“You know what ELSE everybody likes? Parfaits! Have you ever met a person, you say, ‘Let’s get some parfaits,’ they say, ‘___ no, I don’t like no parfait’? Parfaits are delicious!” And Shrek’s Donkey would be right. And it’s pretty hard to mess-up a parfait. Parfaits are almost always pretty. This parfait super light, because sometimes you aren’t up for a really sweet, heavy dessert. The pumpkin is very subtle, so even if you aren’t a huge fan of pumpkin, chances are you will still love this. There is no baking involved here, so you could have this whipped up in 25 minutes (plus cooling time if you prefer your parfaits nice and chilled). You can create more layers if you want, and even use chocolate graham crackers instead of gingersnaps to add more color contrast. Let your little baker give this a try. The 10 year old made this with just a little help from Dad. You will love this mousse-y little number.
Tip: If you are like us and don’t drink but cook with alcohol, you may want to omit the bourbon in this recipe as it is no-bake (weather it makes sense or not, we prefer to omit the alcohol if the dish won’t be cooked).
Give your 10 + year olds free reign to figure this recipe out on their own, with you nearby to help in a pinch. Allowing your children to experiment by setting them loose with a recipe shows them that you have confidence in them. In turn, they will develop confidence in themselves as they realize that they can follow directions and create without an adult hovering over them. It is also a fabulous way to let them learn skills like math and science for themselves.
Have your little ones help you crush the gingersnaps or graham crackers and whip the cream.
- 13 gingersnaps, chocolate wafers or graham crackers
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup plus 1.5 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- ½ cup canned pure pumpkin
- 2½ teaspoons bourbon (optional)
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
- 2¼ cups cold heavy cream
- Put 7 cookies in a resealable plastic bag and crush into crumbs with a heavy pan. Brush the bottoms and about 1 inch up the sides of 6 parfait glasses with the butter. Add a spoonful of crumbs to each and roll them around the insides of the glasses; pour out the excess crumbs and reserve for topping. Refrigerate the prepared glasses.
- Put ¾ cup confectioners' sugar, the pumpkin, 1½ teaspoons bourbon and the nutmeg in a food processor. Pulse until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Put the white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 50% power until melted, about 1 minute, stirring halfway. Add to the pumpkin mixture and process until combined. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Beat 1 /12 cups cream in a bowl with a mixer until soft peaks form; fold into the pumpkin mixture until smooth. Divide among the prepared glasses and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Beat the remaining ¾ cup cream with a mixer until foamy. Add the remaining 1.5 tablespoons confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon bourbon and beat until soft peaks form. Top the parfaits with the whipped cream, reserved cookie crumbs and the remaining 6 cookies.
Adapted slightly from: Pumpkin-Pie Parfaits
