Last March, my sweet friend Dorothy from Crazy for Crust invited a few of us food bloggers over to her house for an afternoon of fun, laughter, and lots of sweet treats. We all love to bake, so there were plenty of desserts!
Eventually, we wandered out of the kitchen and towards the comfy couches. Amy sank down onto the sofa next to me and began flipping through Glory’s new cookbook, Glorious Layered Desserts. I gaped at every single page… I thought parfaits were only for breakfast!
Don’t laugh! Up until then, I had only seen (and eaten) fruit and yogurt parfaits sprinkled with granola, like the ones sold at Starbucks and in airport terminals. I spent most of my freshman year of college making my own in the dining hall when the “chicken” dinner dishes looked suspiciously unrecognizable.
I had no idea parfaits could be made sweet for dessert!
The following weekend, Glory hosted a launch party where she served four or five elaborate parfaits from her cookbook. We food bloggers barely moved 10 feet away from the buffet table and constantly helped ourselves to the different glasses. It was so tempting to eat my weight in those chocolate and peanut butter mousses!
While packing up our house last month, I started flipping through Glory’s cookbook again before placing it into a cardboard box with the other ones from my shelf. Realizing I hadn’t sampled a dessert parfait since June, I decided that needed to change, so I created these…
Oreo and Pumpkin Pudding Parfaits! Deliciously cozy with the flavors of fall, these sweet treats taste like pumpkin pie in a glass… With rich chocolate cookies. Does life get any better than that?
Although they look sophisticated, these lightened-up parfaits are so simple to make! You just need 6 ingredients and one bowl. That’s it!
To make the pudding, you’ll beat everything together in that bowl except the Oreos before chilling for a few hours. Do NOT skip the chilling step! It really helps the pudding thicken to a more custardy, pie-like consistency. If you’ll be running short on time the day you want to serve the parfaits, make the pudding a day or two in advance and simply store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Wait to crush the Oreos until just before serving the parfaits. This helps preserve their crunchy texture. Otherwise, the crumbs become stale and soggy while sitting on the counter or in between sweet layers of pudding, and that’s not the crisp textural contrast we’re looking for!
Tip: To make these parfaits gluten-free, look for special boxes of gluten-free chocolate sandwich cookies in your grocery store. Trader Joe’s sells them, as does Glutino and Newman’s Own. Safeway even offers their own Eating Right brand, so you don’t have to miss out on these sweet treats while on a gluten-free diet!
I found these cute servings glasses at Party City. They’re called Mini Slanted Tumblers, and even though they’re plastic, they’re surprisingly sturdy. As a klutz, I don’t have to worry about dropping and breaking any—always a huge plus! (Yes, that just happened to my favorite tiny white porcelain cup… So bummed!)
You want something that holds about 2-3 ounces—just a little bit bigger than a shot glass. If you only own larger serving dishes, that’s fine too. Nobody should complain about a double serving of dessert!
Lightly spiced and perfectly sweet, these Oreo and Pumpkin Pudding Parfaits are a fun finishing touch to any fall- or winter-inspired meal. As the weather started cooling down this week, my mom and I enjoyed a serving (or two) after dinner a few days ago, and we both scraped the sides, trying to sneak out every last bite.
We just might break tradition and serve these at Thanksgiving this year too!
These fun layered desserts taste like pumpkin pie in a glass! For a fun twist, try replacing the chocolate sandwich cookies with gingersnaps. The pudding will keep for up to a week if stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
- To prepare the pudding, beat together the pumpkin, milk, cinnamon, Splenda, and pudding mix for 2 minutes, or until thickened. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (If chilling longer, cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap.)
- To assemble, roughly crush the Oreo cookies. Divide half of the cookie crumbs between six 2- or 3-ounce serving glasses. Top with a layer of pumpkin pudding, then another layer of cookie crumbs, and a final layer of pumpkin pudding. If any cookie crumbs remain, sprinkle on top to garnish.
Notes: Non-dairy milk (soy, almond, rice, etc.) can be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
Wait to assemble the parfaits until just before serving. Otherwise, the crumbled cookies will turn soggy and stale.
{gluten-free, low fat, low calorie}
I’m new and like your site. Wondering could you use almond milk rather than the non fat dairy to make the pudding? Thanks
Thanks Anne! I actually already included a Note on non-dairy milk options beneath the recipe. I know it’s small and easy to miss, but hopefully that helps! 🙂
Ooooh I love the idea of oreos and pumpkin together! And they look so festive, perfect for halloween!
Thanks Julia! I hadn’t thought of Halloween yet, but you’re totally right! (So surprising, seeing as us food bloggers are usual prepping for holidays 2 months in advance! 😉 )
Is there anything that Oreos don’t make better?? I think not. They look great Amy!
Ohmygosh, SO true!! As long as I don’t eat the entire package first… 😉 Thanks Karen!
Mmm that looks amazing! So creamy and rich. Perfect use for pumpkin!
Thank you! It’s my favorite excuse to “eat my vegetables!” 😉
This totally needs to happen Amy!! I’m Oreo + pumpkin rocks!
Would you believe I had never tried that combo until now? Totally converted!!
Blog friends that share your love for food are the BEST! These look so dang good, and just in time for FALLLLL!
Thanks Brittany! It almost feels like fall here… Finally!!
It’s so funny that you mention you thought parfaits were only for breakfast because for the longest time. I thought they were only for dessert! When I discovered the world of breakfast parfaits, my whole life changed and suddenly my whole life was one big parfait! I LOOOOOVE these parfaits you made. They are so cute and I love the flavors and I want about 10 of them.
Thanks Amanda! I’d gladly share at least 10 with you. 🙂 It must be more exciting to go the other way, from dessert parfaits to breakfast. Because then it feels more like dessert-for-breakfast than breakfast-for-dessert, and since I’m always trying to sneak in extra desserts… Totally perfect!
Non-breakfast parfaits are totally a new thing for me too — I love this oreo pumpkin pudding version, is sounds delicious!!
Thanks Sharana! Dessert parfaits open up a whole new door in the food blogging world, don’t they? 🙂
That party was the BEST and I am so excited they inspired these gorgeous parfaits! I just want to dig in! Pinned girl!
Thank you so much Trish, for both your sweet comment and pin! That party was the best… And I SO hope you’re going to Dorothy’s again on Sunday!! I miss you!
Let me gets this straight, we don’t actually MAKE the pudding from the pudding mix, we just incorporate the pudding mix with the rest of the ingredients? I really don’t want to mess this up haha.
That’s exactly right Lucy! We just want the dry pudding mix powder to help thicken the rest of the ingredients and turn them into a more pudding-like consistency. Ignore the package’s directions and you’ll be fine! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of the parfaits!
I couldn’t find 7 g mines says 96g it was the smallest I could find how would I measure it out…
Oh my, I’ve never seen packages of sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix that are that large! 7 grams is about 1 generous tablespoon of the pudding mix. I’d love to hear what you think if you try the parfaits Marisol! 🙂