Crushed Pineapple Dessert (15 Minute Prep!)

A serving of Crushed Pineapple Dessert in a white plate with sliced pineapples on the side.

Crushed Pineapple Dessert (15 Minute Prep!)

This Crushed Pineapple Dessert is the best of all worlds: 6 ingredients, less than 15 minutes of active prep time, and shockingly good. This is the perfect make-ahead dessert that I promise your guests will want seconds of. Tested to perfection!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Indian, Pakistani

Diet Halal, Vegetarian

Keyword crushed pineapple dessert, crushed pineapple dessert recipe, crushed pineapple recipe

Prep Time 15

Chill Time 4

Total Time 4 15

Servings servings

Calories 213

Author Izzah Cheema

Equipment

Serving dish Capacity: At least 1 ½ QT/1.4L (or 10 inches in length)

Ingredients

3 tbsp water
2 tsp unflavored powdered gelatin See Note 1
1 cup heavy whipping cream
¾-1 cup sweetened condensed milk ¾ cup if you prefer low-sugar desserts, I like ¾ + 2 tbsp
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice more to taste
1 20- oz can crushed pineapple in heavy syrup drained – See Note 2
12-15 Biscoff cookies or cookies of choice amount varies depending on serving dish - See Note 3

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place water in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin evenly all over the surface. Set aside for 5 minutes, or until it blooms and sets slightly. It’ll go from runny to gelatinous.
Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. The gelatin should have dissolved completely into the liquid. If not, microwave again for 15 seconds. Set aside to cool.
Place the cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip the cream on medium speed (4) until stiff peaks form (~6-7 min). If whisking at a higher speed (6), it’ll set within 3 minutes. You don’t want to overbeat it, but when you lift the whisk, it shouldn’t drip down.
Stop the stand mixer and pour in the condensed milk, lemon juice, and slightly cooled gelatin. Whisk again on medium speed for 10-20 seconds, until smooth. It’ll be slightly drippy, no longer as set, but still somewhat stiff. Fold in pineapple. Taste and add lemon for more tartness or condensed milk if you’d like it sweeter.
Place the cookies on a serving dish and use your hands to break them into bite-sized pieces (the smaller the better, but you don’t want them too crumbly). Pour the pineapple cream mixture over the cookies. Use a spatula to smooth out and evenly distribute. Seal tightly with cling wrap or airtight lid. Refrigerate overnight, or at least 4 hours. Serve chilled, straight from the fridge. See post for Topping Ideas.

Video

Notes

Note 1: You can use any type of gelatin powder (one recipe tester used Knox original gelatin). Gelatin stabilizes the cream and skipping it will result in less of a mousse-like but still creamy, delicious dessert.

Note 2: Allow pineapple to drain while you prepare the dessert. I prefer the one in heavy syrup as opposed to the one in pineapple juice because it lends more complexity in flavor, but I've also made it with the one in pineapple juice and it's always just as big of a hit. If using canned pineapple chunks, drain out the excess liquid, then pulse to chop in a food processor.

Note 3: You can use a variety of cookies: Marie biscuits, vanilla wafers, lemon snaps, ginger snaps, or even graham crackers.

To store: Keeps well in the fridge for up to 2 nights, after which the cookies start getting soggy.

Adapted from Flour and Spice Blog.

Nutrition