Grab your favorite dessert spoon, because these Butter Pecan Apple Parfaits are sure to become a seasonal favorite packed with goodness from top to bottom.
These parfaits feature a delicious combination of fall flavors and lovely textures. It starts with protein-packed Lifeway Farmer Cheese, which is whipped to perfection for creamy, fluffy layers. Then Lifeway Salted Kefir Butter is used to sauté fresh apples and pecans to provide layers that are sweet, tart, and just the right amount of crunchy. Each spoonful contains live and active, gut-friendly probiotic cultures, so you’re getting more than just great flavor in each bite of this simple, sweet seasonal treat.
Our protein-rich Farmer Cheese is a delightful cheese to use in desserts like this and plays well with recipes that typically use ricotta or cream cheese. Its thick texture and mild flavor allow the other ingredients in your recipes to mix effortlessly in with it. Meanwhile, Lifeway Salted Kefir Butter is the perfect way to add wholesome richness to recipes where you would use regular butter. Not only is it made with 82% butterfat for a wonderful mouthfeel; it’s also packed with billions of live probiotics, which make it easier to digest and better for gut health compared to highly processed butter varieties.
These Butter Pecan Apple Parfaits would make a terrific afternoon snack or light dessert — you could even serve them for breakfast! Fiber from the apples, healthy fats from the pecans, and protein from Lifeway Farmer Cheese create an all-around healthy treat suitable for whenever your fall recipe cravings hit.
Find Lifeway products in a store near you or shop online, and check out our other recipes here for further inspiration.
The Benefits of Cultured Dairy for Better Health:
Research continues to show the importance of eating healthy foods, including cultured dairy such as kefir, for better gut health, a strong immune system, and to support the microbiome. Fermented foods like kefir hold important value in this line of research due to the link between the gut-brain axis and overall health.
Specifically, kefir has been shown to help diversify the microbiome, support the digestive system, reduce inflammation, support healthier blood sugar levels, and improve satiety since the bioavailable protein it contains triggers the release of GLP-1. Lifeway Kefir also contains a variety of nutrients that are vital for healthy bones and overall health including vitamins D3, K, and B 12 along with calcium and potassium. Along with our kefir, we also offer our creamy, cultured Lifeway Farmer Cheese, a high protein cheese made with live and active cultures to support a healthy microbiome that’s easy to spread and contains no added salt or sugar.
Prep Time: 30 mins Servings: 2-3
Ingredients
For the Whipped Farmer Cheese:
- 1 (16 oz.) container Farmer Cheese
- 1 tbsp. pure maple syrup or raw honey
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- pinch of kosher salt
For the Buttered Pecans :
- 1/3 cup pecan halves, chopped
- 2 tbsp. Salted Kefir Butter
Other :
- 2 medium apples (we like Fuji or Honeycrisp), diced into 1/4 inch cubes
- 1 tbsp. additional maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ginger
- pinch of ground cardamom
- pinch of ground nutmeg
- pinch of allspice
Directions
- Prepare the Whipped Farmer Cheese: Add the container of Lifeway Farmer Cheese, the maple syrup, vanilla, and pinch of salt to a food processor, and whip until fluffy and creamy. Scoop out of the food processor into a bowl, and set in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
- Make the Buttered Pecans: Add 1 tablespoon of butter to a small skillet set over medium-low heat. Once the butter has melted, add the pecans, and lightly toast for about 2 minutes or so, then immediately transfer to a small dish.
- Add the remaining butter to the same skillet, followed by the apples, additional maple syrup, spices, and then cook until the apples are tender, stirring often to prevent burning. Don't let them get mushy, but remove from the pan right after they are softened. Transfer to a small bowl to cool.
- Assemble: Take 2-3 parfait glasses, and layer in a small portion of the Whipped Farmer Cheese, then a small portion of the cooked apples, then a small portion of the pecans. Repeat this layering process until all the Whipped Farmer Cheese, the apples, and the pecans are used. Grab a spoon and enjoy!
