Buckeye Brownie Trifle

Layers of fudgy brownie, peanut butter cheesecake, chocolate pudding, buckeyes, and whipped topping make this Buckeye Brownie Trifle worthy of prime time.

Jump to recipe

Week two of the 2026 Buckeye Football Season and we are already on the road to a big game versus #5 Texas. It’s hard to feel confident on predicting the outcome of this game so I am just hoping for a good game. Even though the Buckeyes are ranked #1 many commentators have chosen Texas to win by a narrow margin.

Naturally that means I am going to see some comfort food to make it through was is expected to be a close game. Enter the Buckeye brownie trifle with layers of fudgy brownie pieces, peanut butter cheesecake-like filling, chocolate pudding, chopped buckeyes, and whipped topping.

It felt very sacrilege to chop up hand made Buckeye candies but I wasn’t about to use a cheaper and less delicious kind – not at the risk of making a sub-par brownie trifle. I actually used some of my most recent crunchy buckeyes for this creation but you could use the classic or any other variety you prefer.

You could also make your brownies, chocolate pudding, and/or whipped topping from scratch instead of from a box but sometimes it’s nice to have a decant and easy halfway homemade dessert option. Literally, not including the brownie mix additions, you only need seven ingredients to make this beautiful thing.

Would it have looked a little prettier with cleaner, thicker layers if I have only done two layers of each instead of three? Yes, but then you would have to dig really deep to make sure you got every layer.

I brought this to a Tailgate themed pot luck at work, celebrating the start of the Buckeyes football season, so I wanted to make sure everyone was able to get every component even if they only took a smaller portion. Considering how well demolished it was despite all the other sweets available I would say it was a success.

• Four years ago: Italian Braised Beef with Parmesan Polenta
• Five years ago: Whipped Feta with Honey
• Six years ago: Buckeye Milkshake
• Eight years ago: Gluten-Free White Chocolate Covered Strawberry Vanilla Wedding Cake
• Ten years ago: Grilled Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Eleven years ago: White Chocolate Peanut Butter Milkshakes
• Twelve years ago: Bacon Wrapped Mac & Cheese Jalapeno Poppers
• Fourteen years ago: Carrot Cake Batter Dip
• Fifteen years ago: Strawberry Mojito

BUCKEYE BROWNIE TRIFFLE

Print

Yield: 24 Servings Prep Time: 25 Minutes Cooking Time: 45 Minutes 45 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 (18.4 oz.) box brownie mix, plus ingredients on box to prepare
• 1 (3.4 oz.) box of instant chocolate pudding mix
• 2 cups cold milk
• 16 ounces whipped topping, divided
• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 12 oz. Buckeye candies, chopped + 8 whole for garnish

Directions

1. Prepare and bake the brownie s according to the directions on the box. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Once cooled, cut into 1-inch squares; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, prepared the chocolate pudding according to the directions on the box (using the 2 cups of cold milk). Place in fridge until ready to use.
3. In a large bowl, blend together the cream cheese and peanut butter until smooth. Carefully fold in 8 ounces of the whipped topping until incorporated.
4. To assemble, place 1/3 of the brownie pieces in the bottom of a trifle dish. Spoon 1/3 of the cream cheese filling on top, spreading with an off-set spatula, followed by 1/3 of the pudding. Sprinkle 1/3 of the chopped Buckeyes on top and spoon and spread 1/3 of the remaining whipped topping. Repeat the layers two more times, leaving a rim around the edges for the final layer of whipped topping. Garnish with whole Buckeye candies and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Source: Adapted from Tastes of Lizzy T.