Brownie Candy Cane Trifle

Prepared with two-bite brownies, decadent whipped cream, and crushed candy canes, this Brownie Candy Cane Trifle has all the flavours one craves at Christmastime! Take the easy route and purchase brownies at the grocer. Christmas no-bake desserts should be stress-free and relaxing after all!

In our home, Christmas cannot come and pass us by without a good dose of treats flavoured with peppermint. Those treats are even more welcomed and enjoyed if they have crushed candy cane bits in them. Seriously, we can’t get enough of it! I’m not a huge lover of sweets, but every Christmas I have to get my peppermint fix and this Brownie Candy Cane Trifle did just that!

As you know, John.e is a major lover of ice cream. As for me, I can take it or leave it. In fact, most times, I leave it! I don’t get the appeal to ice cream like most people do. It’s not that I don’t like it; I just don’t care that much for it. But, every Christmas, John.e will find a peppermint ice cream somewhere and we have to have it. I have just one scoop because I need that peppermint/candy cane experience, but I never could eat a large serving of ice cream.

That’s why this trifle is just perfect for me. I can get a good amount of peppermint flavour from all of those crushed candy canes and the peppermint extract-infused whipped cream. Now, pair that with everyone’s favourite brownie, and it’s simply perfection!

I’m going to tell you all about this recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season. But first, I want to tell you about what you can expect from Lord Byron’s Kitchen this Christmas. Over the past seven Christmases, I have built a reputation for sharing series-type recipes. The most popular would be my annual 24 Cookies of Christmas, which was fashioned after an advent calendar. But, I have others that are only 12 days, which were fashioned after the 12 Days of Christmas.

Before we get to a list of ingredients and instructions for today’s recipe, let me tell you about this series and more! Welcome, Dear Reader, to my first Christmas series this holiday season! I’m calling this series Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Trifles.

Just like every other series that I’ve shared over the years, this one will also see a new recipe shared each day for the next 12 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday recipes year after year?

CHOCOLATE AND PEPPERMINT

If you love the combination of chocolate and peppermint, there are several recipes here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen that you should take advantage of! You will have to try my Peppermint Chocolate Biscotti. I shared this one with my readers as a part of my 12 Biscotti of Christmas series. It was quite the hit!

How about this no-bake Peppermint Chunk Fudge? Unlike those fudge recipes that are basically big chunks of melted chocolate that has re-hardened, this fudge is cake-like; almost like a brownie! They are so delicious and addicting too! I also have these baked Chocolate Peppermint Donuts. Again, they are baked, not fried, so even though they are super chocolatey and covered in icing, they are still healthier than any donut you can buy at a bakery!

Not into cookies, fudge, or donuts? What about ice cream? Remember I mentioned the candy cane ice cream that John.e buys every Christmas? Well, you can make your own No Churn Peppermint Cookie Ice Cream at home. You won’t need a fancy, expensive ice cream maker to do it! I added crushed peppermint Oreos to the ice cream to make it even more indulgent!

SUBSCRIBE NOW SO THAT YOU NEVER MISS OUT ON NEW RECIPES!

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Trifles Series! Even though this is the first series for this holiday season, you can always look back at previous years if you just cannot wait until the next recipe is published. Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday recipe countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. Are you ready!!??

LAYERED DESSERTS ARE THE EASIEST AND THE BEST!

Layered desserts have been popular for many, many years. For those of us who were not blessed with the ability to decorate elaborate cakes or whip up a choux pastry or even master the art of a good meringue, there are layered desserts. Think about it! The popularity of desserts like no-bake cheesecakes, trifles, tiramisus, etc., is proof.

I like to think that a layered dessert can certainly be just as elegant if prepared the right way. Make it simple. Overcomplicated desserts are no fun to prepare or eat. Choose two or three flavour combinations, because too many will just become muddled and the flavours will compete with each other. That’s what I think of trifles. I do love them, but I don’t care for them if they too many ingredients and too many layers. I’ll do my best to keep the trifles in this series uncomplicated.

