Favorite Brownie Parfaits

September 26, 2022
Layers of brownie pieces, homemade whipped cream, and rich chocolate pudding from scratch combine to create pure chocolate deliciousness in these family-favorite Brownie Parfaits. Or, assemble them with non-dairy whipped topping and instant pudding for a quicker version. Either way, they're sure to be a hit!

Layered Brownie Parfaits in Stemless Wine Glass Image

If you're not a chocolate lover, kindly look away from this dessert. Because with their combination of brownie pieces, chocolate syrup drizzle, and rich homemade chocolate pudding from scratch, these family-favorite Brownie Parfaits deliver up rich chocolate deliciousness in every bite. In fact, they're practically a chocolate lover's dream.

Brownie Parfaits are made by simply layering brownie pieces, whipped cream, and chocolate pudding together with a drizzling of chocolate syrup in between. And oh my, it doesn't just taste delicious, those luscious layers are a beautiful sight to behold, too.

In this family-favorite version we use homemade whipped cream and chocolate pudding, while taking advantage of a boxed mix to prepare the brownies. But, you could certainly assemble them with prepared non-dairy whipped topping and instant pudding for a quicker more convenient version, as well. Or, make your favorite brownies from scratch if you'd like all the dessert's elements to be homemade.

But no matter what homemade versus convenience ingredient choices you make, these tasty comfort food treats are sure to please. Because with creamy layers of brownies, whipped cream, and chocolate pudding, what's not to love?

Brownie pieces, homemade whipped cream, and rich chocolate pudding from scratch combine to create pure chocolate deliciousness in these family-favorite Brownie Parfaits.

What's to Love About This Recipe?

  • Rich chocolate deliciousness - These parfaits' combination of brownie pieces, chocolate syrup drizzle, and homemade chocolate pudding has them delivering up rich chocolate deliciousness in every bite.
  • Creamy comfort - Creamy pudding and whipped cream surrounding gooey chocolate brownies means this deliciousness simply screams creamy comfort food dessert.
  • Eye appeal - Those luscious layers are a beautiful sight to behold, for sure. 
  • Loved by all - Brownie Parfaits are a family-favorite that just seem to be loved by all. I mean, with layers of brownies, whipped cream, and chocolate pudding, what's not to love?
  • Flexible in size - Use dessert bowls or cocktail glasses to prepare these in full-sized servings, or whip up shot glass-sized parfaits for a fun party treat. The size is up to you!

Bite of Brownie Parfaits On a Spoon Image

Brownie Parfait Ingredients:

Brownie Parfaits are created by simply layering brownie pieces, whipped cream, and chocolate pudding together with a drizzling of chocolate syrup in between. In our favorite version, we use homemade whipped cream and chocolate pudding while taking advantage of a boxed mix to prepare the brownies.

For the parfaits' brownie and whipped cream layers, you'll need:

  • Brownie mix + the ingredients to prepare the mix - A standard 18.2-ounce box of brownie mix is used to bake up the parfaits' brownie foundation. -- Choose your favorite. The ingredients to prepare the mix, as listed on the box, are needed as well.


  • Heavy whipping cream - The main component and base of the homemade whipped cream. Choose a dairy product labeled "whipping cream" or "heavy whipping cream," as they contain the amount of fat needed to whip into whipped cream.

  • Granulated sugar - Sweetens the whipped cream. Powdered sugar may be used in its place.

  • Vanilla extract - Flavors the whipped cream. Use 100% pure vanilla extract, rather than imitation, for the best flavor and result.

Brownie Parfait Ingredients Image

For the homemade chocolate pudding layers, you'll need:

  • Half-and-half - The dairy base of the pudding. A mixture of half heavy cream and half milk, half-and-half creates a nice rich and creamy pudding. Whole milk can be substituted and will still make chocolate pudding with a nice texture.

  • Baking cocoa- The powdered baking cocoa found in the baking aisle of the grocery store. Whisked together with the half-and-half, it creates a nice chocolate background-base within the pudding mixture.

  • Semi-sweet chocolate - Chopped semi-sweet chocolate, melted, and stirred into the pudding base brings rich, deep chocolate flavor. Look for baking bars of semi-sweet chocolate in the baking aisle of the grocery store, typically near the chocolate chips.

  • Granulated sugar - Nicely sweetens the pudding, dissolving in the pudding's hot mixture as the pudding cooks.

  • Corn starch - The primary thickening agent in the pudding.

  • Egg yolks - Brings added thickening and tender creaminess to the pudding. Using both corn starch and egg yolks, rather than corn starch alone, gives the pudding a lusciously creamy texture.

  • Salt- Enhances and rounds out the pudding's flavor.

  • Vanilla extract - Brings depth of flavor to the finished pudding. As in the dessert's whipped cream layers, use 100% pure vanilla extract, rather than imitation, for the best flavor and result.

  • Unsalted butter - Adds fat that smooths out the pudding, as well as brings it richness and a silky sheen.

Homemade Chocolate Pudding Ingredients Image

How to Make Brownie Parfaits:

In a nutshell, making Brownie Parfaits involves preparing each of their 3 components, and then assembling them in layers.

The 3 components to prepare are the:

  1. Brownies - Bake these ahead of time and let them cool completely.
  2. Whipped cream - This can be made in advance, if you'd like, and kept in the refrigerator until parfait assembly time.
  3. Homemade chocolate pudding - Prepare this just before you plan to assemble the brownie parfaits, allowing for a 30-minute cooling time prior to assembly so the pudding's heat doesn't melt the whipped cream layers.

Fortunately, 2 of these 3 parfait components can be prepared well in advance of assembly, if you'd like, so all the parfait prep doesn't have to be done at one time.

