Pudding Desserts That Will Impress Everyone

Few treats are more comforting or satisfying than pudding. And thanks to sugar-free, fat-free and reduced-calorie pudding mixes, you can enjoy pudding without guilt. But plain old pudding is just the start. This versatile ingredient can serve as the base for an array of fabulous desserts from light-as-air mousses to rich Bavarian creams.

Creamy Chocolate Mousse

Prepare a cook-and-serve sugar-free/fat-free chocolate pudding mix according to the package directions. Transfer the hot pudding to a bowl and place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill 1 hour or until cool. Fold 1 1/2 cups fat-free, non-dairy whipped topping into the cooled pudding. Chill 2 hours in individual custard cups or in a large bowl and serve as is (garnished with a mint leaf or berry), or make one of the following tasty desserts.

Frozen chocolate mousse pie: Pour the mousse into a baked low-fat pie shell and freeze.

Frozen chocolate mint mousse cake: Add 1/2 teaspoon mint extract to the pudding with the whipped topping. Coat an 8-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Crush 16 low-fat chocolate wafer cookies and sprinkle them on the sides, pressing if necessary to make them stick, and on the bottom of the inside of the pan. Pour the mousse over the crumbs and freeze for 4 hours.

Individual frozen chocolate mousse cups: Line 6 muffin tins with paper muffin cups and fill with the chocolate mousse mixture. Freeze until firm, then serve with a spoon.

Easy Bavarian Cream

Fold 3 stiffly beaten, pasteurized egg whites into a bowl of prepared, cooled instant sugar-free/fat-free vanilla, butterscotch, white chocolate, banana or chocolate pudding. Chill for 2 hours in individual custard cups or one large serving bowl. Now you're on the way to the elegant dishes below.

Trifle: Layer the Easy Bavarian Cream in a 2-quart glass bowl with 24 purchased lady fingers and 3 cups fresh berries or sliced fruit.

Bavarian cream parfait: Spoon alternating layers of fruit and Easy Bavarian Cream into clear wine glasses. Here are some flavor combinations we enjoy:

• Vanilla Bavarian cream with orange sections
• White Chocolate Bavarian cream and raspberries
• Butterscotch Bavarian cream and sliced bananas
• Chocolate Bavarian cream with strawberries
• Banana Bavarian cream with kiwi slices

Straight-up pudding dessert ideas

Pudding jelly roll: Bake a packaged angel food cake mix in a jelly roll pan as directed on the box. When it's cool, spread the roll with prepared sugar-free/fat-free pudding (any flavor; either instant or cook-and-serve) and roll up as directed.

Pudding ice cream: Prepare any flavor sugar-free/fat-free instant pudding as directed on the package. Pour immediately into a pre-chilled ice cream machine and churn until frozen. Serve immediately.

Frozen fudge pops: Prepare instant sugar-free/fat-free chocolate pudding as directed. Pour into small paper cups and freeze 1 hour or until a popsicle stick will stand up when inserted. Insert one popsicle stick into the center of each; freeze until hard.