Tart Cherry Cheesecake Parfaits
 
Prep time
Total time
 
Recipe type: dessert
Serves: 4 parfaits
Ingredients
  • 1 cup (8-ounces) mascarpone cheese or creme fraiche
  • ½ cup coconut solids, scooped from 1 can chilled full fat coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon lemon oil or lemon zest (optional, but delicious)
  • 6 graham crackers
  • ½ cup raw, unsalted walnuts
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ tablespoon butter or hardened coconut oil
  • ½ tablespoon water, more as needed
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 ½ cups frozen tart cherries
Instructions
  1. In a food processor, blend together the mascarpone cheese, the thick solid part from the chilled can of coconut milk (reserve the watery part for another use), maple syrup and vanilla until smooth. Taste and decide if you would like your filling sweeter. Add more maple syrup if you like. Transfer to a bowl and chill for at least 1 hour, or until it thickens.
  2. If using frozen tart cherries, let them thaw in a bowl at room temperature, reserving their juices.
  3. In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers, walnuts and cinnamon together until crumbled. Add butter or coconut oil and pulse again. Add a little bit of water until the mixture starts to clump a little.
  4. Assemble parfaits with graham cracker crumble, creamy filling and top generously with tart cherries and their juices.
Notes
These can be made 1 day in advance, just leave off the tart cherries until you're ready to serve.

To make these vegan: double the coconut cream (or use vegan cream cheese), and skip the mascarpone cheese.

To make these gluten free: double the walnuts and add 2 teaspoons of brown sugar in place of the graham crackers.

Make these thicker and more decadent: skip the coconut cream, double the mascarpone cheese, and increasing the maple syrup by 1-2 tablespoons.
Recipe by Love and Lemons at https://www.loveandlemons.com/tart-cherry-cheesecake-parfaits/