Gluten free Mango Parfaits with Tropical Lace Cookies look and taste like an extra special dessert that took a lot of skill and hours to create. However, it is really simple to pull together with minimal ingredients. Lots of tropical flavor with three layers of sweet mango accented by any easy-to-make macadamia nut and coconut cookie with hints of browned butter and rich caramel.
Mango Layers
Although you will want fresh mango to complete the dish, you can use fresh or frozen (thawed) mango for the puree base. The mango goes into the blender and it only takes about 30 seconds to puree it into a smooth consistency. And you don’t need to clean the blender just yet! You’ll need it again in a few minutes.
But first, pour the blended mango into a saucepan over medium heat and stir in ½ cup of the sugar. Allow it to come to a low boil and stir it frequently to prevent it from splattering. Let it cook until it reduces some and the beautiful orange color deepens. After about 15-20 minutes it will thicken and the heat can be turned off to allow it to cool to the touch.
Half of the mango reduction goes back into the blender. Aren’t you glad you didn’t spend extra time cleaning it? Add the cream cheese and the remainder of sugar and give it a good blend. That’s all there is to it!
Tropical Lace Cookies
Either by hand or in a small food processor, chop the macadamia nuts and shredded coconut into coarse crumbs.
Heat the butter and brown sugar over a medium high heat, stirring often to bring the two together. Once the butter no longer separates and it comes to a boil, continue cooking while stirring for about 2 minutes. Pay attention to how high the heat is and that the mixture isn’t burning or getting dark in color.
Mix the chopped macadamia nuts, coconut and salt into the caramel mixture. Keep stirring to heat it through and combine the ingredients well.
Drop generous teaspoons full of the mixture onto parchment lined sheet pans. The cookies will spread a LOT, so be sure to leave at least 2 inches between mounds. A heaping teaspoon will yield approximately a 3 inch cookie.
If you’d like to shape bowls out of the cookies, determine the baked size of the cookie needed to shape using whatever container you will use to mold the shape.
The cookies bake up beautifully lacey in just about 8 minutes! And cool completely in about 10 minutes. So quick and easy to pull these together!
Shaping the Cookies
When the cookies first come out of the oven, leave them on the parchment lined tray to begin cooling. At first they will be too soft to lift off of the paper. If you want perfectly round edges, take a glass slightly wider than the diameter of the cookie and place it over the cookie. Circle the glass gently around the edge of the cookie, shaping it as you like.
After the cookies have cooled for about 3 minutes, they should be flexible and set enough to carefully lift from the paper. At this point, you can use a handle from a wooden spoon or a smoothie straw (as you can see in the photos) to roll the cookie. Another option is to use a muffin tin, small cup or bowl to create a small vessel for the mango layers.
Bring the Mango Parfaits with Tropical Lace Cookies Together
If using individual glasses to serve this yummy dessert, begin by placing diced fresh mango in the glass. If you want to level it up and make it boozey, pour a small splash of gin over the mango. Then pour a generous layer of the creamy mango on top. Gently spoon the mango reduction on top of that and carefully spread it out in an even layer. Let it set up and chill through in the fridge for 2-3 hours. Garnish with a Tropical Lace Cookie, a dollop of whipped cream and more fresh mango if you’d like when you are ready to serve.
Another option is to plate it up using the cookie as the cup, filling it with the layers of mango deliciousness. Let it chill through and set up in the fridge for up to 3 hours. Any longer may make the cookie too soft. Garnish with whipped cream and fresh mango for an artful display when you are ready to serve.
More Gluten Free Sweets
Mango Parfaits with Tropical Lace Cookies
Ingredients
Mango Layers:
- 2 mangoes ripe and diced
- 4 cups fresh mangoes or 32 oz bag frozen mango, thawed
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ¾ cup sugar divided
- gin optional for serving
Tropical Lace Cookies:
- ¼ cup butter 1/2 stick
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- pinch of salt
- ¼ cup macadamia nuts roasted and salted
- ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Line 2 large sheet pans with parchment paper.
Mango Layers:
- Puree the mango in a blender or food processor until smooth then transfer to a saucepan over medium heat. No need to wash the blender yet, you will need it again.
- Add 1/2 cup of sugar to the mango puree and bring to a simmer uncovered. Stir often to prevent splattering or sticking to the bottom. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes until it reduces some and thickens. Then let cool to the touch while you make the Tropical Lace Cookies.
- While the cookies are cooling, pour approximately half of the cooled mango reduction back into the blender, add the cream cheese and remaining ¼ cup of sugar. Blend until smooth. Set the mango layers aside until you are ready to assemble the dish.
Tropical Lace Cookies:
- While the mango reduction is cooling, chop the nuts & coconut in a food processor or by hand to coarse crumbs.
- Heat butter & sugar in a saucepan until they combine and come to a low boil. Stir continuously and allow to boil for about 2 minutes. Add the ground nuts, coconut and salt to the butter mixture, stirring to combine well and heat through.
- Drop teaspoons of the mixture on to the parchment lined sheet pans leaving 2 inches on all sides of each mound for spreading. They will spread a LOT! See notes for more tips.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, they will have spread very thin and browned lightly. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before shaping them (optional) or cool completely before enjoying.
- Cookies can be shaped by rolling them around a handle of a wooden spoon, draped over an inverted cup or bowl or gently pressed into a muffin tin, cup or bowl.
Serving:
- In glasses, layer diced fresh mango, a splash of gin (optional), generous amount of creamy mango, a thin layer of the mango reduction. Continue with multiple layers if you wish. Let set up and chill through in the fridge for about 2-3 hours. Garnish with whipped cream and and Tropical Lace Cookies when ready to eat.
- Use the shaped Tropical Lace Cookie as a bowl, layering with fresh, creamy and reduced mango. Let set up and chill through in the fridge for up to 3 hours, any longer and the cookie might be too soft. Garnish with more fresh mango and whipped cream when you are ready to eat. Spiking with gin doesn't work well with this presentation unless you don't mind a watery looking dish!
- If making this a day in advance, store the cookies in a sealed bag or container at room temp.