I bet many of us remember trifles from our childhood. The classic version with berries brings you straight back to granny's dining room. I promise you that this mini chocolate trifle version will be every bit as delicious, although in a different way. In addition, it's very quick and easy to prepare and your kids will love it!

If you serve them in miniature portion sizes like I do in this recipe, it’s the perfect choice. You get a cool, delicious, bistro-style dessert that your guests are bound to enjoy. Besides, I don’t know what it is, but there is something cute and pleasant about eating tiny food. Great for portion control, especially if your kids are keen on having their desserts!

Chocolate Brownie Trifles

So let's talk a little about what mini chocolate trifles are. Basically, a trifle consists of both soft and crunchy layers put on top of each other in a glass or ceramic cup for serving. For this recipe, I've used my yummy chocolate and pistachio brownies as a base for the crumb in the trifle itself. You can find the recipe for these delicious treats here. Imagine the unthinkable: you actually have some chocolate and pistachio brownies left over, and they've even gone uneaten so long, that they are now a bit dry! You might find yourself wondering what to do if this happens - but now there is a totally simple solution: Revive them in a completely new dessert.

No chocolate gets left behind on my watch.

Pistachio Nuts

I really think pistachios are wonderful little things. They are great cocktail snacks, but equally good for desserts and cakes, even in salads. Just remember to get the unsalted ones for this recipe! Pistachios found their way into the human diet in the ancient times, and they are as popular as ever.

I absolutely love the taste of them. Most of the pistachio nuts we can buy today come from either the middle east or the United States (from California - where they grow over 249,000,000 kg {approx. 550,000,000 lbs} a year!). In the States, the climate offers ideal growing conditions. In addition, studies show, that pistachios have many health beneficial qualities. For instance, they contain antioxidants, as well as the so-called unsaturated fatty acids, which help protect you against diabetes and heart diseases. Just more reasons why all of us should eat more pistachios!

Whipped Cream

The whipped cream is another key element to making a successful trifle. Here, you should really not cut corners.

Please don't go for that awful relic of the 1980's, the canned whipped cream.

Spend those few minutes and whisk you own!

It's really no bother at all, and the result will be so much better in the end. You want that fluffy and airy texture of the whipped cream. Just be sure to not over whip. I did this once, and I accidentally made butter out of my whipped cream!

Nevertheless, you should go for the special type of cream that’s marked especially for whipped cream for desserts. Shake up and down a couple of times, and you’ve got yourself excellent whipped cream. Try not to eat it all. You need a fair amount for the actual mini chocolate trifles.

Substitutes for whipped cream

Not a fan of whipped cream? Don’t panic. Luckily, there are plenty of substitutes you can consider:

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Mascarpone – this would almost make your dish tiramisu-like. Just need a bit of coffee.
Cream Cheese – your dish would be like a cheesecake in a cup. Simply delicious!
Crème Fraiche – with acidity, it will cut through the richness of the chocolate. Great with fruit.
Vanilla, caramel or chocolate pudding – just reuse the pudding if you are fan.
Fruit coulis – can use these to make your dish lighter, less intense on the calorie count.
Caramel – rich, intense flavour that will add an extra something!

Vegan-friendly

There are plenty of options you can do to make the mini chocolate trifles vegan-friendly. First, consider using soymilk to make your chocolate pudding. I’d add more cocoa and go light on the soy milk. It’s tricky to find the right balance for that perfect consistency. Plus, soymilk can have a mild aftertaste. Make sure you check how the soy milk tastes since they vary. You can also use almond or hazelnut milk. I’ve even tried oat milk recently and it was excellent!

Secondly, you can purchase multiple varieties of vegan ice cream. Just take a scoop or two and enjoy your vegan-friendly mini chocolate trifles. Yum!

Substitutes for the brownies

If you are a brownie lover and have a wide selection of brownie recipes, you can use any other recipes that you fancy. I can also imagine myself using chocolate caramel brownies. Sweet goodness! However, if you don’t have time to prepare your own brownies, you can also consider using cookies. Whether it be chocolate or golden vanilla cookies, they’ll both taste great!
Other crunchy substitutes you can use instead of brownies are:

Pies – yes that’s right. Pie! Specially, I’d use apple pie on the bottom. Of course, you can use any type of pie you fancy. For a festive Halloween treat, you can even use pumpkin pie.
Waffles – these are great if made fresh. Doesn’t take too long. Plus, kids love them!
Lady fingers – nice and crunchy. One of my favourites.
Wafers – you can use these in case of an emergency. Works well with ice cream.

Healthy trifles

Even if you are conscious about that swimsuit body, there is no reason why you should miss out on these delicious flavours. You can base your trifle totally on fruit and include dark chocolate shavings on top. That should keep the calorie level quite low and you can enjoy the trifle guilt-free. Also, sprinkle fresh cocoa powder if you ran out of chocolate.

If you feel like pairing the chocolate trifles with something extra nice, try Madeira wine. Otherwise, these Madeira wine substitutes will also do the tick.

📖 Recipe