Name: Mini Cookie and Berry Trifles
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1½ cups (7½ ounces/213 grams) halved raspberries , halved blackberries, and/or hulled and chopped strawberries; 1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons sugar , measured separately; ⅓ cup (3 ounces/85 grams) mascarpone cheese; ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; ⅛ teaspoon table salt; ¾ cup heavy cream , chilled; ¼ cup (½ ounces/14 grams) Nilla Wafer cookies or 1 graham cracker

Why This Recipe Works

Juicy berries, crumbled cookies, and fluffy whipped cream make these mini trifles a tasty and textural treat that kids and grown-ups alike are sure to love. They’re simple enough to make for a family dessert, but look fancy enough to serve at a party! The key to the fluffiest whipped cream is to start with well-chilled heavy cream. The fat molecules in cream are firmer and more solid at colder temperatures, so they do a better job at trapping and holding onto all the air bubbles you whip into it. To see this science in action, if you have leftover heavy cream, kids can let it come to room temperature and use the electric mixer to make it into whipped cream. It won’t whip into fluffy whipped cream—and it might not even turn into whipped cream at all!

Before You Begin

Mascarpone is a soft, creamy cow’s-milk cheese from Italy that’s both slightly sweet and slightly tangy. It’s usually sold in small containers in the refrigerated section of your market.

Instructions

In medium bowl, combine berries and 1 teaspoon sugar. Use rubber spatula to stir until combined. Let sit until sugar has dissolved and berries are juicy, at least 20 minutes or up to 2 hours.

Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine mascarpone, vanilla, salt, and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Use electric mixer on medium-high speed to beat until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Use clean rubber spatula to scrape down sides of bowl. Start mixer on low speed and gradually pour in chilled cream. Increase speed to medium-high and whip for 1 minute. Stop mixer and lift beaters out of whipped cream mixture. If cream clings to beater and makes soft peaks that stand up on their own, you're done. If not, keep beating and check again in 30 seconds.

Place cookies in zipper-lock plastic bag. Seal bag, making sure to press out all air. Use rolling pin to gently pound bag to break cookies into small pieces (see photo, "Step-by-Step: How to 'Chop' Cookies with a Rolling Pin").

Use spoon to divide half of whipped cream mixture evenly among 4 (6- to 8-ounce) parfait glasses or glass tumblers. Divide berries evenly among glasses. Top with remaining half of whipped cream mixture. Sprinkle with crushed cookies. Serve.