This Coffee Cookies and Cream Parfait Is the Grown-Up Version of Cookies and Milk

Dunking a homemade cookie into a tall glass of milk is a snacktime ritual that plays out in virtually everyone's childhood. Much like PB&J, it's a combination that's destined to go together. In the latest episode of Alt-Baking Bootcamp, nutrition coach, baker, and fitness instructor Sashah Handal shows how to get that same cookies-and-milk satisfaction—with a grown-up twist.

For the cookies, Handal incorporates vanilla, cinnamon, and a couple tablespoons of coffee grounds, all while keeping the entire batch gluten-free. And instead of milk, she makes a creamy whipped cream, made with Baileys Deliciously Light. The crispness of the cookies and the richness of the whipped cream is a pairing that is truly perfect.

Since the cookies need time to bake (Handal also recommends letting the dough set in the fridge for at least four hours), you start by making those first. Handal uses a mix of cane sugar and coconut sugar for sweetness. "I like the caramel notes that coconut sugar brings out," she explains, adding that it's also a prebiotic. Another ingredient you might not expect in the cookies is cornstarch. Handal says she adds it to the mix because it gives the cookies a softer texture.

If you've never baked with coffee before, Handal shows in the video just how easy it is; all you do is add the grounds to the bowl with the other dry ingredients and mix them together. "Another fun perk to adding coffee grounds to your flour mixture is that it's naturally high in antioxidants, and then when you add the cinnamon, that's also naturally high in anti-inflammatory properties," Handal says, as she mixes everything together. After the dough has time to sit in the fridge, Handal gets the tray of cookies ready to bake and into the oven it goes for about eight minutes.

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Once the cookie mixture is done, you can focus on the whipped cream. The recipe is simple: just heavy cream, cane sugar, cream of tartar, and the Baileys Deliciously Light. Use an electric blender to whip everything together. A couple minutes later, your whipped cream is ready. Store it in the fridge in a bowl until your dessert is ready to serve.

Watch the video to see Handal make the cookies and whipped cream—and see how she pairs them together to make the perfect cookies and cream parfait. You can see the full recipe below. "It's the perfect fall treat," Handal says. "It's very cookies-and-cream-esque, but because of the coffee and Baileys, it just feels a little more sophisticated—like you."

Cookies and cream parfait recipe

Ingredients
For the cookies:
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup cane sugar
1 egg
2 Tbsp  vanilla
2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp ground coffee
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 sp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

For the whipped cream:
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp cane sugar
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/3 cup Baileys Deliciously Light

For the cookies:
1. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugars for two to four minutes, or until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides to ensure all the sugar is incorporated.

2. While creaming, combine dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl, sift well, and set aside.

3. Keep the mixer on a low speed while you add in the egg and vanilla, scraping the sides again as necessary.

4. Add one cup of dry ingredients at a time and mix on low to incorporate, taking caution not to over-mix. Once all the dries have been added and the dough has been formed, scrape down the sides one more time to ensure you didn’t miss anything. Chill dough for a minimum of four hours.

5. Once chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F. Form 1.5 inch balls and place them on a sheet tray at least two inches apart from one another.

6. Bake for four minutes, rotate, and finish baking for another four minutes. Allow them to cool on a sheet tray for 10 minutes. They should be crispy on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside

For the whipped cream:
1. Using an electric mixer and whisk attachment, whip cream, sugar, and cream of tartar on high until it almost doubles in volume.

2. Add in Baileys and continue to whip on high until stiff peaks form and texture changes from liquid to solid. The whipping time should take less than four minutes.

3. Store in fridge, but no longer than three days.

Join Well+Good's Cook With Us Facebook group for more healthy dessert ideas. 

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