And oh so much more!

summer fruit parfaits with brown butter shortbread and coconut cream I howsweeteats.com

Tons and tons of fruit.

Chopped and lovely and just screaming of summer.

Also, a triple berry sauce. Made in 15 minutes. Eaten in five seconds. Isn’t that how it always goes? And fresh mint.

Helllllllo bowl of my dreams.

summer fruit parfaits with brown butter shortbread and coconut cream I howsweeteats.com

I’ve always really loved fruit – especially more than vegetables, obviously. And I’ve always craved it in the summer like many people do. But last year when I had a bun in the oven, I craved fruit like

never

before.

It was insane. It was, in fact, pretty much the only thing I craved. And it never went away! I’m still a fruit housing machine. Ew?

summer fruit parfaits with brown butter shortbread and coconut cream I howsweeteats.com

See that berry berry berry sauce? You can make it in minutes. It’s nothing new or ridiculously special but it tastes fabulous and I always forget how easy it is.

Speaking of berries, let’s talk about how the internet has ruined my life again. Okay, that’s rather dramatic. The internet has ruined my grammar life, that’s for sure. Since having a baby and finding approximately zero time to do anything productive, I have turned into the queen of forgetfulness, mix ups and typos. Oh the typos. On four separate occasions, I have written strawberrYs. And cherrYs. And blackberrYs.

Yes, with a y AND an s. WHAT. I know. I hate me too.

The only explanation is the internet and the phone and every electronic in my house.

Thank god I have not replaced “their” with “there” yet because I would SERIOUSLY GO OFF THE DEEP END.

I say this like I write some professional literary work of art.

HA. HAHAHAHA.

summer fruit parfaits with brown butter shortbread and coconut cream I howsweeteats.com

Loooook at this shortbread dough though. The vanilla beans! The brown butter flecks!

I can’t.

Oh but I so can.

Apparently I really can with the exclamation points today.

summer fruit parfaits with brown butter shortbread and coconut cream I howsweeteats.com

I realize that these look like boring fruit parfaits. They kind of do look like that. But they SO are not that. These are high maintenance fruit parfaits – just look at the recipe below. The shortbread isn’t just shortbread, it’s brown butter shortbread with lots of vanilla beans.

The whipped cream isn’t just whipped cream. It’s coconut whipped cream.

The layers aren’t just regular layers. There are actually lots of “layers” piled in that bowl, but they consist of fruit and crumbs and mini dollops of cream and berry sauce. It’s layer upon layer and I have to say that this whole shortbread crumb idea? Brilliant!

summer fruit parfaits with brown butter shortbread and coconut cream I howsweeteats.com

I was looking for a dessert recipe for the 4th of July. Like for myself. Like something different, but not TOO different, something with fruit and with berries and sort of light but also rich and good enough to pass for dessert. Something that my family wouldn’t look at and be like… ummmm what is this, it’s not chocolate. Basically I wanted a bowl of confusion, that’s what it sounds like.

No, but really, I wanted a slightly updated version of the incredible berry trifle my mom made for years and years. This isn’t exactly close, but it fits the bill. And it’s SO good. No excuses needed to make this. Do it because it’s today!

And it’s summer. And this is what we eat in summer.

summer fruit parfaits with brown butter shortbread and coconut cream I howsweeteats.com

Summer Fruit Brown Butter Shortbread Parfaits with Coconut Cream.

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Ingredients

brown butter shortbread

triple berry sauce

parfaits

  • 2 cans cold coconut milk
  • 2 peaches, chopped
  • 1 mango, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cups sliced strawberries
  • 2/3 cup blueberries
  • 2/3 cup blackberries
  • 2/3 cup raspberries
  • a few fresh mint leaves for garnish

Instructions 

brown butter shortbread

  • Place the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Begin whisking right away. Stir as it bubbles, and after 3 to 4 minutes or so you should see brown bits appear on the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat immediately and continue to whisk for another 30 seconds. Let the butter sit and come to room temperature – a softened solid. You can do this way before, just be sure the butter if soft.
  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
  • Stir together the flour and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time and the vanilla bean paste. Slowly add in the dry ingredients until just mixed.
  • Pat the dough in a 1/2-inch thick round on a floured surface. Use a biscuit cutter to create rounds or form them yourself – as long as they are about 1/2-inch thick. Place the rounds on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until just slightly golden. Let the shortbread cool completely, then crumble it into a bowl.

triple berry sauce

  • Place all the ingredients in a bowl together and stir. Let the berries sit for 15 minutes, then place the contents of the bowl in a food processor and blend until pureed.

parfaits

  • To make the coconut whipped cream, make sure the can has been refrigerated overnight. Turn it upside down, open the can and pour out the liquid (you don’t need it for this recipe, I keep it for smoothies, etc), leaving you with the thick cream in the can. You can use it like this and just stir/mash it with a spoon. Or! Add it to the bowl of your electric mixer and using the whisk attachment, beat it on medium-high speed until thick and creamy.
  • Assemble the parfaits with layers of coconut cream, shortbread crumbs and chopped fruit. I did multiple layers! Like three of each, plus lots of extra fruit and crumbs. Top with whipped cream, berry sauce and mint leaves.

Notes

[adapted from saveur]
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I appreciate you so much!

summer fruit parfaits with brown butter shortbread and coconut cream I howsweeteats.com

this is totally an acceptable breakfast.