Big Bowl Brownie Dessert
Every year, the hubby and I bust out one of our four grills, (I know, I know. Who needs four grills? Apparently we do!) and host a BBQ of sorts.
We decided to have the BBQ on Saturday rather than on Memorial Day to give us time to relax and enjoy the weekend. I don’t know about you, but I end up completely exhausted when I host a dinner and work the next day. There needs to be a day off AFTER holidays just to recuperate! I vote for Easter Mondays off!
Lately I have really been trying to keep family meals simple. If you recall my Mother’s Day Dinner at all, you remember that each dish consisted of 5 ingredients or less. For Memorial Day I decided to do a potluck to keep the wallet happy and also to keep the stress level at a minimum. I also chose recipes that I could either prep or completely make the day before the BBQ. This allowed me to have time to enjoy my morning cup of coffee on the deck and casually vacuum the house without running around like a crazy person.
Oh, and it gave me time to dress in theme and take pictures of myself.
What? You don’t wear patriotic pinwheels on your head? I blame it on being a teacher.
Just so you can mentally prepare yourself, I have to warn you that the dessert that you are about to encounter is addicting. Even when you are completely filled to the brim, and ready to roll over and surrender to the day’s gorging of food, you will eat this dessert. And then you will eat more. I’m not kidding.
I baked the brownies (which is a miracle in itself) the night before and prepared the trifle dish 2 hours before the BBQ. You can very easily make the whole thing the night before, but I was busy making my great-great grandmother’s Potato Salad and Poppy’s Cucumber Salad.
I have warned you. If you make this, you will not want to share it. You will want to hide it in the back of the fridge and eat it when everyone leaves. So just make two. One for your guests and one for you. I will not judge.
Big Bowl Brownie Dessert
Source: Betty Crocker
Serves 16
Ingredients:
1 box brownie mix
water, vegetable oil, and eggs as called for on brownie mix package
2 cups whipping cream
1/4-1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar (depending on how sweet you like your whipped cream)
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling (or any fruit filling)
2 Tbs. sliced almonds for garish (optional)
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F (or 325 degrees F if using dark or nonstick pan). Bake brownies as directed on package and allow to completely cool.
In medium bowl, beat whipping cream, powdered sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. In small bowl, combine pie filling and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract.
Cut brownies into 1-inch pieces. In 3-quart glass bowl, layer half of the brownies; top with cherry pie filling and half of the whipped cream. Top with remaining brownies and whipped topping; sprinkle with almonds. Cover; refrigerate at least 2 hours but no longer than 24 hours before serving. Store covered in refrigerator.
