Crockpot Chocolate Mess

My crock pot has again become my favorite appliance in the kitchen.  Not because it is perfectly convenient during construction.  Not because it happened to be one of the only kitchen items accessible in the piles of belongings temporarily stored in our basement.  But because it has been the key element in providing me large amounts of chocolate for the last two weeks.
A sweet comment from a friend reminded me that I needed to dig out my tried and true crock pot recipes.  Several years ago (actually 2 states, 2 houses, 2 babies, 2 jobs, and about 20 lbs ago) I experimented with this quite lovely recipe for a chocolate dessert that you make in the slow cooker.  I only vaguely remembered the ingredients, but the richness stuck with me vividly.  Well, the recipe is MIA so I started researching different versions of it.  And let me tell you.  It is tough testing chocolate dessert recipes.  A special thanks to my small group at church for shouldering this burden with me.

It took several tries (I mean really!  What I won’t go through for my readers!) but I think I have it down pat.  The texture might vary a little bit depending on what mixes you use, but it will without a doubt taste wonderful.  This will easily feed ten people for dessert.  It is very rich so you may need to accessorize with vanilla ice cream.  I am just saying… Crock Pot Chocolate Mess
This dessert is like a really really moist chocolate spoon cake.  Very little effort and a yummy result.  Be careful not to over cook it or the edges will get a dry and tough.  If that happens (it will still taste good) just leave the edges and eat the middle.

1 box chocolate cake mix
1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix
1 c water
1/2 c canola oil
1 1/2 c sour cream
4 eggs
1 1/2 c chocolate chips

Spray the insert for your slow cooker with non-stick spray.  Combine all ingredients except the chocolate chips.  Mix until smooth and stir in the chocolate chips.  Spoon into slow cooker and spread evenly.  Cook on low for 5-6 hours, or until dessert is evenly puffed and set.  Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Note: If the dessert starts to pull away from the sides of the slow cooker, it has been in too long.  If you think it might be done, turn it off and put a paper towel under the lid to catch the steam.  It will cook a little longer with the residual heat and stay very warm for several hours.