STORY BY SARAH HALVERSON
RECIPES BY ELLEN BOEKE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CARSON DOWNING
FOOD STYLING BY KELSEY MOYLAN
PRODUCED & STYLED BY SCOTT J. JOHNSON & BILLY JACK BRAWNER
Lovingly layered + jarred desserts that are delightful for a few or the whole crew.
There’s something special about having your own personal-size dessert, and single-serving glass jars are clever containers to show off the sweets inside. Each helping can be customized, leaving out nuts here or adding more whipped cream there. Serving is a snap: Once dinner is over, simply pass around jars and spoons. Or you can stack and share ’em by sending leftovers home with guests or dropping off a jar or two at a neighbor’s house for a pick-me-up. Whether it’s dessert for one or for many, these are go-anywhere, please-everyone treats.
I’ve made my classic lemon pie recipe for years, but it wasn’t until recently that I started sharing it by way of little glass jars. It’s such a simple twist on serving dessert—and such a fun way to give away a treat. —Jo
Berries and Cream Shortcake
PREP: 20 minutes
CHILL: 30 minutes
BAKE: 15 minutes
STAND: 30 minutes
MAKES: 8 servings
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1⁄2 tsp. baking soda
3⁄4 cup (1 1⁄2 sticks) cold salted butter, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces or grated
2 eggs
1⁄2 cup buttermilk, or as needed, plus 1 Tbsp. for brushing
Coarse white decorating sugar
4 cups fresh raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and/or sliced strawberries
1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
Jo’s Whipped Cream (see below)
Fresh mint and/or orange zest (optional)
1. Whisk together 2 cups flour, the baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Use a pastry blender to cut butter into flour mixture until the pieces are pea size. Lightly beat 1 egg; stir into flour mixture until combined. Stir in 1⁄2 cup buttermilk until dough comes together. If dough is too dry, stir in additional buttermilk, 1 Tbsp. at a time. Cover and chill 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scrape dough onto a floured work surface. Use floured hands to press dough into a 9-inch round that is about 1⁄2 inch thick. Use a floured 2 ¾-inch round cutter to cut out 10 biscuits. If necessary, collect and pat out scraps to cut more biscuits. Transfer biscuits to the prepared baking sheet, arranging them so they all are touching.
3. Beat together the remaining egg and 1 Tbsp. buttermilk in a small bowl. Brush egg mixture on top of biscuits. Sprinkle with coarse white decorating sugar. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheet on a wire rack.
4. Meanwhile, toss together berries and granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Let stand 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Coarsely break eight biscuits into eight 8-oz. jars; reserve remaining biscuits for another use. Top biscuits with Jo’s Whipped Cream. Spoon berries and juice over top. If you like, garnish with fresh mint and/or orange zest.
JO’S WHIPPED CREAM
In a chilled bowl beat 1 cup heavy cream, 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, and a pinch sea salt with a mixer on medium until soft peaks form (tips curl). Use immediately or store in a covered container in the refrigerator up to 30 minutes.
Tres Leches
PREP: 20 minutes
CHILL: 2 hours
MAKES: 8 servings
2 10.75-oz. pkg. frozen pound cake, thawed, or homemade pound cake
1 cup whole milk
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cup evaporated milk
2 tsp. vanilla
1⁄4 tsp. ground nutmeg or ground cinnamon
Jo’s Whipped Cream (see above)
1. Cut pound cake into 1⁄2-inch cubes. Divide cubes evenly among eight 8- to 10-oz. Jars. In a glass measuring cup whisk together all three milks, the vanilla, and nutmeg. Slowly drizzle over cake in jars, pressing cubes down to soak up the milk mixture. Cover and chill at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
2. About 1 hour before serving, invert jars in the refrigerator to allow milk mixture to evenly distribute. Just before serving, turn jars upright.
3. Top with Jo’s Whipped Cream. Sprinkle with additional nutmeg.
TIP: If the lids on your jars don’t seal tightly, put a layer of plastic wrap under the lids before turning jars over to prevent leaks.
Baked Alaska
PREP: 15 minutes
FREEZE: 4 hours
MAKES: 6 servings
1 10.75-oz. pkg. frozen pound cake, slightly thawed, or homemade pound cake
1 qt. desired-flavor ice cream, softened
1 7-oz. jar marshmallow creme
1. Using a serrated knife, trim off domed top of pound cake so the cake is about 1 1⁄2 inches tall. Cut pound cake crosswise into two pieces. Turn one piece of pound cake on its side and cut into three 1⁄2-inch-thick slices; repeat with remaining cake half. Using the bottom of a 21⁄2-inch-diameter jar as a template, cut slices into rounds. (Reserve cake scraps for another use, such as chocolate fondue dippers.)
