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Brownie Trifle

March 15, 2022 by Julie - The Recipe Life Leave a Comment

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Layers upon sweet layers of rich brownies, creamy chocolate pudding, and light refreshing Cool Whip make up this incredibly easy Brownie Trifle recipe. Make this chocolate dessert the day before, let it chill overnight, and wow your guests its deliciousness, all while knowing you didn’t break a sweat creating it!

Serving scooped out of the brownie trifle showing off the layers of brownie crumble, ganache, and cool whip.

I will never forget what my son said when he first had this brownie trifle, “It’s like a chocolate milkshake dessert-style!” And, he was so right! This brownie trifle is basic but a chocolate lover’s dream with a lot of brownies, creamy chocolate pudding, light whipped topping and more chocolaty brownies! And, that’s what I like about it. It’s simple enough that anyone can do it, perfect for busy lives, and the sweet part isn’t just the chocolate. It’s easy! Everyone loves it. Remembers it. And everyone will be singing its praises!

Repeat layers of brownie, chocolate pudding layer, and cool whip three times and end with more brownie crumbles for a complete brownie trifle.

How to Make a Chocolate Trifle with Brownies

While a trifle can look intimidating, it’s actually a wonderful beginners’ dessert. Trifles are fun, layered desserts with simple ingredients that make both your eyes and stomach happy!

Ingredients for a Brownie Trifle

  • 2- 9×13 pans of brownies made according to box directions.
    • I will make the brownies the day before so they are completely chilled. Plus, it saves time when making the trifle.
    • For most box brownies you will need some eggs, oil, and water.
    • You can use your favorite brand and kind of brownies. We use one dark chocolate brownie mix and one chocolate fudge brownie mix. You can also make your favorite homemade brownies.
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1- 3.9 ounce chocolate pudding package
  • 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
  • 3- 8 ounce tubs frozen Cool Whip or Whipped Topping, thawed
    • I find that the right about of whipped topping is around 20 ounces. However it’s hard finding 12 ounce tubs of Cool Whip so I just do three 8 ounce tubs and have some left over.
  • Optional: Candies or berries for garnish. This can be a quart of fresh raspberries or strawberries or a chopped or crumbled favorite candy bar.
Ingredients to a delicious brownie trifle: a lot of Cool Whip, a chocolate pudding packet, water, sweetened condensed milk, and 2- 9x13-in pans of brownies made per box instructions.

Directions for an Easy Chocolate Trifle

First, mix the water, sweetened condensed milk, and chocolate pudding package together for about a minute until smooth. Then gently fold in the 8 ounces of whipped topping until no streaks remain. Put this chocolate pudding layer into the refrigerator to set until we are ready to assemble the trifle.

  • Sweetened condensed milk, water, and pudding packet in a medium waiting to be whipped together.
  • A handheld mixer mixing water, sweetened condensed milk and pudding packet. First step of making a brownie trifle.
  • Swirls of cool whip and the pudding mixture as you fold them together.
  • The chocolate pudding layer of cool whip, pudding, and sweetened condensed milk complete.

Next, gently crumble the brownies with your hands. Try to break them into 1-inch pieces without smashing the brownies.

Crumbled brownies in a medium mixing bowl.

Then, in a trifle bowl or a large glass bowl, place a good 1/4 of the crumbled brownies on the bottom of the dish. For the next layer, add 1/3 of the creamy chocolate pudding mixture and spread it out evenly. The third layer is roughly just over half of an 8 ounce whipped topping tub. Now repeat these layers twice more, tapering off at the top and ending with the last of the crumbled brownies.

  • First layer in the trifle bowl is the brownie crumble.
  • Second layer of the brownie trifle in the bowl is the chocolate pudding mixture.
  • Third layer in the trifle bowl is a layer of Cool Whip or Whip Topping.

Garnish with any optional toppings. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight before serving for best results. Enjoy!

Repeat layers of brownie, chocolate pudding layer, and cool whip three times and end with more brownie crumbles for a complete brownie trifle.

This Brownie Trifle recipe is so good that a little goes a long way. We find that a serving of about a cup is perfect and love to serve it in dessert bowls or small old restaurant-style coke glasses. Serving this delightful dessert in something a little out of the ordinary only makes it that much more fun!

Close up serving of brownie trifle.

Where do you bring a Brownie Trifle?

