Paula Deen's Chocolate Trifle

The same episode I was watching when Paula Deen made the cheese biscuits featured here, she also made this cookie chocolate trifle. I have been waiting for a good excuse to make this and when we had our dinner party last week I thought it was the perfect opportunity. Oh my! It is definitely decadent and so good and feeds a crowd.  The 5 adults and 2 kids didn't even make a dent and I took it the next night to a BBQ and we still didn't finish it off. 

It is so, so good!  Paula Deen serves this in her Lady and Sons restaurant.

Today's Ingredients:

3 eggs

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 pound light brown sugar

2 cups self-rising flour

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups chopped peanuts, plus more for layering

    -(I did another cup for layering)

8 oz. chocolate chips

1 cup shredded coconut, optional (unsweetened)

2 (3.4) oz. packages cook-and-serve chocolate pudding mix

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Chocolate sauce, for drizzling

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9x13 pan.

Beat together the eggs and butter.

Add the brown sugar, and then gradually add the flour and mix well. 

Stir in the vanilla.

Fold in the nuts, chocolate chips, and coconut, if using.

Spread the batter in the 9x13 pan and bake for 50-55 min.  Cool.

The original recipe calls for 25-30 min., but my middle was gooey

after that amount of time and 55 total min. worked better. 

While the brownie is cooking.  Make the whipped cream and pudding.

For the whipped cream beat together the cream and powdered sugar.

When it's pretty stiff then you know it's done.

Make the pudding according to the package and let cool.  Why cooked

pudding instead of instant?  The only reason I can think of is because

it's thicker and probably won't make the brownie as soggy.  I wouldn't

substitute the instant in this dessert.

Once the brownie has cooled, crumble into chunks.

Scatter 1/3 of the brownies into a glass bowl

(a trifle bowl if you have one).

Spoon half the pudding over the brownies.

Spoon half the whipped cream over the pudding and scatter another

one-third crumbled brownie.  Sprinkle with some chopped peanuts.

Spoon the remaining half pudding and whipped cream, and sprinkle

with some more peanuts.  Layer the remaining one-third brownie and

drizzle with chocolate sauce (optional).

I did not use the chocolate sauce - it is rich enough as it is and

decided to add the last layer of peanuts on top of the top layer of

brownie instead of underneath it.

This dessert is sure to impress!

Chocolate Trifle Printable Recipe Link