If you are looking for more layered desserts, look no further! I’ve got you covered right here. Try these Stacked Vanilla Strawberry Shortcakes, for example. Or a breakfast version using waffles! Speaking of strawberry shortcakes, you have got to try these puff pastry flakies – they are probably my favourite dessert of all time.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Brownies – I like the two-bite brownies for this trifle. It’s easy to crumble them into quarters. However, homemade brownies or store-bought brownie bars will work too.
• Candy Canes – Crush a bunch of candy canes or purchase a bag already crushed available at most baking supply stores.
• Whipping Cream – Please see the next section on whipping cream.
• Sugar – This is only used to sweeten the whipped cream. You can omit the sugar if you prefer a less sweet dessert.
• Peppermint Extract

HOW TO MAKE A BROWNIE CANDY CANE TRIFLE

Transfer the whipping cream to a chilled mixing bowl. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks are formed. Add the sugar one tablespoon at a time. Beat to incorporate. Beat in the peppermint extract.

Next, crumble 15 of the two-bite brownies into a trifle bowl. Top with 1/3rd of the crushed candy canes and 1/3rd of the whipped cream. Repeat the layering two more times, ending with the whipped cream.

Garnish with the remaining brownies and the two tablespoons of crushed candy canes. The trifle can be served immediately or covered and refrigerated for up to 12 hours before serving.

HEAVY CREAM VS WHIPPING CREAM

Confession time – I use them both interchangeably, depending on what is available at the store, or whatever is on sale! Both of these can be quite costly. If memory serves me correctly, a 250mL carton, or one cup, here in Canada, will run just short of $5! There is a difference in the two, but not enough to concern yourself with when it comes to this Brownie Candy Cane Trifle.

Just in case you’re interested, the most basic difference is the amount of fat contained in both. Whipping cream has 35% fat. It can be whipped into peaks and it’s also rich enough that it won’t curdle when heated in soups and sauces. It’s nearly identical to heavy cream so if a recipe calls for heavy cream and you can only find whipping cream, feel free to use that instead. In contrast, heavy cream, which is sometimes called heavy whipping cream, contains about 38% fat. Either of those would work well in this recipe. I used 35% whipping cream.

MAKING YOUR OWN CRUSHED CANDY CANES

If you don’t want to use the red and white crushed candy canes that you can find just about anywhere this time of year, you can crush your own candy canes by placing unwrapped, broken candy canes into a sturdy bag and firmly rolling over them with a wooden rolling pin.

Either way you look at it, the candy canes should not be crushed too finely. Many times, you’ll find they have too much powder, meaning that they have been crushed too much. You want chunky pieces in order to get the red and white speckled pattern.

I’ve tried crushing them myself and have crushed them a little too much. Even the type you buy in the store can sometimes have too much candy cane dust. You can easily fix it by filtering out the dust. Working in small amounts, place a heaping spoonful of the crushed candy canes into a colander. Sift out the dust so that you are left with nice little pieces.

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN PREPARING TRIFLES

First of all, there are no steadfast rules about how many layers you should or shouldn’t have. My rule of thumb is this – make the trifle big enough to feed your family and/or guests, and use a bowl that is big enough to accommodate the layers. If you have a larger trifle bowl, you can simply add another layer or add more berries or cake to fill it up. Likewise, if your bowl is too small, you can make mini trifles with the leftover ingredients in stemmed dessert bowls.

Trifles cannot be prepared days in advance, nor can they be frozen. Since most trifle recipes are assembly-type recipes, the best thing to do is to prepare them on the day you plan to eat them. However, with that said, every trifle in this series can be prepared a day in advance. If you prepare the trifle a day in advance, it’s a good idea to set the garnish aside and place it onto the trifle just before serving. That way, your trifle will look like it was just freshly prepared.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down to follow me and never miss another recipe!