Yule Recipes, Day 4: Chocolate-Raspberry Cookie Trifle

[From The Pampered Chef® Season’s Best™ Recipe Collection (Fall/Winter 2010).]

Chocolate-raspberry ganache, white chocolate mousse filling and vanilla wafers create appealing colors and textures that make this trifle great for any occasion.

1 cup (250 mL) milk
1 pkg (3.3 oz or 102 g) white chocolate or vanilla instant pudding and pie filling
1 container (16 oz) frozen whipped topping (6-1/2 cups/1.5 L), thawed, divided
1 cup (250 mL) milk chocolate morsels
1 jar (12 oz or 250 mL) seedless raspberry jam, divided
1 bag (12 oz or 340 g) frozen sweetened raspberries (not in syrup), thawed
1 box (12 oz or 340 g) vanilla wafers, divided

1. For filling, in Stainless (4-qt/4-L) Mixing Bowl, combine milk and pudding mix; whisk until pudding mixture begins to thicken. Reserve ½ cup (125 mL) of the whipped topping in Measure-All® Cup. Gently fold remaining whipped topping into pudding mixture. Cover and refrigerate.
2. For ganache, combine chocolate morsels, reserved whipped topping and half of the jam in Small Batter Bowl. Microwave on HIGH 40-60 seconds or until melted, stirring after each 20-second interval. Stir until smooth. Reserve ¼ cup (50 mL) in (1-cup/250-mL) Prep Bowl for garnish.
3. Place remaining jam into another Prep Bowl. Microwave on HIGH 30-60 seconds or until melted. Place berries into Classic Batter Bowl. Pour jam over berries; stir gently. Set aside 16 cookies for garnish; break remaining cookies in half.
4. To assemble trifle, place one-third of the broken cookies into Trifle Bowl. Layer one-third of the raspberry mixture evenly over cookies. Top with one-third of the pudding mixture and one-third of the ganache. Repeat layers two more times, finish with a smooth layer of ganache.
5. Dip reserved whole cookies halfway into reserved ganache; place into top of trifle.

Yield: 16 servings