berry coconut parfaits

If you're after a super-fast, low sugar, delicious dessert, these Berry Coconut Parfaits are a winner. Using just four ingredients, you can whip them up in a few minutes and then store them in the fridge for later (useful if you're doing a dinner party and want to get dessert out of the way).

I made them with boysenberries, which were given to my boyfriend by a work colleague (thanks Kris!). They were picked fresh from her parent's garden and then frozen. This is a great way to keep berries fresh if you find yourself with more than you need. Once defrosted, the berries won't look quite as pretty and they will be a little 'wet', but they will still work really well in this recipe (thanks to the use of coconut flour to soak up excess juice).

You can use any berries for this recipe. Blueberries would also work really well. Berries are usually ranked as having high pesticide residue, so get organic ones if you can. Most health food shops stock organic frozen berries, which are much more affordable than fresh ones. I used coconut yogurt to layer with the berries because I love it. If you're ok with dairy, you could use a natural Greek yoghurt or whip up some good quality cream instead. Whatever floats your boat.

I haven't given exact quantities in my recipe, as it will largely depend on the 'wetness' of your berries and the size of your serving glasses or jars. They key is to create a few, even layers. 

ingredients

• 2 large handfuls of frozen berries (or fresh ones if you have them!)
• 1 handful of unsweetened, desiccated coconut
• Coconut flour
• Coconut yoghurt (or natural Greek yoghurt or whipped cream)

preparation

1. If you're using frozen berries, defrost them. I do this quickly by placing them in a large bowl and then partially submerging the bowl in hot water in the sink. As berries are small, they don't take too long to defrost this way.

2. Mash the berries with a fork, leaving a few chunky bits. Stir through the desiccated coconut. If the mixture is still quite wet, stir through a little coconut flour. I do this one teaspoon at a time, because coconut flour is very absorbent and you don't want to end up with a mixture that is too dry. 

3. Taste the berry mixture. The coconut and coconut flour add sweetness, but if it's still too tart or sour, you could add a little rice malt syrup, raw honey or pure maple syrup to sweeten the mixture.

4. Once you're happy with the berry mixture, layer it up with the coconut yogurt in little jars or glasses.

Serves 2.