This is one of the easiest desserts to make and they make such a big impact. My mini fruit parfaits are adorable to look at, and really are fabulous served on trays at a buffet. I make these for “girls only” celebrations… for some reason, guys can’t get behind how tiny they are (LOL) I’ve heard things like “what’s the point?”. Hysterical!
This is the ultimate dessert if you want to have a little portion control built in. I made these for my Mother’s Day Finger Food Brunch and they were a big hit. Everything was small and dainty and you could just pick and choose what you wanted. You can make these hours in advance and just keep in the fridge. Use any berries or cut up fruit that you like (just chop it up small). You may want to check out my Cottage Cheese Filled Strawberries and Mini Cheesecake Tarts with Fruit if you are looking for petite desserts.
Ingredients
- 2 Graham Cracker sheets, crushed
- 4 oz. Mascarpone
- 2 tablespoons of sugar plus more as needed
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 large kiwi, peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup raspberries, cut in half
- 1/4 cup blueberries
What you’ll need to assemble and present these fruit parfaits
- A pastry bag will make filling these little cups very easy. While you can use a small spoon, the piping bag will make this an easy and “clean” job.
- Mini dessert cups with spoons. I got these little cups and spoons which are perfect for these petite desserts. I use them for all kinds of mini desserts so I always have them on hand. Nothing should stop you from using shot glasses and serving with small spoons, or even making 2-3 larger desserts. The method is the same.
How to make mini fruit parfaits
- Crush the graham crackers by putting them in a baggie and pounding them with a rolling pin or bottom of pot until you have fine crumbs. Put 1 tablespoon of the crushed graham cracker crumbs onto the bottom of each tiny 2 Oz. cup. (see notes)
- Using a hand mixer, beat the heavy cream and sugar until it is a nice thick whipped cream. Add the Mascarpone and vanilla and whip the two together until light and fluffy. Taste. If you want it a little sweeter, add another 1 – 2 teaspoons of sugar to taste. Fill a pastry bag with the cream.
- Fill the cups about three quarters of the way full with the cream mixture.
- Prep your fruit. Cut your berries and peel your kiwi and dice the fruit.
- Top each cup with the cut fruit or blueberries. Using a star tip on your pastry bag, add a little more topping on top.
- Insert a little spoon into each cup and serve right away or refrigerate the mini desserts for up to four hours and then serve on a platter.
Ingredient substitutions
. Feel free to use different berries and diced fruit. Almost any fruit will work and some of my favorites are diced strawberries, blackberries, mango and pineapple.
. Use different types of crushed cookies as the first layer. Crushed sugar wafer cookies, shortbread cookies and sandwich cookies all work.
. Instead of the Mascarpone cream, you could substitute plain whipped cream or a dairy whipped topping to keep this very simple.
If you like this dessert, please leave a rating and comment below. Looking for other “mini” and individual dessert recipes? Check out some of my other favorites:
Mini Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins
Cinnamon & Pear Glazed Mini Olive Oil Bundt Cakes
Mini Cheesecake Tarts with Fruit
Mini Fruit Parfaits
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 Graham crackers sheets (total of 8 individual crackers), crushed
- 4 Oz. Mascarpone, room temperature
- 2 Tbsp. Sugar plus more if needed
- 1 Cup Heavy cream
- 1/2 Tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 Lg. Kiwi or 2 small kiwis, peeled and chopped into small dice
- 1/2 Cup Raspberries, cut in half
- 1/4 Cup Blueberries
Instructions
- Crush the graham crackers by putting them in a baggie and pounding them with a rolling pin or bottom of pot until you have fine crumbs. Put 1 tablespoon of the crushed graham cracker crumbs onto the bottom of each tiny 2 Oz. cup. (see notes)
- Using a hand mixer, beat the heavy cream and sugar until it is a nice thick whipped cream. Add the mascarpone and vanilla and whip the two together until light and fluffy. Taste. If you want it a little sweeter, add another 1 – 2 teaspoons of sugar to taste. Fill a pastry bag with the cream and fill the cups about three quarters of the way full.
- Top each cup with the cut fruit or blueberries. Using a star tip on your pastry bag, add a little more topping on top.
- Insert a little spoon into each cup and serve right away or refrigerate the mini desserts for up to four hours and then serve on a platter.
