Enjoy the vintage Robert Redford Dessert with an easier prep but all the great flavor in this dessert in jar recipe. You can mix it up in minutes and have it company-ready in no time.
If you want to go for the gusto, make Homemade Chocolate Pudding and Stable Whipped Cream for this tasty treat, but these short cuts with boxed pudding and shortbread cookies brings dessert to the table in a flash.
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Years ago, maybe 30 or more, my mom and her friends made a dessert called “The Next Best Thing to Robert Redford”. Yes, really. Well, some ladies wrote it down as “Better than Robert Redford”.
I think that it’s pretty funny that a chocolate dessert is superlative or even being compared to some actor, hunky though he may have been at the time. Women have their priorities straight.
Chocolate trumps some guy you never met. And this dessert in jar recipe takes the cake.
Why Make This
It’s classic but made new. Like Pretzel Berry Dessert, Robert Redford Dessert is probably one you’ve seen before at a potluck or family reunion. This version has been updated in a fun way — as a single-serve dessert in jar recipe.
It’s easy. Since I wanted to make this a quick and simple dessert and since you’re not supposed to bake in mason jars, this version of Robert Redford Dessert has been simplified with shortbread cookies and boxed pudding. You can bake your own cookie crust and make homemade pudding, but this dessert in jar recipe comes together in a flash this way.
It’s fun! This dessert in jar recipe is super convenient to prepare and stores well in the fridge. It’s a little more elegant to serve in jars than the traditional baking pan since you’re layering all that goodness in individual serving dishes all ready to go.
It’s delicious. Layered shortbread cookie with cream cheese filling, chocolate pudding, and a whipped cream topping make this dessert in jar just as good if not Better than Robert Redford Dessert.
Did you see what I did there?
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this Robert Redford Dessert in Jar recipe:
baking chocolate – Chocolate shavings make a nice topping to this Robert Redford Dessert in Jar. You can use chopped nuts or mini chocolate chips if that’s what you have, or keep things simple with whipped cream.
shortbread cookies – I used Keebler Sandies cookies which tasted just how I remembered this classic dessert. You can use your favorite shortbread cookie.
cream cheese – Cream cheese makes a lovely cheesecake-style layer in the dessert. You can use full fat or neufchâtel cheese; both work well.
powdered sugar – Powdered sugar combines well with the cream cheese without making it gritty. Remember you can Make Powdered Sugar if you run out.
vanilla extract – Vanilla adds a nice foil to the chocolate in this dessert in jar recipe. If you haven’t already tried it, making homemade vanilla extract is much more affordable than store bought varieties.
chocolate instant pudding – While homemade chocolate pudding is amazing, I find that using instant for this quick prep dessert is just the thing.
milk – You’ll need very cold milk to get the instant pudding to set quickly.
whipped cream topping – You can use Cool Whip, canned whipped cream, but I find that stable whipped cream gives best flavor and still lasts for several hours without weeping.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s how to make this Robert Redford Dessert in Jar recipe:
Prepare the elements
1. Shave the chocolate with a vegetable peeler. Set this aside. Chill in the fridge if the kitchen is warm.
2. Place the shortbread in a ziptop bag and crush with a rolling pin until coarse crumbs are formed. Set this aside.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat until light and fluffy. Set aside.
4. In another mixing bowl, whip together the pudding mix and cold milk, beating until well combined and thickened, about 2 minutes.
5. Assemble the jars
- Lay out eight half-pint jars on the work surface. Place ¼ cup cookie crumbs in the bottom of each.
- Divide the cream cheese mixture among the 8 jars. Then layer on the pudding. Top with the whipped cream.
- Top the whipped cream with shaved chocolate. Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.
FAQs & Recipe Costs
Despite the number of mason jar desserts you’ll find on the internet, the manufacturers of mason jars do not recommend that you bake in them. That’s why we’ve used a cookie crumb crust for this recipe.
In the 60s and 70s, Robert Redford was a heart-throb Hollywood Actor, loved by housewives everywhere. This dessert was considered even better and more pleasing than the hunk who first portrayed Gatsby, the Sundance Kid, and the Marvel villain Alexander Pierce.
