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Creamy Dulce de Leche Parfaits with Whipped Vanilla Mascarpone

Dulce de Leche Parfaits are an easy, elegant dessert that even kids can assemble. Use crushed ginger snaps for a warm, spicy crunch or chocolate sandwich cookies for a rich, creamy treat.

A few weeks ago my friend Ann from The Fountain Avenue Kitchen shared how to make dulce de leche in a slow cooker. I had seen people cook unopened cans of sweetened condensed milk submerged in water on the stove, but that method always seemed risky and awkward since you can’t watch the process. Ann’s technique uses mason jars in a crock pot so you can control the color and thickness by cooking longer or shorter. It’s simple and reliable, and the results are beautiful.

Gorgeous!

I made a batch (actually, I made it twice—testing is important!). With a jar of dulce de leche on hand, the question became: what to make? Then my friend Stephanie invited me to an online party. Perfect timing. Stephanie has refreshed her blog, Back for Seconds, and it looks great. Her photos and recipes are wonderful; she shares clever treats like a three-ingredient mocha fudge sauce, celebration Oreos, ice cream scoop cookies, and a healthier cookie dough dip.
Parfaits are ideal for a party: make them ahead, they’re easy to serve, portable, and not overly heavy like a large cake. At gatherings people often skip desserts that require cutting; individual parfait cups avoid that problem and encourage guests to dig in.
This recipe is very flexible—swap cookies to change the flavor. I made one version with ginger snaps and another with Oreos. The kids gravitated to the Oreo dulce de leche parfaits while many adults preferred the ginger snap version. Personally, I enjoyed both.

Dulce de Leche Parfaits

Dulce de Leche Parfaits

Ingredients

  • 1 can dulce de leche or one homemade jar
  • 1 (8 ounce) tub of Cool Whip or whipped cream
  • 1 cup crushed cookies (ginger snaps, Oreos, graham crackers, etc.)
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Instructions

  1. Mix the crushed cookies with melted butter just until the crumbs are moistened; set aside. Fold the dulce de leche into the Cool Whip or whipped cream until combined. Layer the dessert: cookie crumbs, dulce de leche mixture, more cookie crumbs, and top with a final dollop of the cream. Reserve a few crumbs to sprinkle on top. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Notes

You can substitute homemade whipped cream for Cool Whip if you prefer.

Did you make this recipe?

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© Karen Aromatorio

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I’m sharing this recipe at some favorite link parties and gatherings.