Chocolate Delight (No Sugar Added, Keto, Gluten Free)
This recipe is such a treat on a hot, summer day! It does take a little work and is best after a little chill time in the fridge, but it makes enough for a crowd (or lots for you) and is well worth every bit of effort.
I make this sugar free, but with real, full fat dairy. You can substitute almond cream cheese for the regular cream cheese and non-dairy whipped topping for the whipped heavy cream, but my goal with this recipe was to make something delicious, with no added sugar and that did not taste like any sort of diet food.
I think I nailed it and would love to hear your thoughts!
A couple notes:
- You can make all of the components of this dessert ahead of time and compile it on a separate day if needed.
- I like to make the crust and chocolate pudding on one day and then make the whipped cream and cream cheese layers the next morning.
- Then I put it all together, refrigerate and it’s ready for my party that evening.
- In the picture shown here, I split this recipe into two pie pans rather than one 9×13 pan so that I could give one away. That worked perfectly!
- This is a longer recipe, but don’t be discouraged! It’s not hard and I know you can do it! The hardest part is the homemade pudding. It’s so worth it, but if you want or need a shortcut, I’m not here to judge! Use a box of cook and serve sugar free chocolate pudding. The instant kind is not nearly as good so really use the cook and serve kind if you want this short cut.
Chocolate Delight (No Sugar Added, Keto, Gluten Free)
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 Tbsp. grass fed butter room temperature
- 4 Tbsp. powdered monkfruit/erythritol blend I used Lakanato Brand
- 3/4 cup chopped, toasted pecans
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/8 tsp. salt
Chocolate Pudding
- 1 cup whole milk or use one can of coconut milk in place of the milk and cream
- 3/4 cup heavy cream eliminate if using the can of coconut milk
- 1 Tbsp. gelatin Great Lakes Brand, orange can
- 6 Tbsp. cocoa powder
- 4 drops liquid stevia
- 1/4 cup powdered monkfruit/erythritol blend
- 1 tsp. real vanilla
Cream Cheese Layer
- 8 oz. cream cheese room temperature
- 1 tsp. real vanilla
- 1 Tbsp. powdered monkfruit/erythritol blend
Whipped Cream
- 1 pint heavy cream
- additional powdered monkfruit/erythritol blend or liquid stevia if desired I ran out of the monkfruit and added four drops of liquid stevia to the cream and it was perfectly, slightly sweet
Instructions
Make the Chocolate Pudding
- Begin by mixing about 1/3 cup of the milk with the collagen in a small bowl. You want to add enough milk so that the mixture does not immediately solidify. Set aside.
- In a heavy duty sauce pan, add the rest of the milk and cream plus the cocoa and monkfruit. Whisk well. A flat whisk works really well for this.
- Cook this mixture over medium heat until it comes to a slight boil. Stir constantly. Remove from heat.
- Stir in the gelatin/ milk mixture and sweeteners. Whisk, whisk, whisk until no lumps remain.
- Make an ice bath by adding ice cubes and cold water to a large bowl and transfer the pudding to a bowl that will fit inside the ice bowl. Continue to whisk the pudding so that it begins to cool and thicken. It will be very thin at this stage.
- Taste the pudding and add sweetener to your taste. I ended up adding five drop of liquid stevia and that was just right for my family. You may need more or less.
- Once pudding is cool and beginning to set, place parchment paper or plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding and refrigerate for at least two hours before proceeding with the recipe.
- When ready to proceed with the recipe, you will need to whisk the pudding again. If there are lumps, run it through a fine mesh strainer or mix well with a mixer. You should end up with a very smooth texture.
Make the Crust
- Add pecans to a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast, stirring constantly until nuts are fragrant and slightly browned. Chop finely and allow to cool slightly before adding to other crust ingredients.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with avocado oil spray, grease with butter or line with parchment paper – whichever you choose.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, beat together the butter, monkfruit, almond flour and salt. Once nuts are cooled, add them to this mixture and combine well.
- Combine all ingredients well. Mixture will be crumbly. Pour into prepared baking dish and pat into a crust. It will hold together once baked.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely before adding the toppings.
Make the Cream Cheese Layer
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add in the sweetener and vanilla and mix well. Set aside.
Make the Whipped Cream
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat cream, starting on low speed and gradually increasing speed until stiff peaks form. Mix in the sweetener if using.
- Take about a third of the whipped cream and add it to the cream cheese mixture. Mix that well.
Make the Chocolate Delight
- Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the cooled crust.
- Whip the chocolate pudding with a whisk to loosen it up a bit. Add in about a third of the whipped cream. Spread this over the cream cheese layer.
- Top all this yumminess with the remaining whipped cream.
- Sprinkle on additional chopped pecans and/or chocolate chips for garnish.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours before eating. You CAN eat it now, but it's better after it's all chilled together for a while.
Notes
Options: If you’re not so worried about a few more carbs, my family enjoys this when I add some mini chocolate chips to the crust. You can also add a few dark chocolate chips to the pudding mixture for extra chocolatey-ness! I use Enjoy Life or Nestle Dark Chocolate chips. You can also sprinkle a few on top for a tasty garnish.Â