Review: 150 Best Desserts in a Jar by Andrea Jourdan

I knew I would love this book as soon as I saw the title. I don't know about you, but I am a huge dessert fan! To have a book jam pack 150 different dessert recipes inside was fantastic! Some healthy, some indulgent, something for everyone. I felt like the author of this book wrote specifically to me in most of her recipes. She seemed to know what types of dessert (sweet, sweet and salty, sweet and spicy) I like to eat and there was a great variety of each of them.

It was nice to see some easy, quick and delicious desserts! Author Andrea Jourdan touches on all the sweet spots I knew I had, and some that I didn't know were even there! She shares 10 KEY Tips to making Jar desserts, things you wouldn't even think of! At least, I didn't.

The book itself was comfortable to read, a good size, lots of coloured pages. Being a very visual person, having coloured pages is really important to me in cookbooks. It helps me understand what my attempts should look like after I'm done. I've had some pretty interesting results in the past, not having a picture reference ;).

On top of the 10 key points, there are a lot of other tips that will help even the most novice in the kitchen with making these recipes. All throughout there are Make Ahead tips too! Seriously, a mothers' best friend! Make ahead anything is helpful when you're strapped for time. And what mother isn't strapped for time? This book is definitely for you moms out there who love to save time and money. Think about it, you spend one afternoon a week making jarred desserts for the week....no more spontaneous trips for ice cream/snacks/what have you. No need :)

These would be delicious and would go over well with a crowd for those special occasions. I appreciate that this is an eco-friendly way of individually packaging goodies. No little cupcake liners, or disposable dishes required!

I couldn't even just choose one recipe to share with you...I'll be sharing another great recipe tomorrow! So I hope you'll come back to see what it is!

Peach and Mango Parfait

Peach and Mango Parfait, page 198

Two of everyone’s favorite fruits in one scoop, plus a dash of maple syrup to sweeten. Not only is this dessert delicious, it is especially easy to prepare. 

Tip: For better results, use pure maple syrup. Maple-flavored and other artificially flavored syrups should be avoided because they have none of the benefits of real maple syrup and they contain too much sugar. Pure maple syrup is actually a healthy sweetener. It provides manganese, zinc, potassium and riboflavin, among other nutrients.

You can purchase canned mango purée at most supermarkets. You can also make your own. To produce the quantity required for this recipe, purée 4 large mangoes (you may need a bit more or less, depending on the variety), 1⁄4 cup (60 mL) granulated sugar and 1 tbsp (15 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice.

• Six 8-ounce (250 mL) tall jars

PEACHES

4 peaches, peeled and sliced 4

1⁄2 cup maple syrup 125 mL

MANGO PURÉE

3 cups plain yogurt 750 mL

2 cups mango purée (see Tips) 500 mL

2 tbsp sliced almonds 30 mL

1. Peaches: In a bowl, combine peaches and maple syrup.

2. Mango Purée: In another bowl, whisk together yogurt and mango purée. Fold in almonds.

3. Assembly: Spoon half the mango mixture into jars, dividing equally. Cover with peach mixture, dividing equally. Top with the rest of the mango mixture and serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings

 Excerpted from 150 Best Desserts in a Jar by Andrea Jourdan © 2013 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca May not be reprinted without publisher permission. Credit for photos: Philip Jourdan

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Disclosure: I received the item in this post free of cost for review purposes. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review.