Gingerberry Parfait (Vegan)
These seasonal parfaits bring together spiced ginger snaps, tart cranberries, and sweet whipped cream. They are dairy-free, easy to prepare, and a perfect addition to your holiday table.
These parfaits are a perfect combination of homemade ginger snaps, tart cranberry compote, and sweet whipped cream. The ginger snaps are loaded with molasses and warm spices, and the tart cranberry compote is a wonderful contrast to the just-sweet-enough whipped cream. These desserts come together with minimal effort and are a wonderful addition to any holiday table.
What you will need:
This recipe is all about cranberries and ginger snaps. Cranberries are in season right now, go grab yourself a bag. Store bought or homemade ginger snaps will work, what ever you prefer. All other ingredients are basic pantry items.
- ginger snap cookies – Please see my recipe for ginger snaps on the website.
- cranberries – I used fresh
- cane sugar
- cornstarch
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
- lemon juice – you could also use orange juice
- plant based heavy cream
- powdered sugar
- cream of tartar
- vanilla extract
How to:
If you are using homemade ginger snaps for this recipe, they need to be prepared first. Your cookies, whether store-bought or homemade, need to be roughly crushed. Set the crushed cookies aside for later.
Now, to prepare the cranberry compote. To a medium pot, add the cranberries and sugar. To a small container, add the water, lemon juice, and cornstarch; whisk to fully combine. Add the mixture to the cranberries and sugar, stirring until all ingredients are incorporated. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg to the pot, stirring to make sure all ingredients are well blended. Place the pot over medium heat and bring the cranberries to a simmer. Continue simmering until the cranberries soften and the mixture thickens. This process took me 8 to 10 minutes. Make sure to stir occasionally throughout this process. Once the cranberry compote reaches the desired consistency, remove the pot from the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature.
Once the compote has cooled, the whipped cream can be prepared. To the bowl of a stand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment, add the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and cream of tartar. Whip on high until soft peaks are achieved. This took about 3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and continue whipping on high for another 3 minutes.
To bring these desserts together, start by adding the crushed ginger snaps to the serving containers. I added about 4 tablespoons to each container (this was 7 whole homemade cookies). Make sure the cookie crumbs are spread out evenly across the bottom of the container. The cranberry compote layer is next. Divide the compote evenly among the 4 containers—this was about 5 tablespoons of compote per container. Make sure to spread it out evenly over the top of the cookie layer. Lastly, the whipped cream layer. Pipe or dollop the whipped cream over the top of the cranberry layer. Sugared cranberries and a sprinkle of cookie crumbs are a nice final touch to the dessert.
Store the parfaits in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve them.
Alright, let’s get started. Please make and enjoy!
Gingerberry Parfait (Vegan)
Ingredients
Ginger Snap cookie layer
- 6-8 gingersnap cookies – roughly crushed – homemade or store bought (please see my ginger snap recipe if you would like homemade)
Cranberry Compote
- 300 grams fresh cranberries
- 10 tbs / 150 grams cane sugar
- ½ tbsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp lemon juice
- 6 tbsp water
- ⅛ tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
Whipped Cream
- ⅔ cup plant based heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- 8 tbsp / 60 grams powdered sugar
optional decoration
- sugared cranberries
- crushed ginger snap cookies
Instructions
Ginger Snap cookie layer
- Prepare homemade ginger snaps or buy your favorite ginger snaps – you will need 1½ to 2 cookies roughly crushed per serving container.
Cranberry Compote
- To a medium pot, add the cranberries and sugar. To a small container, add the water, lemon juice, and cornstarch; whisk to combine. Add the liquid to the cranberry/sugar mixture and toss until all ingredients are fully combined. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg to the cranberries and stir to combine.Place the pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer. It will take 8 to 10 minutes for the cranberries to soften and the mixture to thicken. Make sure to occasionally stir during this time. Once the cranberries reach the desired consistency, remove the pot from the heat and allow the compote to cool to room temperature.
Whipped Cream
- To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the heavy cream, vanilla extract and cream of tartar. Whip the mixture on high with a balloon whisk attachment for 3 minutes. You want to achieve soft peaks. Once soft peaks are achieved, add the powdered sugar and continue whipping on high for another 3 minutes.
Assembly
- Start by adding the roughly crushed cookies to the serving container. I added roughly 4 tablespoons to each container ( I used 7 cookies in all). Make sure they are spread out evenly across the bottom. The next layer is the cranberry compote. Divide the compote among the 4 containers (ends up being about 5 tablespoons per container). Make sure it is spread out evenly and covering the cookie layer. Lastly, the whipped cream. Pipe the whipped cream (with the piping tip of your choice) over the top of the cranberry layer. Some sugared cranberries and a sprinkle of crushed cookies can be added to the tops of the desserts. Store the desserts in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve them.
