Chocolate Trifle with a Christmas Twist

We are having a great Christmas season. It is so fun to be in California having a non-white Christmas. It's especially fun being with almost all of our family and the plentiful food and gifts.

Sam is especially pleased with his Nosecracker ornament from Oma.


I had fun this year coming up with a new Christmas dessert recipe.




Christmas Chocolate Trifle

1. Make brownies according to package directions.  Mix Junior Mints into brownie batter.  Cook in a 9x13 pan. After the brownies cool, cut them into 1/2 - 1 inch cubes.


2. While brownies are baking, make your pudding mixture.

• In a heavy pan, mix together 2 cups sugar, 2/3 cups flour, and 1/2 tsp salt.
• In a separate bowl, mix together 4 cups milk and 6 egg yolks (yolks only).
• Add milk/egg mixture to sugar/flour mixture.
• Add 4 squares unsweetened baking chocolate.
• Cook over medium heat stirring constantly. When mixture begins to boil, continue cooking and stirring for 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat and add 1/2 stick of butter and 2 tsp. vanilla
• Cover with plastic wrap so that plastic is touching the top of the pudding so it will not form a skin. Cool in refrigerator.
• Once the pudding is cooled, lighten it with 2 cups of heavy whipping cream that is whipped but unsweetened. Lighten by gently folding the whipped cream into the pudding mixture in 3 stages until color is uniform.

3. Whip another 2 cups of heavy whipping cream. Sweeten with about 1/3 cup of powdered sugar and a drizzle of vanilla.

4. Set aside 12 candy canes (keep them wrapped so the colors don't run after the trifle is assembled). Unwrap another few candy canes and pound them to dust with a mallet or rolling pin (or pulverize them in a food processor). You don't want any big chunks of hard candy, so really pound the heck out of it.


5. Now you are ready to layer. In the bottom of your trifle bowl, put a layer of brownie pieces. Arrange the 12 whole candy canes around the sides of the bowl. Then layer about an inch of pudding mixture, spreading it carefully to the sides of the bowl. Sprinkle on a layer of finely crushed candy cane, getting it all the way to the sides of the bowl so it adds a red and white layer. Next, add a layer of sweetened whipped cream.


6. Repeat the layers. End by decorating the top with chocolate shavings or a dusting of cocoa powder and a sprinkling of coarsely crushed candy cane (slightly bigger chunks are okay here).

7. Voila. You have a beautiful and yummy chocolate mint Christmas dessert.


Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat . . .