Oreo Brownie Banana Caramel Trifle – layers of rich, dark chocolate brownie, banana cream filling, salted caramel, Oreo pie crust, Oreos and whipped cream.
Cafe Montana
One of my favorite restaurants to visit growing up was Cafe Montana. Located in the heart of Santa Monica, Cafe Montana was a must visit any time we had a girls’ day in the area. I typically ordered the same salad every visit and we always ordered the same desserts: a molasses cookie and an Oreo brownie banana cream pie.
Oh. My. Goodness. That Oreo brownie banana cream pie was, and still is, one of my favorite desserts EVER! It was made up of an Oreo pie crust and then filled with layers of banana cream filling, brownies, fudge and topped with whipped cream. Basically what dreams are made of.
Cafe Montana closed down a few years ago and I’ve never been able to find the recipe to that epic dessert.
Oreo Brownie Banana Caramel Trifle
I simply decided, however, that I couldn’t live my life anymore without this dessert! So a couple weeks ago I called my mom and we dissected the dessert the best we could between our two memories so that I could recreate it – and now here we are!
Note: I did a mix of store-bought and homemade items for this trifle. Feel free to replace the store-bought elements with your favorite homemade recipes, or use all store-bought items to keep it super easy. Either way, this trifle will be delicious!
Oreo Pie Crust
First up, the Oreo pie crust. This was an element I decided to grab from the store. I bought two Oreo pie crusts in the baking aisle and crumbled them up in a bowl, being sure to leave some chunks. The store-bought Oreo pie crusts are thinner than ones I’ve made from scratch. If you’re using a from-scratch recipe, and the crust is pretty thick, I think you’ll only need one batch.
Brownies
For the brownies, I also used a store-bought brownie mix – Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Brownie Mix to be exact. While I’ve tried dozens of brownie recipes over the years, I’ve never loved one as much as I love the Ghirardelli mix. And from the sound of it, many of you agree!
However, I am totally open to finding a from-scratch brownie recipe that I love. In fact, I’m on a mission to find it. Yesterday we just whipped up Two Peas and Their Pod One Bowl Brownies and they were delish!
I’ll be trying several more of your brownie recipe suggestions over the coming weeks and months, and will keep you posted on what I decide is my new favorite.
Feel free to use your favorite brownie recipe in place of the box mix.
Banana Cream Filling
For the filling, I made my Banana Cream Filling from my Banana Cream Cake. It’s a copycat Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding recipe and it’s to-die-for. I doubled the recipe from the cake version and added fresh bananas.
This is a great element to make ahead of time, but don’t add the bananas until you’re ready to assemble. Bananas easily brown.
Salted Caramel
I also used the salted caramel recipe from my Banana Cream Cake, but you can totally use a store-bought caramel sauce. You’re not using much. It’s just a drizzle to give the trifle a bit of saltiness.
Whipped Cream
The whipped cream is one element I think is way better when made from scratch. It’s just thicker and creamier than anything you can buy in the store. I suggest making the whipped cream right before you’re ready to assemble.
Trifle
Instead of using a pie dish, I decided to stack all the elements in a trifle bowl. It’s just so easy and makes the whole assembly process super quick.
Assembly
This dessert is not only easy to make, but it’s also incredibly easy and fast to assemble. I have all the directions in the recipe below, but thought I’d link my Instagram IGTV in case you’re a more visual learner.
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Oreo Brownie Banana Caramel Trifle
Ingredients
FOR THE BROWNIES
- 2 boxes Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Brownie Mix
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup (150 g) vegetable, canola or coconut oil
- 1/1 cup (120 g) water
FOR THE BANANA CREAM FILLING
- 1 box (3.5 oz.) instant banana pudding mix
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup (250 g) milk
- 2 1/2 cups (570 g) heavy whipping cream
- 2 large bananas
FOR THE OREO CRUST
- 2 pre-made Oreo pie crusts
- 10 Oreos
FOR THE SALTED CARAMEL
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 4 tbsp. (60 g) water
- 2 tsp. (10 g) corn syrup
- 1 tsp. (4 g) vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. (5.5 g) salt
- 1/4 cup (57 g) heavy whipping cream
FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM
- 3 cups (690 g) heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup (125 g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
GARNISH
- Oreos
Instructions
FOR THE BROWNIES
- Follow the instructions on the back of the brownie box and bake in a 9"x13" baking pan for about 40 to 45 minutes.
FOR THE BANANA CREAM FILLING
- Mix the pudding mix, sweetened condensed milk and milk in a bowl until well blended, about two minutes. Transfer the mixture to a shallow dish, cover, and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours.
- Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. When the pudding is set, fold it into the whipped cream in small batches. Carefully fold in all of the pudding until it is completely blended with the cream.
- Cover and refrigerate until you're ready to build the trifle. This step can be done a couple days in advance. Add the bananas right before you assemble the trifle.
FOR THE OREO CRUST
- Crush the Oreos and then gently break up the Oreo crusts. Stir to combine the two in a medium bowl. Set aside.
FOR THE SALTED CARAMEL
- In a small sauce pan, over medium heat, combine the sugar, water and corn syrup. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, but do not stir. Cook until the mixture caramelizes into the beautiful golden brown color. It happens quickly once the sugar starts browning, so don't walk away from the stove during this step.
- While the caramel is cooking, heat the heavy cream for 30 seconds.
- Remove the caramelized sugar syrup from the heat and mix in the vanilla and salt. Add the warm cream SLOWLY, while mixing. Add a bit more and mix that in. Continue mixing in the cream a little bit at a time at first, and then you can start adding more and more as you go along. Cool completely before using.
FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the heavy cream and the powdered sugar. Mix on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Best to do right before assembly.
ASSEMBLY
- I recommend doing the assembly just a few hours before you want to serve the trifle. If you make the trifle too far in advance, the pie crust and Oreo elements will get soggy.
- Divide the brownies in half. Crumble one half of the brownies and layer them on the bottom of a trifle bowl.
- Measure 2 cups of the banana cream filling and spread the filling over the brownie layer. Make sure to spread the filling all the way to the sides of the bowl.
- Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of caramel sauce on the banana filling.
- Crumble about half of the Oreo crust and Oreos on top of the filling and caramel.
- Measure 2 cups of the whipped cream and spread gently on the Oreo crust.
- Repeat these steps for a second layer of each element, finishing with the whipped cream.
- Garnish with pie crust crumbs, Oreos and caramel sauce.
- Refrigerate until you're ready to serve.
If i didnt want to pit this in a trifle bowl (for easier serving) what do you recommend? Would it fit in a glass 13×9 say?
Yes, but you’ll only do one layer of everything.
This looks amazing and I am dying to try it! What size of trifle dish did you use?
It is the 128oz trifle dish from Target!
Amazing!
I will attempt to pull this wonder off and give you feedback.
Thanks for this amazing recipe.
Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe. I really going to lay my hand on it. I hope you will be good for any further detailing?
This trifle is amazing!! Feels like a very fancy dessert with all of the layers, but they all come together fairly easily and the result is delicious! Definitely would recommend making homemade caramel if possible. I made this for a Friendsgiving and everyone loved it!