The dessert has also been called “Better than Sex.”
While chocolate is the traditional pudding, you can use any flavor you like, including pistachio, butterscotch, vanilla, and lemon.
Recipe Costs
Knowing how much it costs you to prepare a recipe can help you decide if it’s the type of recipe to make regularly or one you might want to save for special occasions. Let’s crunch some numbers and see how this recipe pencils out.
- baking chocolate – $0.61
- shortbread cookies – $2.70
- cream cheese – $0.99
- powdered sugar – $0.12
- vanilla extract – $0.08
- chocolate instant pudding – $0.72
- milk – $0.27
- whipped cream – $1.37
While your costs may vary depending on where and how you shop, you can expect to pay about $6.86 for a big batch of Desserts in Jars, about $0.86/serving.
More Easy Desserts
Robert Redford Dessert in a Jar
Ingredients
- 1 oz baking chocolate (semisweet)
- 1 pkg shortbread cookies (you'll need enough for 2 cups of crumbs)
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese softened, neufchatel cheese is fine, too
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract divided
- 1 5-ounce package chocolate instant pudding
- 1 ½ cup milk cold
- stable whipped cream for topping, can also use canned whipped cream or Cool Whip
Instructions
Prepare the elements
- Shave the chocolate with a vegetable peeler. Set this aside. Chill in the fridge if the kitchen is warm.
- Place the shortbread in a ziptop bag and crush with a rolling pin until coarse crumbs are formed. Set this aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat until light and fluffy. Set aside.
- In another mixing bowl, whip together the pudding mix and cold milk, beating until well combined and thickened, about 2 minutes.
Assemble the jars
- Lay out eight half-pint jars on the work surface. Place ¼ cup cookie crumbs in the bottom of each.
- Divide the cream cheese mixture among the 8 jars. Then layer on the pudding. Top with the whipped cream.
- Top the whipped cream with shaved chocolate. Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on December 15, 2013. It has been update for content and clarity.
Kim
This sounds delicious, but is there a substitution for the cream cheese layer that isn’t cheese based? Like more whipped cream, or frosting? or…what would taste best? Thank you!
Jessica Fisher
You could substitute either whipped cream or vanilla pudding if you’d like another layer without the cream cheese.
Jenni Rom
For the crust try using 2 cups crushed pretzels, 1/4 cup of sugar, and 1/2 cup melted butter, portion it out, then bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. YUM!!
Jessica Fisher
Thanks. Sounds good!
Alissa
OMG…I have this recipe written down from my grandmother and I remember eating it 🙂 How awesome is t his.
Nia Hanna
Jessica, I’d like to try the version with nuts in the crust. Any idea how much your Mom used? Also,that pistachio version sounds really good,we love pistachio ice cream. We don’t use Jell-O so I have no idea if I’ll be able to find pistachio pudding,but in case I do, would I need two boxes? Or would I be using one box of pistachio and one box of vanilla? You mentioned the original was layered with chocolate and vanilla. So I’m wondering if your Mom used both pistachio and vanilla,or just pistachio? BTW I’m not planning to use jars,so quantity won’t be an issue.
Jessica Fisher
I wish I could make Pistachio Dream! Here are answers: Nut crust: 1/2 c. nuts, 1/2 c. flour, use softened butter, no food processor, no water. Just mix the nuts, butter, and flour together. Large box of pudding, no matter what flavor you use. If pistachio only comes in small box, then two. The vanilla and chocolate pudding mixes were mixed together in the version I found this weekend. So, just ignore the vanilla. 😉 Mom just used pistachio.
Nia
Thanks so much! I can almost taste this dessert. Sounds good no matter the flavor I choose. Off to look for that Pistachio or it’s substitute!
Jessica
Thank you for sharing the nut version. I think this dessert can be easily made gluten free. I’ve been looking for a quick & easy gluten free dessert for myself & my SIL to enjoy while everyone else is eating Grandma’s famous chocolate pie. This will be perfect!