Blueberry Coconut Mini Trifle
Every home cook needs a gluten free vegan dessert recipe up their sleeve, and you don’t want to be relegated to just making do with whatever the shops happen to offer. My Blueberry Coconut Mini Trifles don’t just tick all the boxes—they’re both easy to make and genuinely delicious. In fact, they’re the perfect make ahead dessert for a large gathering. These trifles hero my low sugar Blueberry Rosemary Jam. The jam can be made weeks in advance and doesn’t require any high-tech processing—its shelf life is easily assured by storing it in the freezer. Both the gluten free rosemary shortbread and coconut whipped cream are best made a day ahead, leaving only the fun part: layering up this blueberry rosemary trifle into some interesting glassware on the day of your event.
Equipment
- Large sieve
- Nut bag or cheesecloth
- Electric spice grinder (optional)
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
- Offset spatula (or small glass for pressing dough)
- Shallow container with sealable lid
- Large disposable piping bag (optional)
- Digital scales
- Serving glasses 6 x 250ml capacity
Ingredients
- 750 ml blueberry rosemary jam
- 1 kg coconut yoghurt full fat (preferably Greek style)
- 2-3 tablespoons pure icing sugar
- 500-600 g fresh blueberries
Rosemary shortbread:
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 4 large egg yolks
- 100 g caster sugar
- 100 g coconut oil
- 250 g gluten free plain flour
- 25 g water
Instructions
Make the jam:
- Prepare a batch of my Blueberry Rosemary Jam. The recipe can be made weeks ahead and kept in the freezer.
Prepare the shortbread dough:
- Start by bringing the egg yolks and coconut oil to room temperature.
- Chop the rosemary finely and beat with 100g caster sugar and the salt in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment (or with electric hand beaters) for 2–3 minutes.
- Add the egg yolks and beat until pale yellow and ribbon-like.
- Switch to a paddle attachment or spatula and mix in 100g coconut oil until smooth.
- Sift in 250g gluten free plain flour and add 25g room temperature water, mixing until just combined. Press the dough evenly into a shallow container with a sealable lid, using an offset spatula or the base of a glass to level the surface.
- Refrigerate overnight or until firm.
Bake the shortbread:
- Preheat the oven to 150°C conventional (130°C fan forced).
- Work with the dough while it’s still cold and firm.
- Unmould the shortbread dough from its container.
- Using a small sharp kitchen knife, cut the shortbread into approximately 1cm cubes and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Alternatively, break the dough into 1cm “pebbles” instead. Return the baking tray to the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up the shortbread (to prevent spreading while baking) or freeze for 15 minutes.
- Bake the shortbread for 35–40 minutes, gently moving the pieces around as they start to firm up. Aim for a light golden colour. If some pieces start colouring before others, remove them as you go. Cool the shortbread to room temperature before assembling the trifles.
Strain the coconut yoghurt:
- Line a large sieve with either a nut bag or three layers of cheesecloth, ensuring there’s enough overhang to fold over the top. Suspend the sieve over a bowl of similar diameter.
- Add 1kg coconut yoghurt and cover with the extra cheesecloth. If using a nut bag, fill it with the yoghurt while it stands upright then secure the open end.
- Cover the yoghurt with a couple of layers of plastic wrap to ensure it doesn’t absorb any odours from the refrigerator.
- Refrigerate overnight. If you’re the recipe in one day, place a plate over the yoghurt and add a small weight (a tin of beans works well). You can give it a light press now and then to speed up the process. Strain until the yoghurt has the consistency of spreadable cream cheese. Make sure to reserve the whey from the bottom of the bowl—it can be used to loosen the yoghurt if it becomes too firm.
Whip the yoghurt:
- Transfer the strained yoghurt to a bowl and mix on low to medium-low speed in a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer.
- Sift in 2-3 tablespoons pure icing sugar to taste. Stop once you reach your preferred level of sweetness.
- If you feel the yoghurt is still too firm, add a little reserved whey, one tablespoon at a time, until light but stable.
- Refrigerate until required.
Assemble the trifles:
- Spoon some Blueberry Rosemary Jam into six 250ml serving glasses.
- Add a layer of rosemary shortbread cubes, followed by a handful of fresh blueberries.
- Top with a layer of whipped coconut yoghurt – spooned or piped in.
- Garnish with a dollop of jam, extra fresh blueberries, and a small rosemary sprig.
- Refrigerate until served.
Just before you cook with abandon…
Using full fat coconut yoghurt: Low fat yoghurt won’t work here. It lacks the structure to hold shape once strained, and the flavour will fall flat. Go for a Greek-style full fat coconut yoghurt with at least 4g fat per 100g (ideally closer to 16g).
Why use fresh rosemary? If you’re wondering whether dried rosemary will do—don’t. Use fresh rosemary sprigs. The essential oils in the leaves are what carry its aromatic character, and those oils are the key to how the savoury herbal note weaves through the shortbread. Dried rosemary has lost those volatile oils and leaves behind a dull, woody flavour instead of the fresh perfumed depth of flavour.
Making ahead: This is a brilliant make-ahead dessert. The jam can be made weeks in advance and kept in the freezer, the shortbread baked several days ahead, and the strained yoghurt prepared the day before assembly.
Storage: Best served on the day they’re assembled. The trifles can be refrigerated for up to two days — cover loosely with plastic wrap to prevent the coconut cream from picking up fridge odours.
Shortbread leftovers: You’ll have leftover shortbread cubes — keep them in the freezer for up to three months. A handful over ice cream makes a perfect movie-night dessert.
Serving size: This recipe makes six generous 250ml serves. For smaller portions, divide the same quantities into 8–10 smaller glasses.
Substitutions: If you’re not keeping the recipe vegan, Greek-style full fat dairy yoghurt works beautifully in place of coconut yoghurt. Just make sure to strain it as you would the coconut version for the right texture.