Tiramisu Bowl

Source: Jell-O

8 oz cream cheese - softened
3 c cold milk
2 pkg (3.4 oz each) Vanilla Instant Pudding
8 o.z CoolWhip - thawed
48 Nilla Wafers
1/2 c brewed coffee
2 squares of semi sweet chocolate -- grated
1 c fresh raspberries

Beat cream cheese with mixer until creamy.  Gradually beat in milk and pudding mixes.  Stir in 2 c CoolWhip.

Line trifle bowl with 24 wafers, drizzle with 1/4 c coffee.

Top with half the pudding mixture and half of the chocolate.  Repeat layers, starting with wafers.

Top with remaining CoolWhip and raspberries.  Refrigerate 2 hours.

I needed a recipe to take to  a Labor Day party.  People generally expect me to bring dessert, and it's been so hot, that I really didn't want to be baking anything.  Tiramisu is also my favorite dessert, so this recipe seemed an ideal choice.

Now, before everyone gets all upset, I am fully aware that this is not a tiramisu recipe per se.  The use of Nilla wafers , CoolWhip and cream cheese instead of lady fingers and mascarpone cheese is enough to rile up most traditionalist.  I thought the name was a little misleading -- "American Tiramisu" might be more appropriate.  Nevertheless, I had high hopes for these combination of flavors, and the ease of preparation.  (The most challenging part is finding enough room in the fridge!).

i ended up making 3 layers -- the bowl I picked was fairly big, and I didn't want the dessert to look skimpy.  I also was very conservative with the "custard" layer at first, so I had enough to have three layers.  And I was happy to use up the entire box of Nilla wafers (no need to have that temptation around the house, right).

So here is what it looks like:

I thought it looked really good, quite spectacular for a party.  I have to say, I was a bit disappointed in the taste -- it was a little one note, just sweet.  Maybe b/c I didn't use quite as much coffee as the recipe called for (there were kids at the party, and I didn't want them to taste bitter coffee taste) -- but it was just sweet, and that's it.  So it's a recipe that needs a little tweaking -- bit of a disappointment.