Looking for an easy, but crowd pleasing dessert recipe for your next pot luck, cook out, or holiday gathering? This no bake s’mores lush recipe has you covered.
I’m typically more of an appetizer person, but there are some desserts that I just can’t turn down. S’mores, in particular, is my kryptonite. I already love marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate. But combine those things into a warm, gooey sandwich and I am a happy girl. As a matter of fact, give me anything with marshmallows and chocolate, and I’ll be pleased. So when I was thinking of an ideal dessert recipe for 4th of July this year, I immediately went with something s’mores related.
I’ve never met a person that doesn’t like s’mores and that’s probably because they’re really hard not to love. However, people aren’t always able to make them over the campfire for various reasons including city ordinances. Plus, at most picnics I’ve been to, people are usually eating dessert at some point in the afternoon- when you normally wouldn’t be having a bonfire to begin with. Because of that, I thought a s’mores lush recipe was the way to go!
What Is A Lush Dessert?
A lush is a layered, no bake dessert. Typically they consist of a crust made from cookies or graham crackers and fillings and toppings ranging from different fruits, chocolates, etc. It’s a dessert you won’t want to stop eating, and it’s always a popular choice at pot lucks. Not to mention this is a minimal effort dessert. So if you just cooked a bunch of food for a party and have lost the motivation to make a fancy dessert, this is the way to go.
How To Make This S’mores Lush Recipe
I wasn’t joking when I said this is a minimal effort dessert. This recipe is actually fun to make because you don’t have to focus so hard on things like measuring ingredients and cook times. Instead, you’ll focus more on layering your ingredients and making it look drool worthy.
First, you’ll want to make sure you thaw your Cool-Whip in the fridge prior to making this recipe. Once thawed, start by making your graham cracker crust. If you have a food processor, you can use that to crush the graham cracker but it’s not necessary. I don’t have one, so I crushed mine by hand. It doesn’t have to be very finely crushed, so don’t drive yourself crazy trying to smash it into little bits by hand. Mix the crust ingredients (see below) in a bowl and set aside. Place half the Cool-Whip in a separate bowl and set aside. Then, take half of your chocolate pudding mix, fold it into one half of the Cool-Whip, and set aside.
Next, it’s all about layering those ingredients. Spread half of the crust mixture in the bottom of an 11 x 7 baking dish. Press it down slightly to form an even layer. Spread the chocolate Cool-Whip mixture on top, and then add half of the chocolate chips and half of the marshmallows. Add another layer of the graham cracker crust, which may blend with the chocolate chips and marshmallows. Spread the regular Cool-Whip over that, and top with the rest of the chocolate chips and marshmallows, plus some additional crushed graham cracker for garnish.
No Bake S’mores Lush Recipe
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
For The Crust:
- 2 cups crushed graham cracker
- 8 tbsps melted butter
- 1/4 cup sugar
Everything Else:
- 16oz Cool-Whip, thawed in the fridge
- half of a 3.9oz package of chocolate jello pudding mix
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
- additional crushed graham cracker for garnish
Directions:
- In a bowl, mix the crust ingredients together and set aside.
- Spread half of the crust mixture in the bottom of an 11 x 7 baking dish, pressing down where needed to form an even layer.
- Place half of the thawed Cool-Whip in a separate bowl and fold in the chocolate pudding mix. Spread it over the graham cracker crust.
- Top the chocolate pudding mixture with half of the marshmallows and half of the dark chocolate chips.
- Add the remaining crust mixture evenly over top (it may blend together with the marshmallows and chocolate chips).
- Spread the remaining, plain Cool-Whip over the 2nd crust layer and top with additional crushed graham cracker for garnish, along with the remaining marshmallows and dark chocolate chips.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving or make ahead and store in the fridge overnight.
MADE THIS RECIPE? SHOW ME HOW IT TURNED OUT!
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