Brownie Parfait
Layers of chewy brownies and sweetened whipped cream mixed with cream cheese satisfies even the strongest dessert cravings!
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pecans
For the Brownies
- 8 ounces (weight) bitter sweet chocolate cooking bars, chopped into small pieces (I used Ghiradelli bittersweet baking bars)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup white, granulated sugar
- 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
For the Filling
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 - 1 cup white, granulated sugar, divided
- 8 ounces (weight) cream cheese
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
To Toast the Pecans
- Place oven rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. On a baking sheet, spread pecans in a single layer. Bake until pecans are lightly toasted and fragrant, about 5-7 minutes. Be careful not to over-cook. Chop when cooled. Note: Leave oven set at 350-degrees F to bake the brownies.
For the Brownies
- Lightly butter a 9- x 13-inch pan. Line pan with parchment paper; butter parchment paper. Set prepared pan aside.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt together the chopped chocolate bars and butter at 50% power for 1 - 2 minutes or until melted and smooth. Stir at 30 second intervals.
- Whisk the eggs and vanilla together. Add the egg mixture, white sugar, brown sugar, and salt to the chocolate mixture. Whisk to blend well. Add the flour and stir, just until blended.
- Add the flour and fold into the chocolate mixture, just until blended.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes. The top of the brownies will be shiny and the center will be set. Remove from oven. Set pan on a wire rack and cool brownies completely, at least 1 hour. (See Notes)
For the Filling
- In a large bowl, beat whipping cream and 1/2 cup sugar until cream forms soft peaks.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese, 2 tablespoons sugar, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Add the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixer. With the whisk attachment in place, whip the cream cheese mixture and the whipped cream on speed 3 or 4 until well blended, about 1 minute. Taste for sweetness. If needed, add additional sugar, up to an additional 1/4 cup. You want this to be sweeter than the brownies to add flavor contrast, particularly if you have used bittersweet chocolate in the brownies.
To Assemble Parfaits
- Set out 6 (8 ounce) glasses or dessert dishes of choice. The brownies and cream cheese mixture will be layered in the glasses.
- To Layer: Crumble the brownies into chunky pieces. Divide half of the brownie crumbles equally among the 6 glasses. Using half of the cream cheese mixture, spoon equally over the brownie crumbles in each glass. Layer with the remaining brownie crumbles and repeat with the remaining cream cheese mixture.
- Sprinkle toasted pecans over the top of each parfait. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving. Alternatively, these parfaits can be made a day ahead, then covered and chilled for up to 24 hours.
Notes
Make Ahead: The brownies can be made a day ahead. Store, covered, until ready to use. Also, I assembled the parfaits and stored them, covered, in the refrigerator and they held up great - no mushy brownies.
This recipe can be adapted in all sorts of ways:
- Substitute Blondies for the brownies. Use toasted macadamias and toasted coconut as toppings or as part of the layers.
- Use macerated raspberries, pulverized, then strained through cheesecloth as a sauce for the parfait. Whole berries would be pretty for a topping.
- Any soft bar cookie or dense cake could be substituted for the brownies.
- Use softened ice cream instead of the cream cheese/whipped cream mixture. Wait until serving time to assemble the parfaits.