Gluten Free and Dairy Free Desserts: Salted Caramel Cookie Trifle

Want to indulge this holiday season with some guilt-free decadence? Looking for gluten free and dairy free desserts that checks all the boxes for healthier alternatives? And of course you would like to impress your guests.

Then dive into this luscious Salted Caramel Trifle. Creamy layers meet velvety caramel, with a bit of crunch from toasted pecans and our salted caramel pecan cookies. This wonderful holiday treat is a symphony of flavors and textures that will impress your friends and loved ones.

And speaking of gluten-free holiday recipes, did you know our salted caramel pecan cookies are made with all-natural, plant-based ingredients that won’t compromise your gut health? These cookies are not just delicious, they are a testament that healthier alternatives can be just as amazing. They are definitely the main star of this recipe, and a great way to share the joy of the season with your family.

Ingredients:

• 4 salted caramel pecan cookies

• 1 cup cashews (soaked in water for 8 hours)

• 1 small can (160 ml) coconut cream

• 5 tbsp maple syrup

• Pinch of salt

• 5 tsp vanilla extract

• Toasted pecans

Caramel Sauce:

• ¾ cups coconut sugar

• 1 cup coconut cream (hard part only)

• ¼ tsp vanilla

• ⅛ tsp salt

• ¼ tbsp tapioca starch

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Once up to temp, toast your pecans for 10 minutes. Set aside for topping.

2. Make the caramel sauce. Melt down the coconut sugar with a splash of water until boiling and starting to caramelize. Add the coconut cream, vanilla, and salt. Bring the mixture back to a boil, then add the tapioca starch. Simmer 5-10 minutes until sauce thickens. Set aside to cool.

3. Make the cheesecake filling. In a high speed blender, blend the soaked cashews, coconut cream, maple syrup, salt, and vanilla until smooth and creamy.

4. Assemble the trifle. Split between two 8oz whiskey glasses (you can use smaller glasses for individual portions). Use a ring cutter to cut the salted caramel cookies to fit in the glass. If you don’t have a ring cutter, you can crumble the cookies into the bottom of the glass.

5. Top with a thin layer of the caramel sauce (about 1- 1.5 tbsp). Pour some cheesecake filling over the top until filling half the glass, and sprinkle with pecans. Fill up the rest of the glass by repeating this process: salted caramel cookie, caramel sauce, then cheesecake filling. Top with cookie crumbles and pecans.

6. Refrigerate for 8 hours. Serve and enjoy!

PS: this makes more caramel sauce than needed. Store any leftovers in your fridge for up to 4 weeks and use as needed