6.8ouncesinstant lemon pudding m ix2 - 3.4 ounce boxes
3cupswhole milk
32ouncesCool Whip4 - 8 ounce containers
16ouncescream cheese2 - 8 ounce blocks, softened
2cupspowdered sugar
2Tablespoonslemon zest
Optional Garnish
lemon slices
lemon zest
mint leaves
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F.
Pulse graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor until completely crushed into fine, even crumbs.
Add melted butter to the graham cracker crumbs and pulse several more times until fully combined.
Spread the graham cracker crumb mixture onto a sheet pan and place in the oven to brown for 5-7 minutes. Remove crumbs once they are toasted - do not burn. Set aside to cool.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and milk. Whisk until mixture thickens. Fold in one 8 oz container of CoolWhip and set the mixture aside.
In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in the powdered sugar until fully combined and smooth. Fold or mix in 2 - 8 oz containers of Cool Whip and 2 tablespoons lemon zest.
Build the trifle by layering 1/3 of the toasted graham cracker crumbs, then about 1/2 of the cream cheese mixture, 1/2 of the lemon pudding mixture, and another layer of graham crackers crumbs, the remaining cream cheese mixture, remaining lemon pudding mixture, and a final layer of graham cracker crumbs.
Mound the top of the trifle with big swirls of the final 8 oz container of Cool Whip (you may not use it all). Decorate with fresh lemon slices, lemon zest, and/or mint leaves.
Notes
To store, cover with plastic wrap or in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
You may not use all of the final 8 oz of Cool Whip to top the trifle. It’s up to you and your personal decorating preferences. I piped the Cool Whip onto the trifle with a decorating bag and piping tip #1M. Cool whip doesn’t pipe into crisp detailed designs, but it worked for nice soft swirly piled here.
Toasting the graham cracker crumbs isn’t necessary - it enhances their flavor a bit and gives them some added crispiness, but is totally optional. You can also add 1/2 cup granulated sugar to the graham cracker crumb/butter mixture to sweeten the crumbs up if desired.
This makes a large amount of cream cheese filling and lemon pudding filling - enough to really fill a trifle dish. You may have a bit of leftover filling mixture. You could also halve the cream cheese filling layer and the lemon pudding layer though you may end up with a trifle that is not filled to the top.