Circus Animal Cookie Lush (Printable Version)
No-bake layered dessert with creamy pudding, whipped cream, and frosted circus animal cookies.
# What You'll Need:
→ Cookie Crust
01 - 14 oz circus animal cookies, plus extra for garnish
02 - 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
→ Cream Cheese Layer
03 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
04 - 1/4 cup powdered sugar
05 - 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
06 - 1 cup heavy whipping cream, kept cold
→ Pudding Layer
07 - 1 package (3.6 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
08 - 1 3/4 cups cold whole milk
09 - 1/2 cup frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip), thawed
→ Topping
10 - 1/2 cup frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip), thawed
11 - Rainbow sprinkles (optional)
12 - Reserved circus animal cookies, for decoration
# Directions:
01 - Finely crush the circus animal cookies using a food processor or by placing them in a resealable plastic bag and rolling with a rolling pin. Combine the cookie crumbs with the melted butter, mixing until evenly coated. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish to create a uniform crust layer. Refrigerate while preparing the next layer.
02 - Beat the softened cream cheese in a mixing bowl until completely smooth. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract, blending until fully incorporated. In a separate bowl, whip the cold heavy cream to stiff peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture in two additions, maintaining as much volume as possible. Spread the mixture evenly over the chilled cookie crust.
03 - Whisk together the instant vanilla pudding mix and cold milk in a bowl for approximately 2 minutes until thickened. Fold in the thawed whipped topping until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Spread the pudding layer evenly over the cream cheese layer.
04 - Spread the remaining whipped topping in an even layer over the pudding. Decorate the surface with additional circus animal cookies and rainbow sprinkles as desired.
05 - Cover the dish tightly and refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours or overnight to allow all layers to fully set before slicing and serving.
# Expert Hints:
01 -
- Zero baking required, which means your oven stays off and your kitchen stays cool even in the dead of summer.
- Every single layer tastes good enough to eat on its own, so stacking them together is almost unfair.
- It looks wildly impressive but secretly comes together in about twenty minutes of actual work.
02 -
- If you rush the chilling time, the layers will slide apart when you cut it and you will end up with a delicious but very messy puddle on your serving plate.
- Do not overmix the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture, or it deflates into something dense and heavy instead of light and pillowy.
03 -
- Reserve a small handful of the prettiest whole cookies for the top garnish before you crush the rest, because fishing through crumbs looking for intact cookies is a losing battle.
- For extra crunch and color, scatter a thin layer of coarsely chopped circus animal cookies between the cream cheese and pudding layers just before adding the pudding.