A delightful no-bake dessert featuring layers of creamy chocolate pudding, rich peanut butter, and fluffy whipped cream, all assembled without any baking.
In a medium bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
Gently fold in the thawed whipped topping until just combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk and instant chocolate pudding mix. Gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Let stand for 5 minutes to thicken.
To assemble, spread half of the cream cheese mixture evenly over the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish.
Pour half of the thickened chocolate pudding mixture over the cream cheese layer.
Drizzle half of the hot fudge sauce over the pudding layer.
Sprinkle half of the peanut butter chips over the fudge layer, if using.
Repeat the layers: spread the remaining cream cheese mixture, then the remaining chocolate pudding, then the remaining hot fudge sauce.
Sprinkle with remaining peanut butter chips, if using.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until firm.
Notes
For an extra peanut butter flavor, you can add a tablespoon of peanut butter to the chocolate pudding mixture.
If you don’t have peanut butter chips, you can use chopped peanut butter cups or even just omit them.
Ensure your cream cheese is fully softened to avoid lumps in the base layer.
Chill time is crucial for the layers to set properly.