Turtle Dessert

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This turtle dessert is a creamy and decadent layered dessert with all the fantastic flavors of the classic candy.

Prep Time20

Chill Time2

Total Time2 20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Turtle Dessert Recipe

Servings:

Calories: 1100kcal

Ingredients

2 tablespoons salted sweet cream butter, softened
36 crushed chocolate sandwich cookies with cream center filling, I used Oreo cookies
6 tablespoons salted sweet cream butter, melted and cooled
16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¾ cup powdered sugar
16 ounces whipped topping, thawed
2 cups cold whole milk
6.8 ounces instant vanilla pudding mix
1½ teaspoons caramel flavoring
1 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts, divided
2½ cups chopped turtle candies, divided
Chocolate syrup, optional garnish
Caramel sundae syrup, optional garnish

Instructions

Use either a pastry brush or your hands to butter a 9x9-inch baking dish with the 2 tablespoons of butter. Set it aside.
Add the crushed cookies and the melted butter to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Press the buttered cookie mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the baking dish. Chill the cookie crust in the refrigerator while you prepare the cream cheese layer.
Using either a stand mixer or a medium-sized mixing bowl and a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, beat the cream cheese and vanilla for 1 to 1½ minutes until smooth.
Add the powdered sugar and 1 cup of whipped topping. Continue mixing for another 1 to 1½ minutes until smooth.
Evenly spread the cream cheese layer on top of the cookie crust, and return the baking dish to the refrigerator.
Add the cold milk to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Sprinkle the pudding mixes and caramel flavoring over the cold milk. Use a handheld mixer on medium-low speed and mix just until the mixture begins to thicken (this usually only takes about 1 minute).
Add 1 cup of the whipped topping and continue mixing until the pudding mixture thickens.
Evenly sprinkle ½ cup of the chopped peanuts and 1 cup of the chopped turtle candies over the cream cheese layer.
Drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons of the chocolate syrup and caramel syrup over the candy layer.
Spread the pudding mixture over the candy layer. Cover and chill for 2 hours.
Just before serving, spread the remaining whipped topping over the pudding layer.
Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of chopped peanuts and the remaining 1½ cups of the chopped turtle candies over the whipped topping.
Drizzle the chocolate syrup and caramel syrup over the candies. Slice into 3-inch x 3-inch pieces.

Video

Notes

Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature, so you don’t have any lumps in your creamy dessert.
You can whisk the pudding mixture by hand; the handheld mixer is just a time saver.
Don’t skip the chilling stage. You want to give your dessert plenty of time to chill and set before serving it.

Nutrition