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Desserts

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Other than a few frozen treats in the freezer I try to not keep any desserts in our home. That way, if I want a dessert, I have to really want it enough to make it! A celebratory meal promoted the desire to make a sweet treat, but the heat made me really not want to bake a thing! Enter a couple of bags of delicious frozen Oregon blackberries, cream cheese, and some beautiful lemons to create this no-bake treat of lemon and blackberry cheesecake parfaits.
Lemon and Blackberry Cheesecake No-Bake Dessert | A Well Crafted Party
This post is in partnership with Oregon Berries. All opinions are my own. About Oregon Berries: The Oregon Raspberry & Blackberry Commission focuses on promoting caneberries to multiple audiences, and supports Oregon berry farmers by fostering plant research and farming education initiatives. Find Oregon Berry brands on the Oregon Berries website! 
While I can absolutely enjoy lemons anytime, and all the time, it isn’t the most Fall-like flavor. Now that the weather is getting cooler and Fall is firmly beginning to take hold, you may want to substitute the lemon for more fall-like flavors. Read on to learn how to make this no-bake blackberry parfait with lemon and a few different fun seasonal variations!

Lemon and Blackberry Cheesecake Parfait

The name parfait is from French meaning “perfect”– I can’t say that I don’t agree. This dish layers a mixture of delicious cream, jam, and curd to create a delightful chilled, no-bake dessert. Layer in some delicious sponge cake to make a tasty trifle! I’ve layered everything how it made sense to me, but the best part of a parfait is that you can switch it up as you desire! In efforts to make this dessert a very simple no-bake treat, I used a pre-made curd rather than making one. No curd available? Sub in a delicious jam!
 Lemon and Blackberry Cheesecake No-Bake Dessert | A Well Crafted Party

Layers of this Lemon-Blackberry Cheesecake Parfait

  • Walnut and butter crust
  • Blackberry Cheesecake Whip
  • Lemon Curd (this is where you can substitute any of your favorite fruit curds or jams!)
  • Vanilla Cheesecake Whip
  • Whipped Cream
  • Blackberry Syrup
  • Frozen Blackberry

Lemon and Blackberry Cheesecake Parfait Recipe

I made six, four-once parfaits with this recipe. Below are all of the ingredients, but again, this is something you can really mix and match as your tastes dictate! There seem to be a LOT of steps with this dessert, but they are all really easy and all-in-all are totally worth it!

Walnut crust:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions:

  1. Pulse walnuts, melted butter, and brown sugar in a food processor. Don’t have a food processor? Pulverize the walnuts with a mallet.

Need a nut-free crust? Substitute some ladyfingers or sponge cake.

Blackberry Syrup:

Ingredients: 

  • 1 package of frozen Oregon blackberries (I used the Stahlbush Island Farms Marion Blackberries which has 10 oz of blackberries) – reserve 6-10 berries for garnish
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/8 cup water

Directions: 

  1. Put water, sugar, and blackberries in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally so that the sugar doesn’t burn.
  2. Cook down and simmer until the mixture thickens. (About 10 minutes.) Continue to stir.
  3. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve reserving the liquid. Let the syrup cool in the fridge while you complete the rest of the steps.

Keep reading for the real secret to this delicious dessert!

 

Lemon and Blackberry Cheesecake No-Bake Dessert | A Well Crafted Party

Cheesecake Whip:

This part is my favorite because you are basically taking one step and turning it into three different layers!

Ingredients:

  • 1 pint of heavy whipping cream
  • 2, 8 oz packs of cream cheese (room temperature)
  • 2 teaspoons of vanilla
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/8th cup of blackberry syrup

Directions:

  1. Make whipped cream: Whip the heavy whipping cream with a hand mixer (or whisk) until peaks begin to form. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1/8th cup of sugar and continue whipping until peaks are well formed. Don’t overwhip as you’ll get sweet butter instead of whipped cream. Set aside two cups of whipped cream.
  2. Whip cream cheese: Whip up the cream cheese with a hand mixer or whisk until softened. Mix the cream cheese with the remaining whipped cream. Split the mixture into two bowls.
  3. Vanilla Cheesecake Whip: Take one of the cream cheese/ whipped cream mixtures add the remaining 1/8th cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix well.
  4. Blackberry Cheesecake Whip: Take the remaining cream cheese/whipped cream mixture and add in 1/8th cup of chilled blackberry syrup. Mix well. This mixture will be thinner than the previous mixture.
  5. Chill:  Place the whipped cream, vanilla cheesecake whip, and blackberry cheesecake whip in the fridge for 30 minutes before building your parfait.
  6. Build: After the mixtures have chilled, build your parfaits. Layer in jam or pre-made curd to knock this dessert out of the park! Top the mixture with blackberry syrup and garnish with frozen blackberries.

