Gingersnap Pear Trifles Recipes

PEAR AND CARAMEL TRIFLES

Steps:

• Make pears:
• Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into large saucepan; add bean. Add 6 cups water, sugar and lemon peel. Stir over medium heat until mixture comes to simmer. Add pears; simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Cool pears in syrup.
• Make caramel:
• Stir 1 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring until sugar turns deep amber, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with wet pastry brush, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup warm cream (mixture will bubble up). Return to very low heat; stir until smooth. Chill sauce uncovered until cold, about 1 hour.
• Beat chilled cream, powdered sugar and vanilla in large bowl until firm peaks form. Fold 1/2 cup cold caramel sauce into cream; cover and chill remaining sauce.
• Drain pears and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Press 1 piece of cake into each of six 12- to 14-ounce goblets. Top each with 5 pear slices, 2 teaspoons reserved caramel sauce and 1/4 cup caramel cream. Repeat layering with cake, pears, caramel sauce and caramel cream. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
• Drizzle remaining caramel sauce over trifles. Sprinkle with nuts and serve.

GINGERSNAP PUMPKIN TRIFLE

Steps:

• Toss pecans, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice together in a bowl.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir pecans mixture in hot butter until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Spread candied pecans out onto a sheet of waxed paper; cool completely.
• Arrange 32 gingersnap cookies in a single layer over the bottom and up the sides of a 2 1/2-quart serving bowl.
• Beat pumpkin puree and cream cheese together in a bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy; add vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice.
• Whisk milk and vanilla pudding mix together in a bowl until pudding mix is completely dissolved and mixture is well-blended, about 2 minutes. Let pudding stand until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Fold in 1 1/2 cups whipped topping. Stir pumpkin mixture into pudding mixture.
• Spoon 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the cookies into the prepared serving dish. Arrange remaining gingersnap cookies over pudding mixture. Spread remaining pudding mixture over cookies and spread remaining whipped topping over pudding mixture. Sprinkle candied pecans over the top.

PUMPKIN-PEAR GINGERSNAP TRIFLE

Steps:

• Beat pudding mix and milk in medium bowl with whisk 2 min. Stir in pumpkin, spices and 1 cup COOL WHIP.
• Layer 1/3 of the gingersnap crumbs and half each of the pears and pudding mixture in large serving bowl; repeat layers. Top with remaining crumbs and COOL WHIP.
• Refrigerate 1 hour.