Peanut Butter Cup Trifle

I debated posting this recipe, because is not the prettiest dessert you will make, but it ends up being like a pudding version of a peanut butter cup that tastes lovely and very much like the candy. It will be a hit with children, and probably with the guys as well, but it's not a dessert I would pick for a fancy dinner party. Like a peanut butter cup, it is very sweet, so serve it up in fairly small portions to start. I made mine in a casserole dish, but if you want to up the "pretty" factor, I would go with a trifle dish so that the layers are visible, and a bit thicker. I took this one to my book club pot luck, knowing that the ladies would want small portions after filling up on all the delicious main course options, and I didn't want them to have to dig down for a giant scoop.

Peanut Butter Cup Trifle:
15 oreo cookies crumbled
5-6 peanut butter cups (or twice as many minis) chopped
1 package frozen whipped topping
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1 package cream cheese (brought to room temperature)
1 package instant fudge pudding mix1 cup cold milk

Basically you will be making two mixtures, a peanut butter one, and a chocolate one. The peanut butter mixture requires you to whip 1 cup of the icing sugar, the peanut butter and the cream cheese together until smooth, and then fold in half of the whipped topping. The chocolate mixture starts with whipping the remaining 1/2 cup of icing sugar with the pudding mix and the milk for about two minutes, and then folding in the remaining whipped topping.

The layering of the trifle can be varied to suit your mood. Seeing as mine was in a casserole dish, I used the crumbled cookies to make a "crust" and then sprinkled the chopped peanut butter cups over the top to indicate what the dessert would taste like. Having the pb cups on the top also warns off anyone with peanut allergies. As a trifle, having the crunchy bits in the middle would be nice, or you could put half of the cookie mixture and the chopped pb cups in the middle and put the remaining cookie crumble on top (it would contrast in colour nicely with the pb mixture). Once people dig in to the trifle it will end up all combining anyway, so have fun with it. Refrigerate for a couple of hours after assembling and then serve. Note that after a couple days of sitting the cookie bits will soften, so eat up right away.