2. Scoop 1⁄3 cup ice cream into each of six 8-oz. jars, packing gently and smoothing the tops. Place a cake round in each jar. Top each with an additional 1⁄3 cup ice cream, filling each jar to within 3/4 inch of the rim and smoothing the tops. Add lids and freeze at least 4 hours or until very firm.
3. Top ice cream in jars with marshmallow creme. Use the back of a spoon to swirl. Using a butane culinary torch, toast the marshmallow layer. Serve immediately.
TIP: We don’t recommend putting the Baked Alaska jars under a broiler. Going from the freezer to high temperature can cause glass to break.
Layered French Silk Pie
PREP: 30 minutes
COOK: 5 minutes
COOL: 20 minutes
MAKES: 8 servings
1 ⅓ cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 tsp. vanilla
⅔ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ⅓ cups heavy cream
1⁄2 cup powdered sugar
32 vanilla wafer cookies, coarsely broken
Jo’s Whipped Cream (see above)
Shaved semisweet chocolate curls
1. Whisk together granulated sugar and eggs in a medium saucepan until well blended. Cook over low, whisking constantly, until mixture reaches 160°F and coats the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat. Add unsweetened chocolate and vanilla; whisk until smooth. Let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
2. Beat butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high until light and fluffy. Add cooled chocolate mixture; beat on high about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. In a large bowl beat cream on medium-high until it begins to thicken. Add powdered sugar; beat on low to incorporate then increase speed to medium-high and beat until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). Fold into chocolate mixture.
3. Spoon cookies evenly into eight 8- to 10-oz. jars. Spoon chocolate mixture evenly into jars (or transfer mixture to a piping bag and pipe into jars). Top with Jo’s Whipped Cream and sprinkle with shaved chocolate. Serve within 30 minutes.
TIP: This recipe really shines with more whipped cream! Double Jo’s Whipped Cream recipe so you have plenty to work with.
Peanut Butter Parfait
PREP: 20 minutes
CHILL: 2 hours 30 minutes
MAKES: 8 servings
2 cups half-and-half
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1⁄4 tsp. salt
4 egg yolks
1⁄2 cup sugar
⅔ cup creamy peanut butter
2 tsp. vanilla
16 chocolate sandwich cookies with white filling, coarsely crushed
1⁄2 cup coarsely chopped dry-roasted peanuts
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 Tbsp. salted butter
1. Combine half-and-half, flour, and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook and stir over medium 5 to 7 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. In a medium bowl whisk together egg yolks and sugar. Gradually add about half of the hot mixture to the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly; return all to saucepan. Cook and stir over medium until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Whisk in peanut butter and vanilla.
2. Spoon half of the mixture evenly into eight 8- to 10-oz. jars. Spoon cookies and peanuts evenly into jars. Top with remaining peanut butter mixture. Cover and chill 2 hours.
3. Combine chopped chocolate and butter in a small saucepan. Heat over low, whisking until melted and smooth. Pour evenly over peanut butter layer in jars; use the back of a small spoon to smooth top. Cover and chill 30 minutes. For best texture, serve immediately.
Jo’s Lemon Pie Trifle
PREP: 20 minutes
BAKE: 8 minutes
COOL: 10 minutes
CHILL: 1 hour
MAKES: 8 servings
(adapted from Magnolia Table, Volume 1)
1 1⁄2 cups crushed graham crackers (21 squares)
⅓ cup granulated sugar
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
2 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1⁄2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
Jo’s Whipped Cream (see above)
Lemon slices (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl stir together crushed graham crackers and granulated sugar; stir in melted butter until well blended. Spread mixture evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool 10 minutes.
2. For filling, in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk. Beat until well combined. Add powdered sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice; beat until incorporated. Gently fold 1 cup Jo’s Whipped Cream into filling until well incorporated.
3. To assemble trifles, scoop about 3 Tbsp. toasted graham cracker crumbs into each of eight 8-oz. jars. Gently tap the jars on the counter to level out crumbs. Fill a pastry bag with lemon filling; gently squeeze about 1⁄2 cup filling into each jar. Sprinkle with the remaining graham cracker crumbs. Fill a second pastry bag with the remaining Jo’s Whipped Cream; squeeze about 2 Tbsp. on top of lemon filling in each jar. Screw on lids. Chill 1 hour or preferably overnight before serving. Just before serving, top each trifle with a lemon slice (if using).
