Cookin' Cowgirl: Coconut Crunch Delight

Chris' birthday was on Saturday so I had to make him his favorite dessert. It's one of those that you make and put in the fridge overnight, and patiently wait until the next day to eat it. I made it on Friday afternoon and put it in the fridge. This is what happened on Saturday morning:

Chris woke up before me and quietly snuck out so as not to wake me, but he didn't shut the door all the way behind him. Our puppy, Tucker, came in and whimpered and pawed at the side of the bed until I grudgingly woke up. I got up and came out of the room with a grumpy look on my face, passed Chris on the couch, and headed to the restroom. Then it hit me! I stopped dead in my tracks, my eyes the size of saucers, turned around and screamed, "Oh! Happy birthday babe!!!!"

Chris looked at me with a 'duh!' look on his face and said, "Uh, THANK YOU!" He jumped off the couch and said "Now, I think I need some coconut crunch for breakfast!" :)

I think he must have been dreaming about it because it was the first thing he was thinking about when he woke up! It wasn't sugar plumbs that were dancing in Chris' head, it was coconut crunch delight!
There is a tradition in my family where whenever it is someone's birthday, we bring out the "You are special today" plate and mug. Luckily, even though I just woke up, I remembered to pull them out! He was a happy guy!

Coconut Crunch Delight

Adapted from Toni, AKA Momma Hann

1/2 C butter, melted

1 C flour

1 1/4 C coconut flakes (I used sweetened, either will work)

1/4 C brown sugar

1 C slivered almonds

1 package instant coconut cream pudding* (3.4 oz box)

1 package instant vanilla pudding (3.4 oz box)

1/2 tsp coconut extract

2 2/3 C cold milk, I used unsweetened, vanilla flavored almond milk

1 small container of whipped topping

Whipped cream for additional topping, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine first 5 ingredients. Mix well. Press mixture into a 9X13 baking dish that had been sprayed. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to create coarse crumbs. Cool, then divide mixture in half. Press 1/2 of the mixture back into the same dish, or into a large pie dish, to form the bottom crust. Set other 1/2 aside.

Meanwhile, whisk the pudding, milk and coconut extract together in a bowl until thick. Let sit for a few minutes then fold in the whipped topping. Spoon over crust.