Chocolate Lasagna

One thing I especially love to do is bake for other people. Don't get me wrong, I like to indulge in desserts myself, but there is something about giving delicious baked goods to others that puts a smile on my face. That's why it only seemed right to have my first post be something that I made for one of my co-workers- Chocolate Lasagna. Yes, that's right, CHOCOLATE lasagna. My Italian roots were intrigued. Obviously, I love lasagna, but CHOCOLATE lasagna? I was a little skeptical at first, but once I was shown a picture of it, I was sold.

Clearly, I'm hoping you are just as easily persuaded ;)

The one downfall in the recipe (in my eyes) was that there was really nothing made from scratch, just combining already delicious things. Now, there's nothing wrong with that, but I have been in a from-scratch kind of mood lately, so I used homemade stabilized whipped cream instead of the Cool Whip.

mmm whipped cream :)

The process of it all is very simple. It starts with a crushed Oreo crust.

Then has a cream cheese/whipped cream layer. It was a little hard to keep the crushed Oreo crumbs out of this layer, but I figured having a cookies-and-cream-esque layer wasn't anything to complain about.

Then a chocolate pudding layer, which kind of hid the cream cheese layer, but I promise it's still in there!

Then top it off with some more whipped cream...

and mini chocolate chips.

Now, I had to bring this into work the next day, but obviously I couldn't risk bringing in something that tasted sub-par, so I sunk a spoon into a corner, and was immediately transported to chocolately heaven.

Hardly noticeable right?

Enjoy!

Chocolate Lasagna
{adapted from centercutcook.com}

INGREDIENTS

• 1 package regular Oreo cookies
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1- 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cold milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon cold water
• 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
• 2 – 3.9 ounce packages chocolate instant pudding
• 3 1/4 cups cold milk
• 1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Crush the Oreos until very fine using either a food processor or a ziploc bag and rolling pin. The food processor makes it much easier to get the crumbs very fine, but the more cathartic route definitely involves the rolling pin.
2. Transfer the Oreos crumbs to a medium bowl and mix in the melted butter using a fork. Once the butter is evenly distributed, transfer the mixture to a 9" x 13" pan and press into the bottom to form a crust. Place the pan into the refrigerator while working on the other steps.
3. Whip the cream with the powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Dissolve the gelatin in water over low heat (or place both in the microwave for 10 seconds). Allow the gelatin/water mixture to cool slightly, then whip into cream until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a new bowl.
4. Using a clean bowl, mix the cream cheese with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add in 2 tbsp of milk and the granulated sugar and mix well. Fold in 1 1/2 cups whipped cream. Spread this mixture over the crust.
5. In a medium bowl, combine chocolate instant pudding and 3 1/4 cups milk. Whisk for a few minutes until the mixture starts to thicken. Spread over the cream cheese layer. Allow the dessert to rest for 5 minutes until the next step so that the pudding can firm up.
6. Spread the remaining whipped cream over the top. Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips on top of the whipped cream. Place in the freezer for 1 hour or refrigerate 4 hours prior to serving.