Carr's Ginger Lemon Cremes are one of my most favorite cookies EVER, which of course means that my local stores have stopped selling them. Whenever I declare something my favorite, it stops being made or sold. It is a curse I must live with.
If you haven't had them, I am sorry. They are the perfect crisp gingersnap, sandwiching a tart tangy lemon creme filling. So very tasty.
This parfait borrows those flavors for a fast, easy dessert.
If, by chance, the idea of using canned products makes you gag, you could easily make all of these components yourself for a super gourmet treat, but I only have so much energy, and no shame whatsoever, so I take shortcuts.
Ingredients:
One 5.25 oz package of Anna's ginger thin (or gingersnaps of your choice), crushed
1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup), melted
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar (I use extra fine sugar because it dissolves better)
8 oz of whipped topping (like Cool Whip, but you could easily use real whipped cream)
21 oz can of Lemon Creme pie filling (lemon curd would work too)
You'll also need:
Six 9 oz plastic cups (or another parfait container that lets you see the pretty stripes)
2 quart sized zipper storage bags (or piping bags if you're fancy)
An extra one of those cups to tamp down the crust
This really is as simple as mixing a few things and making pretty layers. And by pretty layers, I mean, as pretty as you can make them without hating life.
Directions:
Start with the crust. I crushed my gingersnaps to a fine crumb in the food processor, and then drizzled in the melted butter, pulsing to mix it. You could do that, or do it by hand if that strikes your fancy.
Use a spoon to add about 5 scoops of the crust mixture into the parfait cups. You'll want to reserve some of the crust mixture for garnishing the top, so adjust your crust size accordingly.
Use the extra cup to push the crust mixture down and even it off.
With a mixer, combine the softened cream cheese and the sugar until well combined and smooth.
Add in half of the container of whipped topping, and mix to combine.
Put the mixture in a quart sized storage bag. I fold over the top of my bags to create a cuff and put it in a tall cup to make loading the bag easier. Zip the top of the bag, squeezing out extra air, and cut off one corner to make a piping bag. Pipe the cream cheese layer on top of the crust.
If you don't feel like dealing with the piping bag, you COULD just spoon the mixture in, but I found out that it got everywhere and made the layers not so pretty.
Next, open that can of Lemon Creme and cram it in another "piping bag" like you did with the cream cheese mixture. Pipe a good sized layer of it on top of the cream cheese layer in the cup. You may have some extra, so don't panic.
Next, divide the rest of the whipped topping evenly between the 6 cups, and smooth the top with the spoon.
Sprinkle those cups as liberally as you'd like with the remaining crust mixture, and then eat the heck out of these things. Whatever you don't finish should be stored, covered with cling wrap, in the fridge.
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