Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Pudding Parfaits with Macerated Strawberries

I had hoped to get this recipe for my Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Pudding Parfaits posted ahead of Passover, but hey, sometimes life gets in the way. It’s a terrific anytime dessert, so enjoy it in the meantime and add it to your must-make list for the holiday next year! I’ve always loved homemade pudding – there’s something really comforting about custardy desserts, and I prefer to make them myself so I can keep the sweetness to a minimum. The rich, ultra chocolatey pudding in these parfaits is a perfect example – the bitter notes of the cocoa and dark chocolate aren’t masked by a ton of sugar, so the earthy, fruity complexity of their flavors come through.

I’m a sucker for dark chocolate, and this is one of my absolute favorite ways to enjoy it. Pudding is great on its own but occasionally you want to jazz it up a bit, which is precisely what I did here by pairing that pudding with gooey salted caramel, rich whipped coconut cream, and saucy macerated strawberries. It’s all topped off with crunchy bits of toasted coconut, and the result is a vegan, grain-free, and nut-free dessert that still feels like a truly decadent treat.

These parfaits aren’t difficult to make, but they do require a bit of planning ahead. The pudding comes together in under 10 minutes, however it should be chilled thoroughly before serving, which takes about 2 hours. Once the pudding is chilling in the fridge you can cook and cool the caramel, cut up the strawberries and toss them with sugar, whip the coconut cream, and toast the coconut…and you’ll still have time to clean up the kitchen, do the dishes, and select some cute glasses or jars for serving these delicious parfaits. Then go read a good book until the pudding is nice and cold.

Before anyone asks, I do recommend sticking with full-fat canned coconut milk for this recipe because it will give your pudding and caramel the most body and richness. If you’re not into coconut and would rather substitute a different dairy-free milk, you’ll need to bump up the arrowroot in the pudding a bit to get the same thickness. A coconut-free caramel will still be delicious, albeit runnier than one made with coconut milk.

Let’s get started with the pudding. Measure out all your ingredients so you have them ready to go – you’ll notice that I’m using my scale as always, because it’s far more accurate than measuring by volume.

Mix up the arrowroot slurry and set it aside.

Whisk the cocoa powder, sugars, espresso powder, and salt into the remaining coconut milk, and set the pan over medium-low heat.

Stay by the stove and whisk the mixture frequently until you see simmering bubbles forming around the perimeter, then reduce the heat to maintain a light simmer, and whisk in half of the arrowroot slurry. At this point it will be a matter of seconds until the arrowroot does its job and the pudding thickens up; if it doesn’t get as thick as you’d like, add the rest of the slurry (just beware that once the pudding chills it sets up even more, and you may end up with a denser consistency that’s more like a spoonable ganache or very thick mousse). As soon as the pudding thickens, pull it off the heat.

Switch over to a rubber spatula, add the chopped chocolate and stir it into the pudding until it melts completely, then stir in the vanilla extract. (If your pudding seems a bit lumpy, you may not have melted all the chocolate. Put it back over VERY gentle heat, stirring frequently, for a couple of minutes.)

Admit it, you want to stick your face right in there, don’t you? It’s so silky and delicious!

Transfer the pudding to a heatproof bowl and fold it for a minute or two to release steam and speed the cooling process. Set the bowl aside and let the pudding cool at room temperature for about 10 minutes, then cover it with plastic wrap – making sure the plastic touches the surface – and chill completely. Wash and dry the saucepan you used for the pudding; you can cook the salted caramel in it while the pudding chills.

Add the cane sugar, coconut sugar, and water to the saucepan.

Set the pan over medium heat, and give it an occasional shake as the sugar melts, swirling to dissolve it all. Once the syrup comes to a boil, adjust the heat to maintain a nice simmer. Let the syrup cook for another 8 minutes or so, shaking or swirling the pan occasionally to keep it cohesive, until it turns a very deep amber color.

When you start seeing these large glassy bubbles all over the surface, you’re just about there.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and *carefully* pour in the coconut milk – it may spit as it hits the hot syrup.

If your sugar syrup seizes or clumps, fret not, it’s normal. Stir the mixture to dissolve it again, and adjust the heat to hold the sauce at a hard simmer for another 5 minutes or until a digital thermometer registers 225˚F (when testing the temperature, make sure the thermometer tip is completely submerged in the caramel and not touching the side or bottom of the pan).

Stir in the salt to dissolve, and remove the pan from the heat.

Let the caramel sauce cool a bit at room temperature, then transfer it to a jar and refrigerate until ready to use. It will thicken noticeably as it cools.

I think the macerated strawberries are essential to the flavor balance of these parfaits because they contribute some fruity acidity to break up all the richness. They couldn’t be easier to prepare – simply cut them into small chunks, toss with sugar, and let time and science work some magic as the sugar breaks down the strawberries and draws out their delicious juices. I recommend leaving the strawberries to macerate for at least 30 minutes.

These are my strawberries before I tossed them to combine with the sugar.

These are the same strawberries after 15 minutes – see all that juice collecting at the bottom of the bowl? The longer they sit, the saucier they’ll get.

At this point you can whip up the coconut cream. Scrape the chilled solids into a mixer bowl, leaving behind any water that has collected at the bottom of the can. (Feel free to drink that coconut water or add it to a smoothie.) Whip the cream on high speed for about a minute to beat in some air and lighten it up, then add the sugar and salt. Whip the cream for another couple of minutes until it’s light and fluffy, and pop it into the fridge to keep it cold until you’re ready to assemble the parfaits.

Toasted coconut flakes are the final component of these parfaits. Sprinkled over the top just before serving, they add a hint of nutty flavor and a welcome crunch. Plus, coconut and chocolate are a fabulous pairing, as are coconut and strawberries (if you’re a fan of the latter you should check out my recipe for Strawberry Lime Donuts with Toasted Coconut). Be sure to use *unsweetened* large-flake coconut, which may also be labeled as unsweetened coconut chips. To toast the coconut, spread the flakes on a sheet pan and bake at 300˚F for 3-5 minutes, stirring once or twice, until golden. Alternatively you can use the “toast” function of a toaster oven if you don’t want to heat up the kitchen for this.

When you’re ready to assemble the parfaits, line up four serving vessels of your choosing; if you don’t have actual parfait glasses I recommend mason jars, stemless wine glasses, or martini glasses. Spoon about 1 ½ teaspoons of the salted caramel into the bottom of each glass. Add ¼ cup of the macerated strawberries, followed by ¼ to ⅓ cup of the pudding and 2-3 heaping tablespoons of the whipped coconut cream. Repeat with another layer each of caramel, strawberries and pudding, and top with a generous dollop of whipped coconut cream and a tablespoon of strawberries. Garnish with a sprinkle of the toasted coconut flakes and a final drizzle of salted caramel.

Dig in!