Better Than Thor

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Use your mixer to combine the flour, pecans and melted butter. Once it’s mixed spread it into a Pam sprayed (or whatever technique you like to use for greasin’ it up) 13 x 9 rectangle Pyrex baking dish (or whatever brand your 13 x 9 is). Try to make it really even when you spread it into the dish. This isn’t my strong suit so my crust looked a bit like rough terrain, but still tastes fine. Martha Stewart I’m not. Once you are happy with your spreading, bake the crust for 15 minutes. Then remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely. This step could take awhile so maybe plan to take a break here and read War and Peace or something. But clean your mixer first since you’re going to need it again.

Once the crust is cool, spread a jar of caramel sauce over the surface of the crust. I use Hershey’s because it’s the only one at my store that doesn’t also qualify itself as passable for butterscotch. Since I’m not 100% that those two are capable of passing for one another, I choose the one that doesn’t seem to have an identity problem. Use the whole jar. What else are you going to do with it?

Let this set for a minute. Meanwhile, put the cream cheese and sugar into a bowl and combine it using your mixer. It was expensive, we might as well use it. Once it’s fully combined fold in half of the frozen whipped topping. (I used Publix lite whipped topping. I know, I know, it’s like drinking Diet Coke with a cheesecake.) Then spread the mixture over the caramel. This worked best by making six dollops across the caramel, then spreading the dollops. Otherwise it’s all going to mix together.

Next make the vanilla pudding using 2 of the cups of milk and combining it with the 2 boxes of vanilla pudding mix, per the package instructions. Let it set up a bit. Then use the same dollop technique you used above to spread this over the cream cheese layer.

Then make the chocolate pudding using the remaining 2 cups of milk and the chocolate pudding mix. And once it’s set up a bit, spread as you did on the vanilla step.

Now spread the remaining whipped topping over the whole mess. At this point, cover it with a sheet of plastic wrap and refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.

Before serving sprinkle it with nuts and mini chocolate chips. Cut and eat. Think about Thor.