These Individual Fruit and Brownie Trifles are the perfect layered dessert, combining fudgy homemade brownies, juicy raspberries and a creamy whipped topping. Whether you’re serving them for a dinner party or indulging in a personal-sized treat, these mini trifles are sure to impress!
Swap in your favorite fruit, drizzle with butterscotch sauce or even add a scoop of ice cream for extra indulgence.
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Say it with me now: brownie croutons, brownie croutons, brownie croutons.
Chewy, crispy, fudgy cubes of bite-sized chocolate perfection. Toss them into fruit salad, skewer them on a stick, sprinkle them atop ice cream or, perhaps my favorite use of all, layer them with whipped cream and fresh fruit in these Individual Fruit and Brownie Trifles.
While brownie croutons have stolen my heart, the real magic of these mini desserts lies in the layers. There’s just something about the combination of dark chocolate, pillowy homemade whipped cream and fresh fruit stacked together that makes every bite irresistible.
If you’re wondering why you’ll love this recipe, let me break it down: it’s easy to make, totally customizable and perfectly portioned for solo indulgence (no sharing required!). You can even make the components ahead of time and assemble them just before serving, leaving you more time to enjoy your gathering.
If you love layered treats as much as I do, don’t miss my recipes for chocolate mousse cups, no-bake cheesecake parfaits and banana pudding shooters—each one a dream in every spoonful!
What Is a Trifle?
A trifle is a layered dessert typically made with cake, fruit, custard or pudding, and whipped cream. While classic trifles are served in large glass bowls, these individual trifles offer all the same delicious layers in a fun, single-serving size. Instead of sponge cake, I use fudgy homemade brownies for an extra indulgent twist!
- Homemade brownie layer: You’ll need a bar of unsweetened chocolate, butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour and salt.
- Fruit layer: I used fresh raspberries (chocolate and raspberries are my fave dessert combo!), but you can swap them out for any other berry like strawberries or blueberries, depending on what’s in season or your personal preference.
- Whipped cream layer: Homemade whipped cream is a must for that light, pillowy texture. It’s super easy to make (just heavy cream, a bit of sugar, vanilla and my secret ingredient, sour cream), and trust me, the homemade version beats store-bought every time. If you’ve never made whipped cream before, check out my homemade whipped cream recipe for all of my tips and tricks for success.
- Mini chocolate chips: These are purely for garnish on top of your trifle. You can also use regular-sized chocolate chips, chocolate shavings or even a drizzle of melted chocolate if that’s more your style!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
You have a couple of options when it comes to serving this layered dessert. Feel free to mix and match your serving dishes for added visual flair, be it a variety of wine glasses, cocktail glasses or even mason jars for sealable sweets to eat on the go. If you prefer, use a trifle dish and make one big brownie trifle for the perfect centerpiece!
No matter what you choose, there are three easy steps to making this recipe:
- Make the brownies. Start by making your homemade brownies and letting them cool completely. Once cooled, cut them into 1/2-inch brownie chunks. Need help with cleanly cutting your brownies? I’ve got you covered! Check out my post on how to cut brownies perfectly every time.
- Make the whipped cream.
- Assemble the trifles. Now, it’s time for the fun part! Layer your dessert cups with alternating layers of brownie chunks, whipped cream and fresh fruit. Garnish with mini chocolate chips and dig in.
Make Ahead Tips
These individual brownie trifles are perfect for prepping ahead of time! Here’s how I do it to save time without sacrificing flavor:
- Bake and cut your brownies up to 2 days in advance. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature to keep them fresh and fudgy.
- Make your whipped cream up to 24 hours ahead. Simply cover and refrigerate it. If it starts to lose its fluffiness, just give it a quick re-whip before serving.
- Assemble trifles just before serving to keep the brownies from getting soggy.
With this plan, you’ll have everything ready to go—just a little layering and you’re set!
Ingredients
For the brownies:
- 7 ounces unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 pints raspberries
- Mini chocolate chips, for garnish
For the whipped cream:
- 1 1/2 cups chilled heavy cream
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the brownies:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set it aside.
- In a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat, combine the chocolate, butter and water. Cook, stirring, until the chocolate and butter are melted. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the sugar and light brown sugar, mixing until combined, then add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix for 2 minutes.
- Add the flour and salt and mix until combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking dish and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a cooling rack. Once the brownies have cooled completely, invert the pan onto a cutting board and cut into 1/2-inch brownie croutons.
Make the whipped cream:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the heavy cream, sour cream, sugar and vanilla extract on high speed until soft peaks form.
Assemble the trifles:
- Fill each serving dish with alternating layers of brownie croutons, whipped cream and raspberries. Garnish each trifle with a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips and serve immediately.
Kelly’s Notes
- Feel free to mix and match your serving dishes for added visual flair—wine glasses, cocktail glasses or even mason jars work great! If you prefer, you can also make one large brownie trifle in a trifle dish for a stunning centerpiece.
