peppermint parfaits | two ways

Speaking of Houdini, these little peppermint parfaits are something that on paper I couldn’t quite figure out. Raspberry gelatin and peppermint? How exactly does that work? To be honest, I’m still not sure how it works, I just know that it does.

The recipe actually came from my sister’s mother-in-law (following that?), and my sister brought it to our Christmas gathering a few years back and I was instantly intrigued.

When I started planning what holiday treats I wanted to make this year, peppermint gelatin popped into my head. It’s so cute and festive. But I couldn’t just leave it alone, I wanted to tweak.

I have been having a love affair with individual desserts, as evidenced here and here. So my first alteration was to turn this dessert into a bunch of cutie patootie parfaits. Small jello desserts then got me thinking about small boozy jello desserts, and I felt that was something worth exploring. I can’t tell you how glad I am that I did.

I have also been having a fascination (dare I say, another love affair) with marshmallow vodka as of late, so I figured adding some to make these desserts more ‘grown up’ would be a great idea. Cool peppermint with the sweet gelatin and smooth whipped topping make this a perfectly sweet combination.

These parfaits were made two ways: boozy and not boozy. That way the kiddos could enjoy them as well because I knew if I made a cute little red and pink dessert there was no avoiding the Baby wanting a piece of the action. So, one boozy batch and one not boozy batch were made. And all were enjoyed!

Happy Monday!

Peppermint Parfaits Two Ways
Makes 8 parfaits

Ingredients:
12 peppermint candies (round) crushed
6oz package of raspberry gelatin
2 cups of whipped topping (thawed)
1 cup of marshmallow vodka OR 1 cup of cold water (for non-alcoholic parfaits)

For serving:
Additional whipped topping
Additional crushed peppermints

Directions:
Set out 8 glasses (about 8oz each)
In a small saucepan, add 1 ½ cups of water and crushed peppermints. Bring to boil and stir until peppermints are melted. Add gelatin and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat. Stir in vodka (or water).

Pour a scant 1/3 cup (2.5oz) of gelatin mixture into each glass. Place remaining mixture in a small bowl. Chill glasses and small bowl of gelatin until slightly thick; about 1- 1 ½ hours.

Mix remaining gelatin (in small bowl) with two cups of whipped topping. Divide evenly between the 8 glasses. Chill until set, about 4 hours.

Top each parfait with a dollop of whipped topping and some crushed candies and serve!