Chocolate pudding pie parfait

These simple chocolate pudding pie parfaits were inspired by my little guy's love of this chocolate pudding pie.  He recently asked me to make it and I did.  As he devoured it and called it "epic", I was reminded of how much he loves that pie, which is a little surprising considering he isn't a big fan of crusts or traditional pies in general. I'm starting to see he has an obvious affinity for cookie crusts though.

Should you be in the mood for a chocolate pudding pie, I know my little one (who isn't actually that little anymore since he'll be turning 9 in a couple of months!) would highly recommend this recipe.  For the last one I recently made, I actually used digestive biscuits instead of graham crackers since I had them on hand.  I was a little nervous about shaking anything up since I didn't want to disappoint the little one but I needn't have worried...he loved it!  I think it might have actually tasted better with the digestive biscuits (now if only I had thought to write down the proportions!).  

And so after that pie was long gone and I made a mental note to make it a little bit more often going forward, I thought I'd do an easy twist on it by making a "chocolate pudding pie parfait".  I was really just thinking of dressing up a basic chocolate pudding.  I simply took some digestive biscuits (the last of what I had on hand), crumbled them up, and set them down in a glass as a base layer.  You could use graham crackers or other similar cookies instead, and you could crush some toasted nuts (like hazelnuts) together with it if you want another layer of flavor.  I didn't go to the added step of making that base layer more like a pie crust by tossing the crumbs in butter or sugar - I took the opportunity to skip the fillers.

Then, I made my easy everyday chocolate pudding - a lighter, no-egg/cornstarch-based pudding - and layered it on top of the crushed cookies.  You need layers for a parfait and I considered some lightly whipped cream and chocolate shavings to be another layer to finish off these simple parfaits.

My picky 9-year old is actually not a fan of whipped cream.  I had some plain pudding set aside but he dug in and waved off my offer to take it off after he tasted it.  I do realize that may not be a good thing.

After a bike ride on a lovely Saturday afternoon, father and son came home and polished off these chocolate pudding parfaits as quickly as they would a generous slice of that pudding pie!  That definitely puts a big smile on my face because I love seeing others eating something they really enjoy.  Now I know why my mother used to watch me so intently while I ate.

Recipe:

Chocolate Pudding Pie Parfaits

- For approximately 6 servings (depending on size of serving glass/dish) - 

Base layer:
6 (or so) digestive biscuits (or use graham crackers or other similar cookies)

Chocolate Pudding:
One recipe: Everyday Chocolate Pudding

Topping:
1/3 cup very cold heavy cream
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Grated dark chocolate

Place digestive biscuits into a disposable sandwich bag and crush into coarse crumbs.  Place a layer into the bottom of your serving dishes.

Spoon cooled chocolate pudding over the top of the crumbs.  If not serving immediately, cover with plastic wrap (pressed directly on top of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming) and store in the refrigerator.

Before serving, whip heavy cream with the sugar and vanilla extract until soft peaks.  Place a large dollop of cream on top of the pudding and top with some grated dark chocolate.