Whisking Homemade Chocolate Pudding Image

Once the brownies, whipped cream, and chocolate pudding are prepared, it's time to begin the Brownie Parfait assembly.

Start with a layer of brownie pieces in the bottom of each parfait's dish. I like to use stemless wine glasses or old fashioned (aka: lowball) cocktail glasses, but individual trifle and other dessert dishes work great, too.

Drizzle the brownie pieces with chocolate syrup, and then layer in whipped cream and chocolate pudding. I don't have a real steady hand for neatly spooning the ingredient layers in, so sometimes I use a disposable piping bag fitted with a jumbo decorating tip to pipe the layers in instead.

Piping Whipped Cream into Glass to Make Brownie Parfaits Image

Top the layers with a final dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of brownie crumbs. Then cover and chill the finished parfaits for 2-3 hours (or overnight) before serving to allow the layers to meld.

Brownie Parfait Topped with Whipped Cream and Brownie Crumbs Image

Recipe FAQs:
  • Can I make Brownie Parfaits in advance? - Yes, Brownie Parfaits can be made a day or two in advance just fine. We do not recommend making them any more than 2 days in advance, as the whipped cream and chocolate pudding can begin to breakdown and turn runny.

  • How long will Brownie Parfaits keep in the refrigerator? - Once assembled, Brownie Parfaits will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

  • Can these Brownie Parfaits be made with Cool Whip and instant chocolate pudding instead of homemade? - Yes, Brownie Parfaits can absolutely be made with prepared Cool Whip and instant chocolate pudding instead of homemade. While we especially love these parfaits made with the homemade stuff, they're tasty with the Cool Whip and instant pudding, too.

Check out these other super-tasty chocolate desserts:


Layers of Finished Brownie Parfait in Stemless Wine Glass Image
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brownie parfaits, brownie parfait recipe, how to make brownie parfaits, brownie trifle, individual brownie trifles
Dessert
American
Yield: about 6 servings
Favorite Brownie Parfaits

Favorite Brownie Parfaits

Layers of brownie pieces, homemade whipped cream, and rich chocolate pudding from scratch combine to create pure chocolate deliciousness in these family-favorite Brownie Parfaits. Or, assemble them with non-dairy whipped topping and instant pudding for a quicker version. Either way, they're sure to be a hit!
Prep time: 50 MinCook time: 45 MinInactive time: 2 H & 30 MTotal time: 4 H & 5 M

Ingredients

For the brownie layers:
For the whipped cream layers:
  • 2 c. whipping cream
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/4 c. granulated sugar
For the homemade chocolate pudding layer:
  • 3 T. baking cocoa
  • 2/3 c. granulated sugar
  • 2 T. corn starch
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 2 & 1/2 c. half-&-half
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate squares, chopped
  • 2 T. unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

Prepare the brownies:
  1. Prepare and bake brownies per package directions.
  2. Allow to cool completely.
Prepare the homemade chocolate pudding:
  1. In a saucepan, whisk together baking cocoa, sugar, corn starch, and salt until well combined and there are no clumps.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk together half-&-half and egg yolks until well combined. Whisk egg yolk mixture into cocoa/sugar mixture a little at a time.
  3. Place saucepan on stove and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly (this will take about 10-12 minutes). Boil for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat.
  4. Melt chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat (or, microwave about 45 seconds in a glass bowl).
  5. Add melted chocolate, butter, and vanilla extract to pudding; whisk in.
  6. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to cool for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally while cooling.
Prepare the whipped cream:
  1. Chill a large mixing bowl and the beaters of an electric mixer (or whisk attachment of a stand mixer) in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
  2. Remove from refrigerator and pour the whipping cream and vanilla extract into the chilled bowl. Beat on medium-high speed until foamy.
  3. While beating at medium-high speed, gradually add granulated sugar. Once all sugar is added, beat on high speed until soft peaks form.
Assemble the parfaits:
  1. For each of 6 individual cocktail glass-sized parfaits being assembled (*see note below), chop a 4x4-inch square of brownies into 1/2-inch or so-sized cubes. Place 1/2 of brownie pieces into the bottom of individual parfait glasses, dividing brownie pieces evenly between the glasses. Drizzle brownie pieces with chocolate syrup.
  2. Spread or pipe a layer of whipped cream over the brownie pieces in each parfait glass.
  3. Spoon a layer of chocolate pudding over the whipped cream in each parfait glass, dividing the pudding evenly among the glasses. (Check the temperature of the pudding before doing this. If it still seems hot, cool it a bit longer or it will "melt" the whipped cream. A little warm is okay, but hot -- not so much.)
  4. Top the pudding layer of each parfait with another layer of whipped cream. Then top the whipped cream layers with another layer of brownie pieces, dividing the remaining brownie pieces evenly between the parfaits; drizzle brownie pieces with more chocolate syrup.
  5. Top each parfait with a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle with brownie crumbs.
  6. Cover and chill for 2-3 hours (or overnight) before serving.
TRACEY'S NOTES:
  1. *The number of individual parfait glasses needed will depend on the size used. This recipe makes approximately 6 full-sized cocktail glass servings or approximately 12 shot glass-sized servings.
  2. For a quicker version, Cool Whip and instant chocolate pudding can be substituted for the homemade whipped cream and homemade chocolate pudding. While we especially love these parfaits made with the homemade stuff, they're tasty with the Cool Whip and instant pudding, too!
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Favorite Brownie Parfaits ~ Layers of brownie, whipped cream, & chocolate pudding from scratch combine to create pure chocolate deliciousness in these family-favorite parfaits. So good, and ALWAYS a hit!  www.thekitchenismyplayground.com


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2 comments

  1. These look amazing as always and featuring when my link party opens!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carol, thank you for the feature. We always look forward to linking at your party.

      Delete

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