I have one vivid memory from the end of summer.
We were at a neighbor’s house, in their pool — which felt like a luxury since we didn’t have one — and I’d jump at any chance to swim. The party was full of people: kids, my brothers, neighborhood friends, and lots of food. I was concentrating on a plate of chocolate chip cookies like they were a personal mission.
Then it began to get late and darker outside. I got out of the pool, ran home, showered and went to bed. No one told me to do it — I did it myself. Even in middle school I was obsessively organized: I needed time to wind down before my 9PM bedtime. I remember lying in bed with the lights off, a sliver of daylight still filtering through the window, while the other kids kept shrieking and laughing outside. They were being dragged home by parents, protesting because they were living every bit of summer to the last second.
As a side note: this was probably the night before a very important morning. I vividly remember planning a covert mission to shave my legs for the first time after my mom had forbidden it. I woke up early, executed the plan and made sure I didn’t show up on the first day of school with hairy legs. I wore an acid-wash jean skirt and Samba soccer shoes — despite never having played soccer — and was sure this would make me as cool as Kelly Taylor. I was convinced I’d meet my Dylan, sideburns and all.
I’ve mellowed since then. I go to bed closer to 10PM now and I’m not nearly as type-A, mostly because life forced me to loosen up. If two people in this house were as rigidly organized as I once was, it would be chaotic. Being more relaxed — call it type-B, type-Z, or whatever — has its perks, like leaving your clothes on the floor for days. Obviously that’s not a confession or anything.
So, do you want to hear about the dessert in these photos? I almost kept it to myself, though I did nearly dive into the whipped cream in excitement.
My mom used to make an incredible trifle filled with pound cake, layers of creamy vanilla custard-like pudding and heaps of sugary berries. I hadn’t thought about it in years, but when I needed a dessert for Labor Day, plenty of friends suggested making a trifle.
I thought about it and quickly fixated on chocolate and peanut butter. It was all I could picture. Combine that with a trifle format and it seemed like a no-brainer: brownies and peanut butter in glorious layers. I wasn’t in the mood for fruit that day — I wanted pure fudge indulgence.
Here’s the practical bit: you’ll be stacking fudgy brownie pieces with a peanut butter mousse-like layer, so don’t feel obligated to bake everything from scratch. Use store-bought brownies if you prefer — on the last day of summer, I didn’t want to fuss with heavy baking. I made my own whipped cream because I had cream on hand that needed to be used, but otherwise a mix of boxed brownies, creamy peanut butter, instant pudding and a tub of whipped topping works just fine. A few bites won’t hurt — and this dessert is a safe retreat straight back to the ’90s.
Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Trifle
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Ingredients
- 1 batch of your favorite brownies, boxed or from scratch, cooled and cut into cubes
- 1 large box, 5-ounce instant chocolate pudding, prepared and chilled (typically calls for 3 cups of milk)
- 1 bag of peanut butter cups, chopped
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 3-4 tablespoons granulated sugaradjust to taste
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 8 ounces whipped cream cheese, at room temperature
Instructions
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In the bowl of an electric mixer (or using a hand mixer), beat the heavy cream and sugar on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream to a separate bowl and chill until ready to use.
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In the mixer bowl, beat the peanut butter and whipped cream cheese at medium speed until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the powdered sugar and mix until combined, then stir in 2 tablespoons of milk. Fold 1 cup of the chilled whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture until lighter and mostly combined.
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Assemble the trifle in a large dish by layering brownies, peanut butter mixture, chopped peanut butter cups, chocolate pudding and whipped cream. Repeat the layers until you reach the top. Pipe or spread the remaining whipped cream on top and sprinkle with extra candy before serving. Use a long spoon to serve.
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Hopefully by tomorrow I’ll have something more savory to share. But if you want to live on trifle for a while, I won’t stop you — I totally could.