This dessert is luxurious, fluffy and so creamy!! Layered with a graham cracker crust, date caramel, roasted pecans, Chocolate Pot de Crème (like chocolate pudding but more of a French custard), whipped pumpkin Greek yogurt (tastes like pumpkin cheesecake), and topped with more pecans and fudge sauce! It is perfect for the holidays or an excuse to indulge.
Why is this a healthier alternative? Every ingredient except the fudge on top has no preservatives, additives, or harmful oils. If I’m going to eat a dessert, I’d rather make *most* of it from scratch or use brands that I trust with straight forward ingredients, like the good ole days when we used real sugar, cream and eggs. Using date caramel adds about 7 grams of fiber (3.5 per serving) which is amazing for 1 dessert! The greek yogurt has a lot of protein in it, which is helpful in stabilizing blood sugar balance and keeping you fuller for longer. This parfait is indulgent but also adds a little healthy twist. Enjoy!
Ingredients & Instructions for Individual Layers:
Date Caramel:
- Add 4 dates to a shallow bowl, cover with boiling water for 5 mins, add a pinch of salt & mix until smooth and sauce- like. I split the date mixture between the 2 parfait servings.
- Roasted Pecans:
- Preheat oven to 375 degree F, on a baking sheet add your pecans, drizzle on top olive oil, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice seasoning. Roast for 10-15 mins until golden brown.
Graham Cracker Crust:
- I used @simplemills Honey Cinnamon Sweet Thins, took 16 of those and crushed them using my pestle inside of a mason jar. Could also just use a rolling pin, put these in a ziploc bag and squish them. Pound until all graham crackers are a fine consistency. I used 8 of the Sweet Thins per single cup serving (or half the ground up mixture).
Pumpkin Greek Yogurt:
- Take 3/4 c of Greek yogurt, put into a bowl w/ 3 tbsp of canned pumpkin, 1/2 tbsp maple syrup, a sprinkle of cinnamon & pumpkin spice, mix until well combined. Add to a Ziploc bag, cut a small hole in one of the bottom corners of the bag. I use @painterlandsisters yogurt because it is the BEST flavor/texture I’ve ever had and it’s lactose free so it doesn’t hurt my stomach! If you’re a lactose intolerant person- I’d 10/10 recommend!
- I split the Greek yogurt mixture between the 2 parfait servings, each serving was about 10g of protein.
Chocolate Pot de Crème:
- You could use regular chocolate pudding (either one that’s already made, or a packet of pudding mix stirred and chilled), but I used a @petit_pot Dark Chocolate Flavor because it is the BEST type of chocolate pudding like dessert I’ve found. So creamy, very clean ingredients and it’s single serve! I split this one Petit Pot cup among 2 parfait glasses. If you do make chocolate pudding with a package- I’d say about 1/4-1/3 cup is all you need for each serving of this recipe.
Roasted Pecans:
- I used a handful of roasted, salted pecans that I made the day prior and broke them up into smaller pieces. You can buy a bag of roasted pecans from the store or purchase a bag of plain pecans and roast/spice them yourself- they’re super easy! Let me know in the comments if you’d like a recipe for roasted pecans 🙂
Hot Fudge Topping:
This I purchased from the store because I ran out of time BUT similar to roasted pecans, it is extremely easy to make some melted chocolate on-the-spot if you truly want to have everything from scratch. All you do is take some chocolate (I mix milk and dark chocolate), maybe 1/4c each, put it into a pot on the stove on low and heat until softened. You can add a little butter and a little sugar if you’d like to make it sweeter/creamier, but truly heating up chocolate chips is the easiest way to achieve a quick fudge(y) sauce to top this parfait with!
Instructions for Assembly:
- Grab 2 wine glasses or whatever cute, clear, glass is calling your fancy.
- In the bottom, pour 1/2 of your graham cracker mixture into each glass, pushing it down slightly to create one even layer.
- On top of that, layer 1/2 of the greek yogurt mixture into each glass. You could do the Ziploc bag method, cutting off the bottom corner of the bag and piping the mixture into each glass or you could simply scoop it into your cup with a spoon. Please note that in order to get even layers, the Ziploc bag method (or any plastic bag used for piping) is best.
- Sprinkle a handful of chopped or broken up roasted pecans onto the top of the greek yogurt layer, covering it entirely.
- Very gently, take your date caramel mixture and carefully spoon little bits on top of the pecans, using one finger to slide the mixture off of your spoon each time, as not to disturb the layer. Add 1/2 of the date mixture to each glass.
- Top the date caramel with 1/2 of your Petit Pot chocolate pudding or another chocolate pudding you enjoy. See above section titled “Chocolate Pot de Creme” for further instructions.
- Now comes the fun part! The very top layer of your parfait can look however you’d like! I topped mine with a few more roasted pecans and a drizzle of hot fudge sauce to give it that elevated look (picture at top of page), but I did my husband’s with more pecans because he likes the extra crunch. Get creative and ENJOY! 🙂
