A toasted fig leaf-infused milk forms the basis for these vegan and gluten free pudding cups. Each cup is layered with crushed chocolate wafer cookies, toasted fig leaf pudding, and summer berries.
I’ve always had a particular curiosity when it comes to all things flora. I love learning new uses for familiar and non-familiar plants alike. I especially love it when I learn that an edible variety of plant has multiple parts of it that can be used. You know, like sweet potatoes and sweet potato greens. Or squash blossoms and squashes. Or in this instance, figs and fig leaves!
I’ve always been curious to play around with fig leaves in my kitchen. This summer our tiny fig tree finally had enough leaves on it to not feel guilty about harvesting them so I decided to take advantage! Just in case you’ve never smelled a fig leaf, the younger ones have a scent that is a mix of vanilla and coconut. Once you toast the leaves, this scent intensifies. You’ll be staring in disbelief that such a lovely tropical scent could could come from such an unassuming leaf!
Once I knew I wanted to infuse the toasted fig leaves into milk, I set to work figuring out exactly what I wanted to make. It didn’t take me long to land upon a vegan pudding. Initially I thought about putting the pudding into mini-baked chocolate pie shells. But then the 100-degree temps outside and the general summer exhaustion got to me. I simplified the idea and came up with these pudding cups with summer berries!
Tips for Using Fig Leaves
- The younger leaves will have the most pronounced flavor. If you have a choice and are able to harvest them straight from a fig tree, the younger leaves will typically be a bit softer and slightly smaller than the mature ones. I highly recommend finding a friend or neighbor with a fig tree!
- If you don’t have a tree to harvest from, you can typically find fig leaves at specialty grocery stores.
- Once you harvest your leaves, rinse them off and pat them dry. You want them to be completely dry before you toast them.
- Once you’re ready to toast them, you’ll use a dry skillet (no oil or water). This process is super-quick and will only take 2-3 minutes over medium heat. After that, they’re ready to be used in the recipe!
Toasted Fig Leaf Pudding Cups with Summer Berries
- Total Time: 25 minutes hands-on
- Yield: 3-4 servings
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A toasted fig leaf-infused milk forms the basis for these vegan and gluten free pudding cups. Each cup is layered with crushed chocolate wafer cookies, toasted fig leaf pudding, and summer berries.
Ingredients
- 5 fresh fig leaves, about the size of your hand
- 1 cup oat or cashew milk
- 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
- 2 tbsp arrowroot starch
- 2 tbsp cane sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 small pinch of sea salt
- 16–18 plain chocolate wafer cookies
- 1 cup mixed summer berries such as blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc.
Instructions
Heat a large skillet over medium. To the dry skillet, add the fig leaves. Toast them until they become very fragrant and begin to curl up and dry out. This will take about 2-4 minutes total.
Remove the fig leaves from the pan and let them cool down a bit. Once they’re cool enough to handle, use your hands to crush the leaves into smaller pieces and add them to a small pot. Add 1 cup of oat or cashew milk to the pot along with the fig leaves. Set the pot over medium heat. Once it comes to a simmer, remove the pot from the heat, cover it, and let the mixture steep for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, strain the fig leaves out of the milk. Set the steeped milk aside.
To a clean pot, add the 1/2 cup of coconut milk and the arrowroot. Whisk these together until no lumps remain, then add the sugar, the steeped milk, the vanilla, and the pinch of salt. Whisk to combine, then set the pot over medium heat. Whisk this mixture continuously as it heats up. Once bubbles begin to break the surface, kick the heat down to low and continue to whisk. Cook the mixture until it has thickened and evenly coats the back of a spoon. It will be a very thin pudding consistency. Pour the pudding into a container and let it chill in the fridge and firm up for 6-8 hours or overnight.
When you’re ready to assemble your cups, crush your wafer cookies to break them down into much smaller pieces. They should look like cookie crumbs. Divide the crushed wafer cookies evenly between 3-4 small jars. Next, you’ll divide the pudding evenly between the jars, spooning it over the crushed wafer cookies. Then, you’ll divide the berries evenly between the jars, putting them on top of the pudding.
Serve and enjoy!
Cover any leftovers and store them in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
Notes
- If you can only find chocolate sandwich cookies instead of plain chocolate wafer cookies, you can scrape off and discard the filling and use just the cookies!
- Make sure to use a gluten free/vegan wafer cookie to make this recipe completely vegan & gluten free
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Chilling Time: 6-8 hours
- Cook Time: 20 minutes + 1 hour for steeping
