Anna DeGoede/The Hofstra Chronicle

In my family, every time someone has a birthday, they’re allowed to pick the dessert item they want to top off the evening. However, I’ve recently strayed away from the norm and branched off into trifles. These multi-layered desserts are a great way to combine many spectacular dessert genres into one delicious treat.

We tried this trifle over the summer for my birthday. It’s very, very sweet but also quite customizable. For a more personalized take on this dessert, you can vary the pudding and Oreo flavors – I chose mint Oreos, Oreo pudding and Funfetti brownies. Recipe adapted from Culinary Hill.

Ingredients:

Brownie mix:

1 (20 ounce ) package brownie mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon water

Pudding mix:

1 3.5 ounce package instant pudding mix of choice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup water

1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

For the trifle:

1 16 ounce container frozen whipped cream thawed, divided

12 Oreos, crumbled

Instructions:

Follow the instructions on the brownie box to bake the brownies, then let cool and cut into one-inch squares.

Mix the pudding mix, vanilla, water and sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl until smooth. Then, fold in half of the whipped cream until combined.

In a trifle bowl or large serving dish, place half of each component (brownies, pudding and remaining whipped cream) in layers. Repeat one more layer, then garnish with crumbled Oreo cookies.

Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.