Brownie Banana Split Dessert (1 recipe, 3 desserts)

I was trying to think of something to make for one of the ladies I work with for her birthday. I wanted something different but still familiar. 

My final result was pretty close to what I had originally envisioned - a dessert with the flavors of a banana split (banana, chocolate, strawberry) but yet textures that are nothing like the aforementioned classic treat. 

I combined a dense chocolate brownie, strawberry mousse, and banana whipped cream and made them into 3 completely different looking desserts - a fruit & mousse layered dessert, a banana split brownie trifle, and a really pretty brownie & mousse slice. 

You can make the recipe and decide how you want to serve it!

Brownie Banana Split Dessert

Ingredients

Brownie Layer

1 box Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix 

and ingredients to make brownie

Strawberry Mousse

1 small pkg Strawberry Jello (4 servings size)

1 cup very hot water

8 oz cream cheese, room temp

2 cups Cool Whip, thawed

1 cup strawberries, diced

Banana Whipped Cream

1 ripe banana

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Extras for different versions

Maraschino cherries

2 - 3 bananas, sliced

2 - 3 cups strawberries, diced

3 Tbsp mini chocolate chips

chocolate ice cream sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9 X 9 pan with parchment paper, spray lightly with cooking spray, set aside.

Prepare brownie - prepare brownie as per package directions. Bake as per package directions.

Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Prepare strawberry mousse - Whisk together the Jello powder and the 1 cup of hot water until Jello powder is dissolved. Let cool for 15 minutes.

In another bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth, scraping bowl several times. Beat in the slightly cooled Jello until no big clumps remain. Let cool to room temp. 

Fold in the Cool Whip and strawberries. 

Place bowl in fridge to chill for about 30 - 45 minutes - until set up.

Prepare banana whipped cream - In a small bowl, beat banana with beaters until no chunks remain. (You can also use a fork to mash the banana BUT beating it makes it much smoother!)

In a big bowl, beat the whipping cream with the sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Scrape the banana into the cream and beat another 20 seconds or so - not too long, you don't want to over whip the cream. 

Chill in fridge about 15 minutes to set up.

You can now prepare the dessert in any of 3 ways.....

#1 - Brownie Banana Split Slice

Cut the brownies with a round cookie cutter, Remove the rounds and place on serving platter. (Of  course, if you don't want to end up with any extra scraps, you can cut the brownies into squares!)

Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop out some of the banana whip cream onto the brownie. Top with a scoop of the strawberry mousse. You can decorate with a maraschino cherry, if desired. (Maybe even drizzle a little chocolate sauce?) Chill until ready to serve.

#2 - Banana Split Brownie Trifle

Cut the brownie into approx 1/2 inch chunks. Place a few chunks into the bottom of some plastic glasses. Top with a generous scoop of strawberry mousse. Then add a few more brownie chunks.

Top those with a generous amount of banana whipped cream.

Top with a single chunk of brownie, a few sliced strawberries, and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. Chill until ready to serve.

#3 - Fruit and Mousse Layer Dessert

In a glass bowl, layer some diced strawberries, then the banana whipped cream, then some sliced bananas, then the strawberry mousse. Finally top with some more chopped strawberries, a dollop of Cool Whip, and a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips (optional). This version is great if you don't want something quite as heavy & sweet as the brownie versions. 

Which do you think would be your favorite?

*Note* - have some patience when you are making this. Let the mousse and whipped cream have a chance to chill and set up - it will scoop out much easier. Plus, if you are one of those people that is able to pipe things nicely, you can even make it all fancy and pipe the mousse and whipped cream onto the brownie. 

I didn't do it BUT you can also just leave the brownie in the pan and layer the mousse and whipped cream on top of it then slice it directly from the pan when ready to serve. 

For tons more fun and tasty links visit these blogs - Jam Hands, Or So She Says, Ms. enPlace, Carole's Chatter