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Chocolate Oreo Trifle

Easy to assemble and highly addictive chocolate trifle.

Lately, I’ve been on the struggle bus. Between work, wifely duties (I’ve been watching Shameless), undergoing skin cancer treatments (which left me with a headache the rest of the afternoon) and coming up with content for the blog, it’s been a challenge to juggle everything. It really threw my routine out of whack, and if anything, these past seven weeks have given me a new appreciation for all of you hardworking mother’s out there who somehow get it all done.

The week I finished my skin cancer treatments, I was overwhelmed by a ton of extra energy and since the weather was crap (seriously, winter, go away, I’ve had enough of you), the only sane way to use up my time and energy was by locking myself up in the kitchen. Usually when I find myself in these situations, I ask my husband what he’s in the mood for: mac and cheese, anything chocolate, or basically anything that could be considered comfort food. It was no surprise when he said he wanted chocolate.

So, as I stood in my kitchen staring into my baking pantry trying to figure out what I could make, then it dawned on me that I’ve never shared one of my go-to trifle recipes with you guys.

Trifles usually come with a bad rep, and I can’t figure out why. Sure, sometimes they’ve got a bajillion steps and ingredients and they take days to make but not this one. This one has layers of the most delicious chocolate pudding I’ve ever made, store-bought Oreo cookies and whipped cream. That’s it.

The chocolate pudding used in this trifle recipe is one of those recipes that I find myself using again and again, and chances are you’ll have other uses for it, too. Did anyone else make “dirt” pudding when they were younger? This pudding would be perfect to use in a dirt pudding because it’s not all runny. As it sits around in the refrigerator, it firms up… holds something of a shape. In a nutshell, it’s a kick-ass chocolate pudding that doesn’t come from a box or have artificial ingredients or extra preservatives that aren’t needed.

This is one of those desserts that children and adults will devour—which makes it absolutely perfect for holiday’s or other events where you’ve got a house full of people who demand to be fed. I particularly love to serve this chocolate Oreo trifle during spring and summer, when everyone is gathered in the backyard enjoying e the warmer weather. The one piece of advice I have is use high-quality ingredients such as vanilla, chocolate, espresso and cocoa powder. Kids might not notice a difference, but the adults surely will.

Whether or not you've made or eaten a trifle before, I think there's one thing we can all agree on, and that's that assembled trifles look quite stunning on display. If you have a trifle bowl, you can use that, or you can serve them in individual serving dishes such as stemless wine glasses or other goblets that allow for easy spoon-access. I usually buy stemless wine glasses from the dollar store to send home with dinner guests just in case they've left no room for dessert.

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Chocolate Oreo Trifle

by Rae Goldman March-7-2018

Make the pudding the day before you plan to serve and assemble this trifle.

Ingredients

2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup high quality unsweetened cocoa powder
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups, coarsely chopped high quality bittersweet chocolate
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon espresso powder
2 cups, cold heavy cream
1/2 cup, sifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon high quality pure vanilla extract
pinch salt
3 cups, roughly chopped Oreos

Instructions

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, cream, add 1 3/4 cups of the heavy cream, milk, and sugar. Bring to a simmer and set aside.In a medium bowl, sift the confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, espresso powder, and cocoa powder. Whisk in the eggs and the remaining 1/4 cup of heavy cream until the mixture is smooth. Slowly add in 1 cup of the heavy cream mixture, whisking vigorously. Then, pour the chocolate mixture into the saucepan and continue cooking over low heat until the pudding is thick, about 35 minutes.In a large bowl, add the chopped chocolate and, using a fine mesh sieve, pour the pudding over it. Stir until combined, then add the salt and butter, until smooth and there are no traces of the butter. Cover the top of the pudding with a sheet of saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the heavy cream, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and salt until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.To assemble, either use a 3-quart trifle bowl or stemless wine glasses, layer the chocolate, whipped cream, and crushed Oreos over one another until you reach the top.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 2 hour 50 mins Yield: 8 servings