Isn’t it amazing that a simple dessert like Chocolate Eclair can bring back a flood of memories; some good and some well… some I’d like to forget. Three common ingredients, when put together and chilled can make anyone smile and will shoot almost every southern back to their roots.
I first remember falling in love with this dessert when I was a teenager. I went to a little country church (State Line as it literally sat on the state lines of VA and NC) with my high school boyfriend and that’s where I fell in love with Chocolate Eclair!! It always seemed like we were eating at this church haha. We had so many lunches, dinners, friends & family meals; there was always food!
There was a lady there named Launa that would make the most amazing dessert ever! She was so sweet and I just loved her; so of course there was no surprise when I found out that my beloved Chocolate Eclair at the church lunches was crafted by this wonderful woman! It was always the first dessert to go and if you didn’t get a scoop when you went through to get your food then there was a very good chance that you were not going to get any! There was no “going back for dessert” if you wanted any of that Chocolate Eclair Dessert!
This was back before I was really into cooking so I never asked for the recipe or made it while I was going to that church. Years went on, life happened and I let the memory of the Chocolate Eclair Dessert fade away.
A few summers ago I was looking through some old recipes and saw one for “Chocolate Eclair Dessert”. It sounded good so I decided to give it a try. I made it, let it chill and dug in. I remember thinking “wow this is good, I’ve never made this before but I feel like I’ve had it before” and BAM just like that I was transported back to that church fellowship hall and to that Chocolate Eclair Dessert! I was so excited haha.
I had found this amazing and super simple dessert recipe that I had been in love with back when I was younger! I made it for our 4th of July dinner that year and everyone loved it! I remember that my sister in law loved it so much that she took some home and made me give her the recipe before she left that night haha.
I made it for Thanksgiving and I made it for Easter the following year; every time it hit the table it was the first dessert to go. (Just like the church lunches!)
As always, things happen and life gets busy; the eclair slipped from my fingers and went to rest with all of the other recipes that have retired to the “been there, done that” pile.
But the other evening, my friend Nikki and I were walking in the park and she was telling me about a banana poke cake that she had made.
Of course my brain when into over drive as she was telling me about this cake and all I could think about was “Chocolate and Banana….I should make one that’s chocolate and banana!”. Then I started thinking about how to make this Chocolate and Banana Poke cake and then my brain went to chocolate icing and then… and then my brain went to Chocolate Eclair Dessert!! I stopped in my tracks and exclaimed “Chocolate Eclair!! I need to make a Chocolate Eclair!” haha
Nikki agreed with me that Chocolate Eclair is super amazing and that it needed to be made ASAP! She told me that her sister use to make it a lot but that she had never made it herself! “It’s so super easy”, I told her and went through the steps that would eventually create one of the most loved chocolate desserts ever! Nikki’s birthday is coming up soon and I just might (ok I probably will) have to make one of these for her! 🙂
I’ve seen some Chocolate Eclair Dessert made with cake, puff pastry and vanilla icing but that is NOT how I make my Chocolate Eclair Dessert! I’ve also heard of people mixing the pudding with cool whip and while I’ve done that for other desserts, I didn’t do that with this one. Although I bet it would be fantastic! I make Chocolate Eclair this way and this is how I remember Launa’s Chocolate Eclair Dessert!
So what do you need to make one of my favorite desserts? You’ll need: graham crackers, vanilla pudding and chocolate icing! Oh and Sprinkles if you want it to be “decorative”. That’s it!
Now the Chocolate Eclair Dessert will need to sit for a few hours (I let mine sit overnight), so make sure to account for that!
Chocolate Eclair Dessert
Chocolate Eclair Dessert
This amazing no bake dessert is a southern favorite! Layers if pudding, graham crackers and chocolate frosting come together for a dessert that you're sure to love!
Ingredients
- 2 boxes of graham crackers
- 2 Large boxes of Vanilla Instant pudding
- 6 cups of milk
- 2 cans of chocolate icing
- Sprinkles *optional
Instructions
In a large bowl, mix together the Vanilla Instant pudding mix and cold milk. Whisk until the pudding starts to thicken!
In a 9 X 13 (or whatever size) dish, lay out a row of graham crackers. Cover the graham crackers in pudding. Lay down another layer of graham crackers and cover with the pudding.
Continue to layer the graham crackers and pudding until you reach the top of the dish. Finish with a graham cracker layer.
Heat the chocolate frosting so that it easy to pour but not completely liquid. (I normally stick my cans of frosting into the microwave for about 20 seconds.)
Spread the chocolate frosting over the top layer of graham crackers.
Sprinkles with Sprinkles if desired.
Refrigerate for 6-8 hours (or overnight) *Long enough for the graham crackers to become soft*
hinh anh khoc buon says
Love this, chocalate and milk are two of my favorate things, so i know i would love this recipe, it is exactly i will try. Thank for sharing