covered with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for a few days. I have not tried FREEZING this myself, but it seems like it would be able to be frozen for about a month without a problem. Just cover tightly with plastic wrap and wrap again with aluminum foil. Thaw in the fridge before serving.

Here are even more peppermint treats you’ll love this season:

Peppermint Brownie Trifle Frozen Peppermint Delight Peppermint Bark Cheesecake Peppermint Chocolate Truffles Peppermint Crunch Fudge Peppermint Milkshake Marbled Peppermint Bark Peppermint Ice Cream

Recipe adapted from Kraft Recipes.

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