Brownie Trifles are the perfect every-occasion dessert! They are great at potlucks and large gatherings because they feed a crowd. Since brownie trifles can be easily customizable and special, it’s an awesome substitute for cake at a birthday party. Brownie Trifles are a cool sweet treat for pool parties, the 4th of July, and backyard BBQs. And, lastly, these chocolate trifles are sophisticated enough for all the major holidays too like Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Brownie trifles are amazing everywhere!

Overview shoot to show off the layers of brownie, chocolate ganache, and cool whip.

How to Customize a Chocolate Brownie Trifle

The options are endless when you want to customize a brownie trifle. You can customize with a simple garnish, syrup or light candy crumble, an additional fruit layer, or crumbled cookie layer. However, because the trifle bowl is only so big, if I add more than just light garnish-like layers, I would only make one 9×13-inch pan of brownies. So I would substitute out one pan of brownies for the additional fresh fruit or crumbled cookies.

  • Garnish Options- to be sprinkled on top of the trifle
    • Heath Milk Chocolate English Toffee Bits
    • shaved chocolate
    • fresh berries
  • Syrups- to layered within the trifle
    • Hershey’s chocolate, carmel, or strawberry syrup
  • Fresh Berries Layer- Clean two quarts and subsitute them out for one pan of brownies
    • Make a Chocolate Strawberry Trifle or Chocolate Raspberry Trifle
  • Crumbled Cookie Layer- Crumble or crush in a baggie. Subsitute out one pan of brownies for a cookie layer.
    • Ideas would be a Chocolate Oreo Trifle or a Brownie Chocolate Chip Cookie Trifle
  • Make a Creative and Personalized Brownie Trifle
    • Add edible chocolate chip cookie dough or a favorite pie filling for some more unique trifle options.
A serving of brownie trifle ina small dish.

More Chocolate Desserts

This Gooey Chocolate-Caramel Fantasy Dessert is made up of tasty chocolate crumb crust followed by a creamy caramel and chopped pecan middle and topped with a decadent drizzle of melted chocolate. Mouth-watering and fancy-looking this rich chocolate dessert actually keeps it simple in the kitchen.

S’mores Bark is a great light dessert or snack. Perfect for parties and people on the go! This chocolate s’mores bark recipe is snack-size pieces of delicious melted milk chocolate surrounded by and topped with mini marshmallows and crunchy crushed Golden Grahams.

Want to keep it simple? Cookies never fail! Try out our soft and chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies or for a fun mix try these Easy Brookie Cookies!

This Halloween Dirt Dessert isn’t just for Halloween anymore! Switch out the jello flavors and gummies on top for the season and have a fun, kid-friendly dessert any time of the year!

Serving scooped out of the brownie trifle showing off the layers of brownie crumble, ganache, and cool whip.

Brownie Trifle

Layers upon sweet layers of rich brownies, creamy chocolate pudding, and light refreshing Cool Whip make up this incredibly easy Brownie Trifle recipe. Make this chocolate dessert the day before, let it chill overnight, and wow your guests its deliciousness, all while knowing you didn't break a sweat creating it!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 mins
Chill 8 hrs
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 20

Ingredients
  

  • 2 9"x13" pans brownies already made per package instructions Will need water, oil, and eggs for most brownie mixes
  • ½ cup water
  • 3.9 ounces chocolate pudding packet 1 packet
  • 14 ounces can of sweetened condensed milk
  • 24 ounces Cool Whip or Whipped Topping 3- 8 ounce tubs, divided

Instructions
 

  • First, mix the water, sweetened condensed milk, and chocolate pudding package together for about a minute until smooth. Then gently fold in 8 ounces of the whipped topping until no streaks remain. Put this chocolate pudding layer into the refrigerator to set until we are ready to assemble the trifle.
  • Next, gently crumble the brownies with your hands. Try to break them into 1-inch pieces without smashing the brownies.
  • Then, in a trifle bowl or a large glass bowl, place a good 1/4 of the crumbled brownies on the bottom of the dish. For the next layer, add 1/3 of the creamy chocolate pudding mixture and spread it out evenly. The third layer is roughly just over half of an 8 ounce whipped topping tub. Now repeat these layers twice more tapering off at the top and ending with the last of the crumbled brownies.
  • Garnish with any optional toppings. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight before serving for best results. Enjoy!
Keyword Brownie Trifle

Filed Under: Desserts, Featured, Food & Recipes, Snack Tagged With: chocolate, delicious dessert, kid-friendly, snack

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