Well hello there November and hello to one of my theme months! This month we are all about the pumpkin and kicking it off with a pumpkin gingersnap parfait that will knock your socks off.
These pumpkin gingesnap parfaits are the perfect dessert for an intimate holiday gathering or party. And since I feel like so many family holidays will be smaller this year, why not fancy it up a bit? A nice individual dessert served in a fancy glass...who doesn't want that?
So, pumpkin gingersnap parfait...what is in it anyways?
This is a classic and simple pumpkin pudding layered with gingersnap cookies and whipped cream. Think banana pudding, but fall(ing) the sh-t out of it with pumpkin, ginger and all the warm spices we know and love. Much like in banana pudding with vanilla wafers, the gingersnaps in this pumpkin parfait soften to have a lovely, almost cake like texture.
Are gingersnaps hard to make?
I don't know. I don't have time for that at the holidays with everything else and all the holiday drinks I am sampling, so I buy them. And I have yet to find someone ask me if these are 'store bought' gingersnaps when I serve this. Mostly they just tell me how delicious the entire parfait tastes. These are the ones I buy - hold your breath for the shock - another Traders Joe's special from Kate the Baker.
Is pumpkin pudding hard to make?
Not even a little bit. If you like something sweeter you can use my pumpkin mousse from last year, but I prefer this pudding. The pudding is creamy and more dense than the mousse which I think goes well with the strong ginger flavor.
Pumpkin gingersnap parfait
Ingredients
For the pudding
- 2 tablespoon Cornstarch
- 6 tablespoon Sugar
- 1 ¾ cup Milk
- 1 Egg
- ½ cup Pumpkin Puree
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon of salt like a pinch basically
- ⅛ teaspoon of cloves
- ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg I use fresh and grate it myself, maybe eight grates
For the whipped cream
- 1 ½ cup of heavy cream
- a little powdered sugar I literally use like a sprinkle, but if you like your whipped cream sweet, you can use up to a tablespoon
- Gingersnaps I use about six of the small Trader Joe's gingersnaps in each dessert
Instructions
For the pudding
- Whisk together egg and milk in a bowl. Whisk together sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium heat and slowly pour in the egg and milk into the pan while whisking THE ENTIRE TIME (unless you like scrambled eggs in your pudding). Bring this to a boil and cook for 1 minute, whicking constantly.
- Add pumpkinand all the spices, salt and vanilla and whisk until totally incorporated.
- Return pan to low heat and cook, while whisking for another maybe three minutes.
- Pull off the heat and pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap (this will prevent pudding skin which, trust me, if you don't know what I am tlaking about, consider yourself lucky, cause you don't wanna see it). Put in fridge a few hours at least, until really cold.
- Make your whipped cream in the meantime. I feel like I don't really need to tell you how to whip cream, but in case...
- put your cold heavy cream in a metal bowl or your stand mixer bowl along with your desired amount of powdered sugar and whip with whisk attachment on stand mixer, or an actual whisk or a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.
To assemble the parfaits
- Take some of your gingersnaps (I use three at a time) and break up and place in the bottom of each serving glass or bowl. Top the gingersnaps with the pudding and the pudding with some whipped cream. Repeat in this order one more time for each dish. Sprink some gingersnaps on top to be fancy.
