Cranberry Parfait

Treat your family to this scrumptious Cranberry Cheesecake Parfait! This no bake dessert is an irresistible holiday treat that you'll want to enjoy year round ... best of all, it's so easy to make!

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It's that busy time of year! My husband and I took a day trip to Philadelphia, where we ate the world's best donuts (among other things), and we also lucked into a pair of tickets for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater ... which was simply amazing! All in all, a great holiday weekend.

In between those two events, I came to an important realization. It was almost Christmas, and I hadn't had any cranberries yet. Deep thoughts, I know!

So I rushed to the store and grabbed a couple bags of berries to make these scrumptious Cranberry Parfaits!

You are going to love this easy holiday dessert! These pretty Parfaits feature sumptuous layers of cranberry sauce and a decadent no-bake cheesecake filling that will have you going back for seconds. The shortbread topping is the perfect crunchy finishing touch.

This beautiful layered cranberry dessert is the ideal holiday treat. They're lovely to look (very impressive) and taste amazing, but they're so easy to make (they can even be made in advance). Perfect for any Thanksgiving or Christmas meal!

Have I tempted you to try this delicious dessert for yourself? Then keep reading for all the details!

Ingredients

This delicious dessert uses simple ingredients you'll find in any store. Here's what you'll need:

• Orange - You'll use an orange twist for the garnish, as well as the zest and juice for the cranberry sauce.
• Cranberry Sauce - You'll need fresh cranberries, as well as the orange and some granulated sugar, to make the sauce.
• Filling - The no-bake cheesecake filling is made with a combination of heavy cream, powdered sugar, and cream cheese.
• Cookies - A cookie topping is the perfect finishing touch. I purchased my favorite shortbread cookies for the topping, but homemade cookies would be delish, too! Try it with my Cranberry Walnut Cookies or these Maple Pecan Cookies.

Tip: This recipe is also a great way to use up leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving or Christmas. Try it with my Homemade Cranberry Sauce, Cranberry Orange Sauce, Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce, or Cranberry Relish!

You'll Also Need

You'll need an hand or stand mixer to prepare the cream cheese filling, a medium pot to make the sauce, and four containers to hold the parfait. I used drinking glasses (similar to these glasses), but this dessert would look cute layered in mason jars, or for a fancier presentation, serve it in a pretty footed glass.

How to Make Cranberry Parfait

This recipe has a few steps, but it's easy to make! You'll find a detailed recipe card below, but here's an overview of the steps:

1. Make the orange twists. While the orange twists are optional, they are so pretty and festive! To make them, remove four long, narrow strips of peel from the orange (a zester with a channel knife makes this easy!). Working with one at a time, twist the strips tightly and hold for a moment. Set aside for later.
2. Prepare the cranberry sauce. The cranberry sauce needs time to cool, so make that next. You'll combine the cranberries, orange zest and juice (plus a little water), and sugar in a medium pot. Bring that mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until most of the berries have popped. Set it aside to cool before using.
3. Mix the cheesecake filling. Whip the heavy cream and powdered sugar together until stiff peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream to another bowl and set aside. Add the cream cheese to the same mixing bowl, then mix until it's smooth. Finally, fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese, one-third at a time.
4. Assemble the parfaits. Place a couple tablespoons of the cooled cranberry mixture into the bottom each glass or jar. Top cranberries with ⅛ of the cheesecake mixture. Repeat layers, ending with a cheesecake layer. (You will have leftover sauce.) Chill the parfaits until cold.
5. Add the topping. Before serving, break each shortbread cookie into 2 pieces. Crumble half a cookie over the top of each parfait. Garnish parfaits with remaining cookie halves and a citrus twist.

And that's all there is to it, your beautiful Cranberry Parfaits are ready to eat! Wasn't that easy?

This is the perfect dessert for all your holiday meals ... easy to make and sure to impress your guests, plus so delicious!

Tip: This recipe serves four people, but they're pretty large servings and this parfait dessert is very rich. You could easily adjust the recipe to serve six, or you could even cut the serving size in half, to serve eight.

Storage

These Cranberry Cream Cheese Parfaits can be assembled ahead of time, then refrigerated until ready to served (they'll stay fresh for two to three days). You'll want to wait until just before serving to add the shortbread topping though ... that way, it will stay crisp.

Related Recipes

Looking for more parfaits and layered desserts? Try one of these next:

• Yogurt and Fruit Parfait
• Tropical Breakfast Parfait
• Chocolate Covered Strawberry Parfait
• Dirt Cheesecake Parkfait
• Salted Caramel Apple Cheesecake Parfait
• Mango Parfait
• Layered Pumpkin Mousse
• Mixed Berry Mini Trifles

Is it cranberries you're craving? You'll love my Kale Salad with Cranberries, Cranberry Orange Overnight Oats, Cranberry and Brie Grilled Cheese, Cranberry Jalapeño Dip, and Cranberry Moscow Mules, too. And check out all my Cranberry Recipes for even more tempting ideas!

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5 from 1 vote

Cranberry Cheesecake Parfait

These Cranberry Parfaits are a beautiful, delicious dessert that's perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any time of year!

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time35 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, French

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 591kcal

Author: Ginnie

Ingredients

For Citrus Twists:

• 1 large Navel orange

For Cranberries:

• 1 (12-ounce) package fresh cranberries
• 1 cup granulated sugar

For Cheesecake Filling:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature

For Serving:

• 4 shortbread cookies
• 4 glasses or jars

Instructions

Prepare Citrus Twists:

• Remove 4 long, narrow strips of peel from the orange with a paring knife or zester. Working with one strip at a time, twist tightly and hold for a moment, then release. Set aside twists for later.

Prepare Cranberries:

• Zest and then mince the remainder of the orange's peel. Halve and juice the orange. Place juice in a measuring cup and add enough water to equal 1 cup.
• In a medium saucepan, combine zest, juice/water mixture, cranberries, and granulated sugar.
  
• Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until a thick sauce forms. Transfer to refrigerator to cool completely.

Prepare Cheesecake Filling:

• Combine heavy cream and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip until stiff peaks form. Transfer to another bowl and set aside.
• Add cream cheese to the stand mixer bowl (no need to clean) and mix until completely smooth.
• Using a spatula, gently fold ⅓ of the whipped cream into the cream cheese. Repeat process two more times, until whipped cream and cream cheese are completely blended.

Assemble Parfaits:

• Place a couple tablespoons of the cooled cranberry mixture into the bottom each glass or jar. Top cranberries with ⅛ of the cheesecake mixture. Repeat layers, ending with a cheesecake layer. (You will have leftover cranberry sauce.
• Cover parfaits and refrigerate until chilled.
• To serve, break each shortbread cookie into 2 pieces. Crumble half a cookie over the top of each parfait. Garnish parfaits with remaining cookie halves and a citrus twist. Enjoy!

Notes

Check out the info before this recipe card for more tips, step-by-step photos, and related recipes!

Nutrition

Calories: 591kcal

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