Recipe: Candy Cane Gingerbread Trifle

This half-made, homemade trifle is bursting with all of the festive ingredients you could possibly crave this time of year: candy canes, gingerbread, cranberry sauce and lots and lots of whipped cream! Not only will it make an impressive finale to your big holiday dinner, it’s made with half store-bought ingredients, so it takes no time to assemble.

Ingredients

• 3 cups 35% cream, whipped
• 2 blocks cream cheese, room temperature
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ cup candy canes, crushed, plus reserve 8 whole
• 30 gingersnap cookies (about 2 cups), reserve 5 whole
• 1 can whole berry cranberry sauce (or homemade)
• 20-25 small gingerbread men and women, reserve 5 whole
• 1 trifle bowl (4 qt. volume)

Garnish options:

• Whole and broken candy canes
• Fresh cranberries
• Store-bought white chocolate bark
• Store-bought gingerbread cookies
• Fresh mint

Preparation

Add room temperature cream cheese to a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl whip 35% cream, honey and salt until stiff peaks form. Fold cream mixture into cream cheese in 3 additions. Next fold crushed candy canes into your cream mixture. Set aside.

Add all but 5 gingersnaps to a zipper seal bag and crush into crumbs using a rolling pin or the bottom of a pot. If you like a bigger crumb, crush less.

To assemble, set aside 1 cup of whipped cream mixture, 5 gingerbread people, 5 gingersnap cookies and 8 candy canes for garnish.

For the first layer take all of your ingredients minus the reserved ones and divide in half. Add one half of gingersnap crumbs to the base of your dish, next spread half of your cranberry sauce and then one half of your whipped cream mixture on top.
 
Then place all but 5 gingerbread people up against the side of your dish, pressing slightly into the whipped cream layer so they stay upright. Make sure to press your gingerbread people right up against the trifle glass so they are seen in front of all the layers.

For the second layer, repeat with remaining half of gingersnap crumbs, cranberry sauce and whipped cream, making sure gingerbread people are still visible from the outside of the glass.

For the final layer top with reserved garnishes: whipped cream, gingerbread people, candy canes, gingersnaps and white chocolate bark. Add some mint if desired and enjoy!