Substitute a pear or apple jam for the lemon curd for a nice fall twist to this dessert!

If there is a dessert on a restaurant menu that has lemon or citrus in it then it is a dessert that I will end up ordering. I am obsessed with lemon curd. So, when I received some gorgeous Cara Cara oranges and grapefruit in my Imperfect Produce order I knew I needed to make some sort of curd-like dessert. I combined my favorite sugar/shortbread cookie recipe with a bright and tasty citrus curd and made these delightful mini-tarts.

This post is in partnership with Imperfect Produce. All opinions are my own. Imperfect Produce is a delivery company that sources “ugly” produce straight from the farm and delivers it to your door at 30-50% less than grocery store prices. 

citrus tart

I hate to even admit this… but, this might have pushed lemon crud off the top of the list of dessert favorites! The grapefruit and oranges made a bright flavor that wasn’t quite as tart as a lemon.  You can absolutely make this in a large tart pan, but I made mine in my favorite mini tart pans (affiliate link).

Citrus Tarts

Ingredients for the crust:

  • 1 cup butter (2 sticks) room temperature
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2.5 cups flour
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp kosher salt

Directions for the crust:

  • Cream the butter and powdered sugar together with a hand mixer. Add in the vanilla, egg, salt, and flour slowly until all incorporated.
  • Shape the mixture into a ball of dough.
  • Refrigerate for 30 minutes
  • Roll out the dough about 3/4 inch thickness
  • Cut into circles and place into the mini tart pans
  • Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 12 minutes or until dough is just ever so slightly browned. Let cool before putting in citrus curd.

Ingredients for the citrus curd:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • zest of 2 grapefruit and 2 oranges (approximately half a cup)- I use my Microplane (affiliate link) to zest my citrus
  • 1/2 cup grapefruit juice (freshly squeezed)
  • 1/2 cup orange juice (freshly squeezed)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp salt
  • candy thermometer (affiliate link)

Directions for the curd:

  • (not required, but helpful) Blitz the sugar and citrus zest in a food processor to mix thoroughly. If you don’t want to do this step then make sure you are mixing it well.
  • Cream the butter with the sugar and zest mixture with a hand or stand mixer.
  • Slowly add in the eggs, salt, and juice.
  • Cook over low heat, stirring frequently until the temperature of the mixture gets to 175 degrees Fahrenheit. It took me around 13 minutes on low heat. Be careful to not let the mixture curdle.
  • Chill mixture a bit and then pour into the tart shells.

 

Chill tarts until ready to serve. Top with a dusting of powdered sugar!

 

A sweet treat with an Irish twist? These Irish Cream Truffles are easy to make and a tasty way to finish off a big St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

Irish Cream Semi-Sweet Chocolate Truffles

While I chose to go the semi-sweet chocolate route these truffles would be equally tasty with a white chocolate. You can make these adults-only treats using Irish Cream liquor or use Irish Cream coffee creamer instead to make friendly to those who do not drink. I chose to dip these treats in chocolate, but you could also roll in cocoa powder or sprinkles.

Ingredients:

  • 2 Bags of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
  • 2/3 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil or butter
  • 1/3 cup Irish Cream Liquor (or creamer)
  • Sprinkles (optional)

Directions:

  1. Put one bag of chocolate chips into a heatproof bowl.
  2. Slowly bring cream to boil (be careful not to scald) and mix in Irish Cream.
  3. Pour the hot liquid over the chocolate chips and stir until smooth. If the mixture is not entirely melted, then you’ll want to slowly heat the mixture in the microwave in 15-second increments.
  4. Mix in the coconut oil (or butter) until mixture is smooth and shiny.
  5. Pour the mixture into a shallow 9×9 pan or dish and put in the fridge to firm up for approximately 1 hour.
  6. Once firm, use a spoon to scoop out small quarter size balls of the truffle mixture. Roll into a ball using the palms of your hands. Note: you’ll get sooooooo messy! Try putting a bit of cocoa powder on your palms to help the process work a tad better. Set the completed balls of truffle mixture on a parchment paper covered plate and then set in fridge to firm while you melt your chocolate for dipping. If you are choosing to roll in sprinkles or cocoa powder instead of dipping, you can do so now.
  7. Melt your chocolate slowly in the microwave or over a double boiler so that it does not burn and coats nicely. I tend to put in a tablespoon of coconut or vegetable oil to get it a better consistency.
  8. Dip your truffle balls into the mixture and set on a sheet of parchment paper to firm. Top with sprinkles for fun!

This dessert is a classic candy with an Irish twist. What is your favorite dessert to enjoy on St. Patty’s Day? Comment below!