I’ve been wanting to make a peppermint trifle for a LONG time…and finally my dreams came true. The Beard Man is not a fan of peppermint, so I’ve never been able to make this because I knew I would have to eat it alone. Not good. But, last Sunday we had a little shin-dig at the house after my little Joey’s baby blessing at church. I knew it was the perfect opportunity to bust out a peppermint trifle…loved it. I first saw this recipe on Good Things Utah and of course, had to change just a couple things…such as eliminating the chocolate liquor (I didn’t see the need) and adding more peppermint. I stand by my decisions 🙂
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It’s best to make this a day ahead of eating so that it has plenty of time to chill, set and for the mousse to turn a lovely shade of pink.
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Here’s What You Do…
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First thing, make a 9×13 pan of your favorite brownies. Then get working on the peppermint white chocolate mousse. For the mousse, you will need 2 1/2 cups heavy cream, 1 cup peppermint candy canes (chopped), and 12 oz. real white chocolate (as opposed to vanilla flavored crapola).
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Chop up 12 oz. of white chocolate and bring ONE cup of the heavy cream just to a boil on the stove.
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Dump your white chocolate in a blender (I love my new Blendtec!) or food processor and pulse. Pour hot heavy cream over and pulse until thoroughly mixed and smooth. Pour into a bowl and place the whole bowl into…
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…your ice water bath. This will help cool it quickly and thicken it up. Stir occasionally for about 15 minutes. Beat remaining 1 ½ cups cream to almost stiff peaks. Fold into the chocolate mixture, then stir in the candies. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until thickened and almost firm 4 to 6 hours. Let it chill for several hours. While it’s chilling, the mousse will turn a lovely shade of pink…after it absorbs the candy cane and gets a good stir.
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* If it’s not thick enough, after it chills in the fridge, whip it with your hand mixer to thicken it.
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After making the mousse, you can start your chocolate pudding. I personally think the easiest thing to do is use a stove top Jell-O chocolate pudding. The original recipe calls for a homemade pudding, but it is pretty time consuming, and when mixed with everything else in the trifle, the taste doesn’t make it worth the extra work. Do it the easy way.
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Preferably put everything together the next day…place cut pieces of brownie all over the bottom of your trifle dish (trifle dishes are super cheap, you can find them at Wal-Mart). Top with a thin layer of the pudding, followed by the peppermint mousse, and start over. On the very top, do a layer of homemade whip cream (2 cup heavy cream, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla…mix on high with hand mixer until thick.) Sprinkle with pieces of candy cane. Refrigerate for a few hours before serving.
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For the get together, we actually had 4 different trifle flavors…this peppermint, chocolate trifle, caramel gingerbread, and strawberry shortcake. For dinner we had one of my favorites, Bourbon Chicken (posted previously)…you’ll have to try that to!
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1pkg. Jello chocolate puddingstove top or instant, your choice
1 9x13 pan of browniesmake your favorite! (or chocolate cake)
1cuppowdered sugar
1 1/2tsp.vanilla
Instructions
Make a 9x13 pan of your favorite brownies.
To make the mousse, chop the white chocolate and place in a blender or food processor for additional pulsing.
Heat 1 cup of the heavy cream on the stove, just to a boil.
Pour over the white chocolate and pulse some more, until smooth.
Pour into a bowl and place the whole bowl into a larger bowl of ice water. This will help cool it quickly and thicken it up. Stir occasionally for about 15 minutes.
Beat remaining 1 ½ cups cream to almost stiff peaks.
Fold into the chocolate mixture, then stir in the candies.
Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until thickened and almost firm 4 to 6 hours.
Let it chill for several hours. While it's chilling, the mousse will turn a lovely shade of pink...after it absorbs the candy cane and gets a good stir.
Place in the fridge to set, let chill for several hours. The mousse will turn more pink after a few hours and a good stir. If the mousse isn't thick enough, after chilled, whip it with your hand mixer.
Meanwhile, make the chocolate pudding.
To assemble: break pieces of the brownie and line the bottom of your trifle dish.
Cover with a layer of the chocolate pudding, followed by the mousse. Repeat.
For the final layer, use some homemade whip cream (2 cups heavy cream, 1 cup powdered sugar, and 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla...mix with hand mixer, until thick.)
Just before serving, sprinkle with crushed candy cane.
* You know what’s better than making an awesome trifle?? Looking hot while you do it. I love this adorable Christmas apron!
* Having a Christmas party?? I love the selections of Christmas candies at Oriental Trading! It would be so fun to decorate the party table with delicious candies in different containers!
* After a long day of cooking, cleaning, and partying, it’s time to cozy up. I’m in love with these super cute and comfy pajamas!
I LOVE trifle!! We’ve actually had the peppermint chocolate one (my mom also saw it on Good Things Utah)..without chocolate liqueur and it is delicious!
OK that looks SO yummy!! Can’t wait to try it!
I LOVE trifle!! We’ve actually had the peppermint chocolate one (my mom also saw it on Good Things Utah)..without chocolate liqueur and it is delicious!
Sounds so yummy, but too much work for me. I may try it for our fam Christmas party though.
Yum! This looks so good. I cant wait to try it out.
I just got my first trifle bowl, so this is going in my to-do pile!
Also, I gave this blog an award on my blog today!
Oh yay! This was so good to eat at your house I’m so glad you posted the recipe!
I absolutely love this recipe and every time I make it so does everyone else it is now a stable for Christmas baking.
Awesome!!! So glad you like it. Thanks for stopping by, Rebecca!
This looks totally amazing — I just pinned so I can make it soon!
Do you know how many this serves??
hmmm… well, I would say 10? Maybe more, depending on how much people take.