Boomers Definitely Remember This No-Bake Dessert From '50s And '60s Potlucks

If you regularly attend family potlucks, you may be used to enjoying a plethora of nostalgic no-bake desserts from your grandparents' esteemed recipe collection — grasshopper pie, ambrosia salad, cherries jubilee, the whole lineup. And while you might already be in on the secret that sour cream is the magic ingredient you need to make delicious banana pudding, your grandparents experienced another tangy and creamy no-bake recipe in the '50s and '60s that included Cool Whip, chocolate pudding, and cream cheese.

More specifically, chocolate lush (also known as chocolate delight, chocolate lasagna, or the Robert Redford dessert). It is a creamy no-bake casserole with a shortbread crust and three distinct cream-based layers. While the crust is pre-baked and consists of butter, flour, and chopped nuts, each creamy layer is added to the crust separately after cooling. The first layer is softened cream cheese mixed with powdered sugar and Cool Whip. The last two layers consist of prepared instant chocolate pudding followed by a thick blanket of Cool Whip.

While the tart cream cheese gives this vintage dessert an unmatched tanginess, Cool Whip, chocolate pudding, and crunchy shortbread make it the next best thing to chocolate cream pie. Furthermore, thanks to the convenience of Cool Whip and instant pudding mix, this dessert is just as easy to prepare as the icebox cakes that were equally popular in the 1950s and '60s. But unlike those freezer-set treats, a fresh pan of chocolate lush only needs a few hours in the refrigerator before it's ready to enjoy.

If you venture to make this vintage recipe at home, there are other tasty variations worth trying. For instance, if you want to amp up the chocolate flavor of this dessert, instead of making your crust with flour and pecans or walnuts, mix melted butter with crushed Oreo cookies. You can also swap out the layer of chocolate pudding for chilled homemade vanilla pudding or go for a different flavor of instant pudding like pistachio or caramel.

You can also make these creamy pudding squares with fruit. For a simple upgrade, add a layer of canned cherry pie filling after the chocolate pudding. This gives this vintage treat a remarkable taste similar to black forest cake, especially if you make an Oreo-based crust. Or, for a completely different flavor, make lemon lush with a simple shortbread crust and instant lemon pudding. Feel free to add some lemon zest to your crust for a more developed citrus flavor. You can also top your lemon pudding with a thin layer of lemon curd before adding your final layer of whipped topping.

Whichever ingredients you choose, make sure to add complementary toppings that reflect your dessert's flavor. For example, if you're using pistachio pudding, top it with crushed pistachios. Or, if you go with strawberry pudding, add fresh strawberries and crumbled shortbread for an extra-delightful finish.