Hatch Chile Cookie Parfaits
I knew I had to try them the minute I saw them recommended to me on my HEB app, Hatch Chile & Sweet Lime Cookies. They were described as the perfect mixture of sweet and heat, two flavors I am very fond of. Did I add to cart? You bet I did.
As someone who loves baking and creating new recipes, adding a spicy element to my baked goods is simply something I don’t do very often. But after trying these cookies, I think maybe I should. These cookies had a wonderful lime flavor with just a kick of warmth from the hatch chile powder at the end of every bite. They didn’t have a lot of hatch chile flavor but just enough to get my creative juices flowing for the day. The lime and hatch chile flavor was in the creme middle and the cookie itself was pleasantly mild and very crunchy, a perfect canvas to cast some ideas on.
Upon trying them I knew immediately their subtle flavor would be amazing as some sort of crust or crumble. To the kitchen I went in search of all the ingredients I had on hand to make something fun, sweet, and spicy. I came up with cream cheese, roasted hot hatch chiles, limes, and whipped cream. It’s safe to say I have butter and sugar stocked regularly in my kitchen and those were added to the mix too. I wanted to transform the cookies into an ingredient that would provide texture with a salty, limey, spicy bite. I wanted something creamy and tangy to go with the flavor of the cookies, and I wanted more spice.
I came up with hatch chile cookie parfaits: layers of hatch chile & sweet lime cookie crumble, hatch chile cheesecake filling, and lime zest whipped cream all perfectly layered in an adorable 4 ounce mason jar.
I started by crushing the hatch chile and sweet lime cookies until they were fine crumbs. Then I mixed in melted butter, salt, and extra lime zest. The salt and lime zest bring out the flavor of these cookies and also tie in to the flavors of the other layers in the dessert.
I made the hatch chile cheesecake by combining softened cream cheese with powdered sugar, the juice and zest of one lime, and a very finely chopped roasted hatch chile pepper. It was very easy to mix these ingredients by hand. I think this is where I could have added more flavor to the dessert but incorporating lime curd or even making it an adult themed dessert with a splash of tequila.
The whipped cream took minutes to whisk together by hand but you could mix with a mixer as well. Sometimes I just need to feel alive in the kitchen and whipping cream by hand really makes me feel alive, what an arm workout! I whip the cream to soft peaks, add the powdered sugar and zest of one lime and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. If you aren’t assembling the jars right away, keep them in the fridge until ready.
This recipe makes enough for 4, four-ounce mason jars. I start by layering with the cookie crumble, followed by the cheesecake, then the whipped cream. I alternate these layers twice and end with the crumble on top.
I made sure to push the filling towards the edges of the jar so that I would be able to see the decorative layers, so fun! I then placed them in the fridge to firm up for an hour. That was as long as I was willing to wait to try one.
These were delicious, I do love a layered dessert, they just seem so fancy and put together. These would make a wonderful dessert for entertaining since they are can be made in advance, are very pretty to look at, and are absolutely delicious.
The flavors that come together in this dessert are lovely. Creamy, sweet, tangy, crunchy, with just a touch spice to make you come back for more. I loved that they can be served cold and I love the subtle spicy component, it was really fun to experience a different flavor and sensation while enjoying a dessert. I enjoyed celebrating hatch chile season with this fun recipe and I am stocking up on the Hatch Chile & Sweet Lime cookies to make this dessert again and play with other sweet and spicy recipes!
I have included the recipe I made exactly as I made it down below in the recipe card. However, I do have some notes I wrote down I will share with you that I think could make this spicy dessert even better.
Notes on the Dessert:
-add lime curd to the cheesecake, I did want more lime flavor to shine through. It was subtle and delicious but I personally wanted more tang to this dessert.
-puree hatch chilis with the cream cheese mixture, add a whole hatch chili if you like spicy. I would have wanted more spice to this dessert as well.
-incorporate tequila, small amount, into the cheesecake mixture to make it a spicy margarita summer dessert.
-chopped fresh strawberries macerated with sugar and lime zest as a topping if you want more of a strawberry lime dessert.
-using the cookie and butter crumble as the base of a no bake lime cheesecake would be lovely.
-make MORE. So much more of this would d have been nice, it was so good!
Final Note- I love being able to be creative in the kitchen and this allowed me to play with flavors that normally wouldn’t have been on my radar. If you are a baker and need new inspiration or maybe you need a push to try something new, this is your sign. Do it! I believe in you, and I wish you happy baking!
Hatch Chile Cookie Parfaits
Ingredients
Hatch Chile & Sweet lime Cookie Crumble
- 9 cookies Hatch Chile & Sweet Lime Cookies Central Market Brand, I got them ay HEB
- 3 tbsp butter, unsalted melted and cooled
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 lime, zest only
Hatch Chile Cheesecake Filling
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 lime, zest and juice
- ½ hatch chile pepper hot roasted, chopped very fine
Lime Whipped Cream
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream cold
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 lime, zest only
Instructions
Hatch Chile & Sweet lime Cookie Crumble
- Either in a plastic bag with a rolling pin, or a food processor, crush the hatch chile & sweet lime cookies until fine crumbs form.
- Add melted butter, salt, and lime zest and stir to combine. The mixture will be fragrant and crumbly.
- Set aside.
Lime Whipped Cream
- In a bowl with a whisk, or in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat heavy cream until soft peaks form.
- Add powdered sugar and lime zest and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
- Place in fridge until ready to assemble parfaits.
Hatch Chile Cheesecake Filling
- In a bowl, mix softened cream cheese, sugar, lime juice, lime zest, and chopped hatch chile in a bowl until very creamy and mixed through. You can add more lime zest and juice to your liking.
- Place in fridge until ready to assemble parfaits.
Assembly
- Place a teaspoon or 2 of cookie crumble on the bottom of 4, 4 ounce mason jars.
- Place a few spoonfuls of hatch chile cheesecake on top of the crumble. Make sure to spread out towards the side of the jar as bets as you can.
- Place a few spoonfuls of lime whipped cream on top of the hatch chile cheesecake. Spread evenly towards the sides of the jar.
- Repeat layering the three ingredients until all of the jars are evenly filled.
- Place in fridge for an hour to allow the layers to firm up. You can let them sit overnight as well.
- Enjoy this sweet and spicy treat!