- Make-ahead: Bake and cut the brownies up to 2 days in advance, storing them in an airtight container at room temperature. Make the whipped cream up to 24 hours ahead, covering and refrigerating it—just re-whip if needed. Assemble the trifles right before serving to keep the brownies fresh and avoid sogginess.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Nutrition
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Brownie batter recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens.
Hi!
I am
Planning to
Make 60 3oz shot glasses
So do I need 3x the recipe or 4x
Thank you
Hi there! It depends on how large you cut each the brownie squares :)
These look so fun and classy too! I would love to do this for a Valentine get together and wondered if there was any suggestion of how to assemble ahead of time? I am anxious to try these!! Thank you!
Hi Stacy! I’d recommend you prep everything in advance but keep the components separately in the refrigerator. Then you can quickly assemble them just before you are ready to serve them.
Can I make these ahead of time?
Hi Mary! I suggest you prep everything in advance and keep the components separately in the refrigerator. This way you’ll be able to quickly assemble them just before you are ready to serve them. :)
Cant wait to try.
Enjoy!
I love your site and recipes!!!
Thank you so much, Caroline! I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying Just a Taste!
Made these for a dinner party and they were a big hit! I “cheated”-used a gourmet brownie mix and cool whip…
I made these for a dinner party last night and everyone loved them! I made some with raspberries and some with strawberries. Both versions were delicious!
Like all .
Thanks so much, Kathleen!
What are the amounts of the ingredients converted into grams?
Hi Eleanor – I don’t measure my ingredients in grams, but here’s an online converter you can use to get the measurements: http://www.onlineconversion.com/cooking_butter.htm
when you say 9 in baking dish do you mean 9×9?
Yes!
hi! loved your recipe so i included it on my latest post :D check it out if you have the time
Made these for New Years and can’t tell you enough how wonderful they were!!!!! Used plastic champaign glasses and the presentation was beautiful. I gave you all the credit!!
Love it! So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Carol! :)
How far in advance can you make the whipping cream? Thank you!
Hi there, Julie! You can make the whipped cream several hours or even a day in advance; store in refrigerator. If necessary, lightly whisk again just before serving to re-stiffen.
I would like to make this for a progressive dinner. Will it keep in the refrigerator for 4 hours?
Hi there, Laurie! I suggest you prep everything in advance and keep the components separate in the refrigerator. This way you will be able to quickly assemble them just before you are ready to serve them. Hope that helps!
Did you use a 9×13 pan?
Hi Laura – The brownie recipe is made in a 9-inch baking dish, per the recipe above.
I made these for Easter dessert and they turned out lovely.
I decided to cut both sugars in the brownies and only used 1/2 cup of each. Otherwise they would have been too sweet for us.
In the whipping cream I added a tbsp of sugar (4 total) and everything came together perfectly. I’m so glad I cut the sugars because these were amazing as a result!!
I made this for my parents and me for Valentine’s Day and they absolutely loved it! The only difference was that I used strawberries instead of raspberries since my mother doesn’t like them. I cut the strawberries into thin slices for the layers and it turned out delicious! It looked and tasted great!
Wow, this is pretty impressive dessert!
One word…WOW!
What an awesome little trifle. I am loving those cute little brownie croutons!
My problem would that as I was cutting those bite sized beauties, I would be tossing them in my mouth as fast as I cut lol. This all looks amazing. Chocolate and berries are one of my all time favorite combos!
BROWNIE CROUTONS for the win girlfriend! These look absolutely delectable!! Keep ’em coming!
Brownie croutons…LOVE. Totally my idea of dessert!
These are amazing! I love the brownies “croutons” :-)
Kelly! These are so pretty! And brownie croutons!? Psssssh girl. You know these trifles are rockstars.
Brownie croutons! Yes!
Brownie croutons is genius!! These are gorgeous!
Brownie croutons!?? I need these trifles in my life asap!!
I hate sharing desserts too, I am so pathetic I mentally count how many bites the other person has had because I need me fair share too! These are awesome and so easy!!
Brownie croutons, love that. Beautiful little trifles that I will make soon!
Such fun trifles, love the brownie croutons!
I have never even dreamt that such a wonderful thing as a brownie croûton even existed…..genius! These trifles are such a visual treat!
1 – Neatest brownie cuts EVER.
2 – yay! I love trifles, they’re so pretty
3 – did you buy those glasses in NYC? let a fellow city chick know, I’m always looking for new prop places to explore :)
So beautiful!!!
Brownie croutons – genius!! Love these trifles!
Brownies, fruit, and cream! So good, I haven’t made brownies in forever!
These are so beautiful! And I love your brownie croutons. :)
You had me at brownie crouton!! I love it!
You are blowing my mind, brownie croutons?! Can I put these on a salad of chocolate and more chocolate?!
Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better after the brownie brittle, there’s croutons! Yes to brownie croutons! Always, always yes!!! Love this dessert!
Oh man, I’ve been dying for this recipe since you posted brownie croutons on Facebook!! GAH!