Creamy Crunchy Vegan Layer Dessert

If you don't feel like pie and you don't feel like cake, maybe you'd like some

CREAMY CRUNCHY VEGAN LAYER DESSERT? It's got raspberries, chocolate, vanilla, and that crunchy layer, so there's a lot to love.

Ingredients

Crunchy Layer

4 cups — puffed cereal

1 cup — whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup — sunflower oil

½ cup — agave syrup

1 tsp. — vanilla

(or use a graham cracker crust)

Chocolate Layer

2 bars — dark chocolate

Pudding Layer

3 cups — soy milk

½ cup — organic sugar

1/3 cup — organic cornstarch (arrowroot powder makes a less pleasing pudding)

¼ tsp. — salt

1 Tblsp. — vanilla

Raspberry Layer

1 package — frozen raspberries or 2 cups fresh

¼ cup — sugar

1/8 cup — cornstarch or arrowroot powder

Method

First mix up the crunchy part in a large rectangular baking pan. I was trying to use up my case of puffed millet, so I stirred together four cups of that, a cup of whole wheat pastry flour, a cup of sunflower oil, a half cup of agave syrup and a teaspoon of vanilla, and then baked it at 350F degrees for approximately thirty-five minutes — take it out before it begins to brown too much.

It didn't come out all that crunchy — maybe because the millet puffs could have been crisper to begin with. Later we all decided we'd rather the crunchy layer be a graham cracker crust in the future, so just make one of those if you have the ingredients.

Once the crunchy layer is hot out of the oven, lay two dark chocolate bars on top of it and pop it back in the hot oven for a minute to make the chocolate melt. When you remove it from the oven, it will be soft enough to smear all over the crunchy layer. Let it cool.

Meanwhile, make some vanilla pudding. In a saucepan, mix half a cup of sugar with a third cup of cornstarch and a quarter teaspoon of salt. Gradually add in three cups of soy milk, stirring it until thickened. Then cover the pan and turn down heat, letting it simmer for ten minutes. Add a tablespoon of vanilla and pour the pudding over the chocolate layer. Let it cool till firm.

Last, cook a package of frozen raspberries (or two cups of fresh, if you have them) with a quarter cup of sugar and an eighth cup of cornstarch (mix the cornstarch in a little cold water, first, so it doesn't clump up). When it looks like a sauce, pour it over the pudding layer and spread it around.

Somehow, the combination of chocolate, raspberries, vanilla pudding, and a crunchy layer is very satisfying. I wish more desserts were vegan like this one.