Holiday yogurt parfaits

Make breakfast magical with these holiday yogurt parfaits!

holiday yogurt parfait

You know, I’ll be completely honest. The colder it gets outside, the fattier I want my food to be. I also sometimes don’t want to leave my bed, because staying under the covers is more comfortable and warm. And usually Kim is right there lying on top of me and as a good cat mom I always carefully lift the covers and move her hoping she doesn’t wake up.

She of course does, because she’s my shadow and if I get up, so does she. But that’s really round two. Unfortunately we’re still at the stage where she wakes up around 5 AM each day, nags a bit and then goes back to sleep.

Holiday yogurt parfait

Speaking of waking up, it takes about 5 alarms to get me to wake up in the morning. That and Rok’s coffee. I am working on fixing this, mainly by going to bed at a more appropriate hour, but so far no luck, I really suck at this.

Holiday yogurt parfait

Now let’s talk about the food. Every morning this week has been foggy and so cold I just want to eat pancakes and hot cereal for breakfast. A freshly baked, still warm bagel with cream cheese sounds like a dream too. But lately having the usual banana and a yogurt has been the norm. But instead of plain yogurt, it’s Christmas yogurt season!

Holiday yogurt parfait

Holiday yogurt parfait

And that is the actual name of a yogurt I’ve been enjoying for the past 10+ years. It only comes out during the holidays and we always go crazy for it. It’s a plain yogurt mixed with some cream, cinnamon, apples, hazelnuts and who knows what else. I just know that it’s really addictive.

And it’s this yogurt that I based my holiday yogurt parfaits on. For me they’re a healthier, more adaptable version of the store-bought yogurt. So despite my dreaming of pancakes and such, I do enjoy yogurt just as much and with all the eating coming our way in the next week, I really think having a holiday version of a classic light breakfast isn’t bad at all.

Holiday yogurt parfait

These holiday yogurt parfaits have a little bit of everything. The first layer is made of finely chopped pears and apples, which are crunchy and sweet. I top that with creamy Greek yogurt and a tablespoon of jam. I really like cranberry jam in this, because it’s not that sweet and has a tart taste, but obviously you can change it to whichever you like.

My nuts of choice right now (I can see you making dirty jokes right now) are obviously the cinnamon roasted almonds! This is where I want to yell “almooonds” Oprah-style, because these roasted almonds really are everything! And of course to have some counterbalance I also add orange segments, because there is no such thing as holidays without oranges.

Holiday yogurt parfait

The great thing about these parfaits is that you can make them ahead. I simply cover each glass with plastic wrap and they can wait in the fridge till the next day. It’s a perfect way to have a great breakfast without all the work. Just make it the evening before, which, if you’re anything like me in the mornings, you’ll be very thankful for.

Or, serve the parfaits as a dessert after dinner. With these you still get a visually pleasing and tasty holiday dessert, but without all the heavy calories of a chocolate cake!

Holiday yogurt parfait

Holiday yogurt parfait

Holiday yogurt parfaits

A great make-ahead holiday breakfast or a light dessert!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 small pear, cored and finely chopped
  • 1 small apple, cored and finely chopped
  • 450 g 16 oz Greek yogurt
  • 3-6 tablespoons cranberry jam
  • a handful of cinnamon roasted almonds, roughly chopped
  • 1 orange, cut into segments

Instructions

  • Divide chopped apple and pear into 3-4 glasses.
  • Top with equal amounts of Greek yogurt, then cranberry jam (use just 1 tablespoon per glass if it's very sweet), roasted almonds and a few orange segments.
  • Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge. Eat within a day or two.

Notes

If you don't have cinnamon roasted almonds and no time to make them, use raw almonds or other nuts such as pecans, walnuts or hazelnuts. Add some cinnamon to the yogurt. For extra sweetness, you can sprinkle the chopped apples and pears with sugar or add more jam into each parfait.
To cut an orange into segments first cut off both ends of the orange. Lay the orange down on a board and keep cutting around the fruit to remove all the skin and as little of the flesh as possible. Then halve the orange, remove the pith and membrane and slice orange into segments.
For a more precise and professional end result, you can also follow this photo tutorial done by Serious Eats.
Course: Breakfast
Author: Alice
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