Butterfinger Delight

Do you ever make a recipe a second time and it's not anything like you remembered it to be? The one that comes to mind for me is the first meal I ever made for my now-husband and his roommate at the time. They were cream cheese mushroom enchiladas. Both of us remembered them having a white sauce over them, but when I made them again, they actually had a tomato sauce over them. We were both baffled, but I know it's the same recipe. Still good, just different from what both of us had remembered.

This recipe is that way for me. I've made it a few times, and each time I'm surprised at how it turns out and tastes, because it's different from how I remember it. Weird, right? Still really good, just different. I don't get it.

You start by crushing up graham crackers and soda crackers - I use my Ninja to make really fast work of it. I love my Ninja! (Not getting paid to say that, but I'd be willing to say it for money, if asked!)

Mix in a little butter to make it stick together, and then 2/3 of the mixture goes into a 9x13" pan. But I never let myself keep all of this dessert in the house - I've always made it in two pans so I can give half of it away. Otherwise I would literally sit and eat the whole thing by myself.

Then you let a box of ice cream sit out on the counter... for a long time. If I think of it soon enough, I get the ice cream out well before I'm ready to make the dessert so I don't have to soften it in the microwave or work with hard ice cream. Once it's softened, add the milk and pudding and mix, mix, mix.

Doesn't that look like a gross science project? :-) After it's all mixed up, though, it's so creamy and delicious. Pour it over the cracker crust in the pan(s).

It goes into the refrigerator at this point, for 15 minutes up to overnight. You don't have to wait until you're ready to serve it to do the next steps, though. Just wait long enough for this layer to set up so you don't mess it up when you spread the whipped topping over it. Then sprinkle either crushed Butterfinger or Heath bars on top. (I usually use Heath, because the baking section of the grocery store usually has them pre-crushed in a bag - so easy.)

So try it out, eat it up, and then let me know if it comes out the same as you remember it the next time. I'm still baffled.

Butterfinger Delight

2 cups crushed graham crackers or vanilla wafers
1 cup crushed soda crackers
1/2 cup melted butter
2 cups milk
2 packages instant vanilla pudding
4 cups (1/2 gallon) vanilla ice cream, softened
3-4 crushed Butterfinger or Heath bars
8 ounces whipped topping

Mix crumbs and margarine. Spread 2/3 of the mixture in a 9x13" pan. Set aside. Mix milk, pudding and ice cream. Pour mixture over crumb layer and let set in refrigerator 10-15 minutes or overnight. Spread Cool Whip over the top. Mix remaining crumb mixture and crushed Butterfinger and sprinkle over the top. Refrigerate.