Looking for a dessert that has the fun of a blueberry streusel pie, but without all the work of making a pastry? Well then, I have the dessert for you. I love this easy blueberry parfait which layers blueberry pie filling with streusel topping and then finishes it off with a white chocolate cream! Yum. No pastry to make and it has one of my favorite features in a dessert: it’s single serving, so you don’t have to share.
August is the month when I can’t eat enough blueberries.
Or perhaps it’s more I can’t buy enough blueberries. I go to the farmer’s market and can’t resist buying a container. I’m at the farmstand and more blueberries! And then there is the annual trip my daughter and I take to the ‘pick your own’ farm nearby. While we eat a fair number of them by the handful and I freeze some as well, now is the time for me to dip into my store of favorite blueberry recipes and also try out a few new ones since I know the fresh, local blueberries will be gone again all too soon.
Like my Gluten-Free Blueberry Peach Crisp or my Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Cake. Both are so good!
As for this recipe, White Chocolate Blueberry Parfait has been one of my favorites for the past few years ever since I read the recipe in my Fine Cooking Magazine.
Because how can you go wrong with the combination of blueberry pie filling layered with buttery, nutty streusel all finished off with white chocolate creamy topping?
You can’t! 🙂
There is a bit of complication here since you have to make each of the three layers and allow time to let each of them cool before you can assemble them. But all will be forgotten and forgiven once your spoon dips down into the cup to scoop up some blueberry parfait and the flavors explode into your mouth.
However, each step is easy. It’s mostly a matter of getting started ahead of time and leaving enough space in your day for all the layers to cool before assembling them into a parfait.
First Step: Make the streusel. If you like a more rustic and chewy streusel you can mix this together with your hands. I prefer mine finely ground which means it’s just a matter of pouring it all into a food processor and then pulsing until it’s chopped to your taste. Spread out on a cookie sheet, bake, stir a few times, and all done!
Second Step: Make the white chocolate cream. I love using the mini chips here since it saves a lot of the chopping needed to get the chocolate pieces small enough. I’ve made this with bars before and ended up with a grainy texture to the cream. Not good. Not completely bad, since it was still chocolate and cream, but not the smooth texture I was looking for.
Third Step: Make the pie filling. This is a simple matter of mashing up the blueberries filling mixture a bit, simmering it, and then (and here’s the hard part) waiting for it to cool.
Fourth Step: This one’s my favorite! Assemble the blueberry parfaits. 🙂 And eat them!
Shortcut: Top the parfaits with regular whipped cream and then just sprinkle with the white chocolate chips.
What are you waiting for? Blueberry pie in a cup! Now is the time to make it!
– Happy Eating, Annemarie
- ⅔ cup (3 oz) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats (not instant or quick-cooking)
- ½ cup (2 oz) slivered almonds
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- pinch table salt
- 6 tbsp (3 oz) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 3 oz + 1½ oz white chocolate mini chips
- ½ c + ½ c heavy cream
- 4 cups (1-1/4 lb) fresh blueberries
- 6 tbsp granulated sugar
- 4 tsp cornstarch
- pinch ground cinnamon
- pinch table salt
- 1 tbsp (1/2 oz) cold unsalted butter
- ½ tsp fresh lemon juice
- Make the streusel: Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 325F. In a food processor, pulse together flour, oats, almonds, sugars, and salt a few times. Add the butter and continue pulsing until ingredients are well mixed and finely chopped. Transfer the streusel to a large rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring a few times, until light golden-brown, about 20 minutes. Let the streusel cool completely before using.
- Make the cream: Place 3 oz of white chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Bring ½ cup of cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour over the chocolate; let sit for a few minutes, and then whisk until smooth. Once smooth cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour. When ready to serve, add the remaining ½ cup cream to the chilled mixture and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes.
- Make the filling: Put the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt in a large pot over medium heat. Using a potato masher or a large spoon, break up some of the blueberries to release their juice and cook, keeping an eye it and stirring often, until the mixture begins to boil, about 5 minutes. Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat so it's just simmering, and stir constantly, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter and lemon juice until melted. Let the filling cool until warm.
- Assemble the parfaits: Using about ⅓ the streusel put a layer of streusel in the bottom of each of four glasses. Divide half of the warm filling among them and scatter each another ⅓ of streusel. Divide the remaining filling among the glasses and top with the remaining streusel. Dollop each with the white chocolate cream and sprinkle with the white chocolate chips, and serve.
- To make ahead: The streusel will keep for up to 3 days if stored in an air-tight container at room temperature. The white chocolate cream can be made the day before and refrigerated until ready to use. The blueberry filling can be made in the morning and kept at room temperature until needed.
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