Puddin' Head - But Not Frosting

We had guests over tonight visiting from Salt Lake City and I wanted to throw together some treats for everyone after dinner.  I put a pan of brownies in the oven (made from a mix...because who makes brownies from scratch?  I love making things from scratch...but brownies are luscious just as they are...from the Duncan Hines box.)  So, anyway, my brownies are baking in the oven and I want to put something on top that will make them just a little special.  I'm racking my brain when I remember a recipe I had seen a few weeks ago on Pinterest and been meaning to try.  It was touted as the "only frosting you will ever make again." 

Ingredients:
One small box instant pudding mix in your choice of flavor (I went with Cookies and Cream)
One cup of milk
One small container of Cool Whip (or about 2/3 of a large container)

I didn't have the Cool Whip in the house so I ran to the store and came back.  I still had time to whip up the frosting before the brownies were done.  As promised, it was ridiculously easy.  First whisk your cup of milk into the instant pudding.  Then fold in your Cool Whip and...you're done!  I didn't even defrost the Cool Whip (obviously) and with a little extra stirring it was still a great consistency.  I spooned my Puddin' Head into a gallon size Zip Lock baggie, cut off the tip and piped the Puddin' Head onto the brownies.

Now I will admit that I think labeling this as a "frosting" is a bit of a stretch.   It's more like a flavored whipped cream.  However, given that I am one of those people that thinks frosting is almost universally too thick and too sweet, I can see using this concoction in place of frosting in virtually any application that would traditionally call for frosting.  It will not, however, work on items that you do not intend to consume immediately as it will melt.  So, instead of calling it frosting, I call it Puddin' Head.

Now that I've told you what it isn't, let me tell you what it is...DELICIOUS!  So good that my husband licked the bowl, and my friends said that it made the brownies "so much better."  "Normally," said my girlfriend, "I don't like frosting on brownies because it is just sweet on sweet, but this made the brownies better...so light and fluffy, they just slid right down."  Music to my ears!

Needless to say, I will be trying this again...next time with a different flavor...maybe pistachio!