Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Trifle

Photo by Katie Kay

Okay, okay, you asked for it!  Literally.  Tammy, this is mostly for you.  I found this recipe when I was trying to come up with a non-cake dessert for a friend's birthday.  And since we all know my three favorite things to toss down the hatch are wine, peanut butter, and chocolate, this was a no-brainer.  The gooey brownies, imperfect broken chunks of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, creamy peanut butter, the sweet caress of chocolate pudding and whipped cream...
I did have to purchase a trifle dish for this recipe, but I got mine for only $15 at Bed, Bath & Beyond.  With a coupon, it was even less!  
There is an easy, short-cut way to make this recipe and there's a longer, perhaps more authentic way to make it.  You can make your brownies and whipped cream from scratch, but I've used boxed brownies and store bought whipped cream with phenomenal success.

Photo by Katie Kay

Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Trifle
1 box of brownies, baked and cut into cubes 5oz box chocolate pudding, prepared and chilled 1 large bag miniature Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, unwrapped and quartered 16 oz Cool Whip 1 cup creamy peanut butter 8oz whipped cream cheese, softened 1 cup powdered sugar 2 Tbsp milk 1 can whipped cream (for decorating the top)
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine peanut butter and cream cheese and beat until no streaks remain.  Slowly add powdered sugar and milk, scraping down the sides of the bowl until well combined.  Add 1 cup of Cool Whip and stir gently with a spatula.
To begin layering the trifle, cover bottom of dish with 1/3 of the brownie cubes, then 1/3 of the peanut butter cream, a light layer of Reese's, a layer of chocolate pudding, then a layer of whipped cream.  Repeat until the trifle dish is full, about 3 times total.  Decorate top with a can of whipped cream and mini Reese's Cups (whole or halved) .
Refrigerate until ready to serve.  I've never made this more than 1 day in advance, and I think the fresher the better.

by HowSweetEats