Thanksgiving is, without a doubt, the most food centric holiday of the year. And, anyone who has ever prepared a Thanksgiving dinner knows how much work – and stress – is involved. We obsess over every little detail as we strive to wow our families and friends with our culinary prowess. But nobody’s perfect, and sometimes even the best-laid plans go awry. That’s when it helps to have a few tricks up your sleeve.
One year, my mother-in-law accidentally turned my oven on to “broil” while I had two beautiful pumpkin pies baking in it. As I sifted through the ashes of my poor, incinerated pies, I just wanted to cry! Actually, I did cry. But then my creative spirit kicked in, and I came up with this super quick and easy alternative using ingredients that I already had in my pantry.
Pumpkin Pie Parfaits with Gingersnap Crumbles are a riff on a traditional pumpkin pie. They have all the delicious components of the classic, with a fraction of the effort. The parfaits can either be made the day of or prepared in advance. Thus, they won’t take up valuable real estate in your oven.
The base of these parfaits is a cool and creamy custard made with cook and serve vanilla pudding mix and canned pumpkin puree. The custard is layered with freshly whipped cream and spicy, crunchy gingersnap and pecan crumbles. Despite their humble beginnings, they make a lovely and elegant holiday dessert.
Whether served in pretty wine goblets or funky vintage jars, your guests will never suspect that these scrumptious, little Thanksgiving treats didn’t take hours to prepare.
Pumpkin Pie Parfaits with Gingersnap Crumbles
Ingredients
- 1 package cook and serve vanilla pudding
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 batch gingersnap crumbles (recipe follows)
Directions
- Using the milk, prepare pudding according to package directions. Chill until thickened. When chilled, mix in pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. If you haven’t already made the Gingersnap Crumbles, you can do it now.
- Whip cream with sugar to stiff peaks. Chill until ready to assemble parfaits.
- To assemble, sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of gingersnap crumble into the bottom of 6-8 wine goblets, glasses or jars. Spoon a few tablespoons of the pumpkin mixture on top, and add a layer of whipped cream. Repeat, beginning with the crumble and ending with whipped cream until you have reached the top of the container. Sprinkle the top with a few more gingersnap crumbles.
- Chill until ready to serve.
Serves 6-8, depending on how big your glasses are.
Gingersnap Crumble
Ingredients
- 12 gingersnap cookies
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Put the gingersnaps in a zip lock bag, seal and pound into large crumbs. You should have about 1 cup of crumbs.
- Add the nuts, brown sugar and melted butter to the bag, seal and mix well.
- Pour mixture onto a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Break apart any big clumps. The crumble can be slipped into the oven with other dishes, or made a day in advance and stored in an airtight container.
Any leftover crumble can be used to top ice cream, mixed into yogurt or as a garnish for other desserts.
Filed Under: Cooking, Custards and Puddings, Holiday Dishes, Quick and Easy, Recipes
Interrupting Our Regularly Scheduled Programming For…Halloween!
Is This Pie a Winner?
On November 22, 2011 at 6:05pm, Rosa said...
A divine dessert! Perfect for Thanksgiving.
Cheers,
Rosa
On November 22, 2011 at 8:19pm, ciaochowlinda said...
Yea to you for saving the day when your MIL turned on the “broil” dial. You are inventive and resourceful. This looks like a wonderful dessert.
On November 23, 2011 at 10:21am, Susan said...
Why thank you, my dear!
On November 22, 2011 at 9:07pm, raquel said...
This one looks so tempting, delicious and I hope it will not hurt my diet lol..
On November 22, 2011 at 10:02pm, ninatimm said...
Oh Susan, this must be my favorite Thanksgiving recipe I have seen so far. Must be so creamy and yummee!!
On November 23, 2011 at 12:04am, ann marie said...
they look as good as my pie shakes.
this years no fuss menu;
escarole soup my dad already made
free range organic made in america lobsters
pumpkin pie shakes (butter pecan ice cream and a slice of pie with some half and half to make it churn)
all i really have to do is boil water and melt butter.
On November 23, 2011 at 10:24am, Susan said...
Good for you! I always forget that lobster was served at the first Thanksgiving. It’s certainly a lot easier than roasting a turkey - and more delicious too.
On November 23, 2011 at 6:03am, bellini said...
Canadian Thanksgiving was back in October so no stress until Christmas, but somehow I have avoided all cooking on the big day for years. How do I do that:D This dessert is a perfect ending and may very well steal the show. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Susan!!
On November 23, 2011 at 6:49am, Katrina said...
Gee, this sounds fantastic!
On November 23, 2011 at 7:35am, Amy (Savory Moments) said...
Looks so wonderful and tasty! This is a nice change to the usual Thanksgiving pies.
On November 29, 2011 at 4:38pm, Suze said...
I really wanted to like this recipe, but in the end I was underwhelmed.
I thought the pumpkin pudding had a odd mouth feel to it. That may have been my problem because I am not used to cooked puddings, and I used 1% milk. The box warned that the texture would be different, and it was. The dense feel I was hoping for was not there. The taste of the pumpkin pudding was not quite what I expected, either. It was not as sweet as I thought it should be, and I added 2 T of brown sugar, hoping to amp up the flavor. Didn’t really work. Are instant puddings sweeter than cooked? Could it have been the canned pumpkin? I don’t know-I used Farmer’s Market organic. Regardless, the pudding just didn’t sing for me or my family.
The gingersnap crumbles were fabulous, though, and I can see making them again. They would make a great crust for a pumpkin cheesecake, I’m thinking…
On December 02, 2011 at 8:06am, patsyk said...
now, I’m not a fan of pumpkin pie… love the flavor, but not the crust… so, these sound like a perfect way to replace the pie on my table! yum!
On December 06, 2011 at 2:17pm, Rita - Cake Pops said...
I love this time of the year since I love anything with pumpkin in it especially treats like pumpkin pie. This sounds like such a sweet recipe to try out.