This Blackberry Fool recipes is an easy Irish dessert that is sweet, light and perfect for any time of the year. With layers of blackberry sauce and whipped cream with yogurt, it is a simple desert that is simple to make and caps off a meal in a delightful way. Save this to Pinterest now so you can always find it!
I always love learning about other cultures and having a chance to experience food from other parts of the world. While Ireland may be one of the cultures some of us experience more often than others, there are always ways to dig into the culture past St. Patrick’s Day and the normal corned beef and cabbage. This Blackberry Fool is one of those easy Irish dessert recipes that you do not see very often in the United States, but would be very common in Ireland. I thought I would make it and share my version of it with you today.
What is a Blackberry Fool?
A “fool” is a classic fruit dessert in the United Kingdom and Ireland that includes pureed or stewed fruit with layers of a creamy, custard-like topping. Often today, food dessert recipes use a whipped cream mixture in place of the original custard and swirl it into the fruit. No one really knows why the dessert was called a fool but the French word fouler means “to crush”. It is suspected the name originated from the crushing of fruit to create the dessert.
Why are the blackberries in the blackberry fool?
Berries in general are very common in Irish desserts. There are a lot of native berries in Ireland itself. Bilberry is one of the most popular and often used in fool desserts. However, blackberries are also very common in Ireland and are native. You will find wild blackberries growing along roads and in hedgerows, which is part of the reason it is so popular. Blackberry bushes make great hedgerows (now if only the deer would stop eating mine). Since you cannot get bilberry here in the United States – and blackberries are just as common there – it made sense to use this fruit in this dish. If you happen to stumble upon bilberries somewhere though, you can use those instead. Blueberries or strawberries could also be substituted in this easy Irish dessert.
Making the stewed blackberries
The Blackberry Fool is truly an easy Irish dessert to make. The only thing I would recommend is making the stewed blackberries a day in advance or so. You can make them the same day but they do need about 4 hours to totally cool or they will melt the cream mixture.
To make them, you simply mix the blackberries with sugar, honey and a little lemon juice over medium heat. Once the sugars have melted, the mixture needs to be simmered for 7- 10 minutes. When the time is up, remove the blackberries from the heat and let them cool completely. Then they need to to be placed in a refrigerator safe container and chilled until they are completely cooled.
Making the cream mix
When the stewed blackberries have completely cooled, it is time to make the cream mixture. To do that, I use a stand mixer. You can also use a hand mixer. You combine heavy cream, a little confectioners sugar and vanilla paste or the scrapings from a vanilla pod. When stiff peaks have formed, stop mixing and gently fold in whole milk Greek yogurt. I like to then refrigerate this until I’m going to build the Blackberry Fool.
Tips for making the Blackberry Fool
- You can make this easy Irish dessert ahead of time. You can either make the components and keep them separated until you are ready to serve, or completely make the dessert and place the individual cups in the refrigerator. I would only make them a day in advance though.
- Again, just be sure to give yourself enough time to allow the stewed blackberries to cool.
- I recommend using vanilla paste in the cream mix or a vanilla pod. You can also use vanilla extract if you prefer it though.
- If you prefer a different fruit, try the same recipe with that fruit.
- Save any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can keep the stewed blackberries for up to a week and the cream for about 24 hours.
Looking for more easy dessert recipes?
If you love an easy dessert recipe like my Irish Blackberry Fool, try these.
- Baileys Chocolate Cake {HERE}
- Mini No Bake Strawberry Cheesecakes {HERE}
- Sunshine Cookies {HERE}
- No Bake Chocolate Lasagna {HERE}
- Homemade Cinnamon Sticks {HERE}
- Strawberry and Cream Cheese Pie {HERE}
- Homemade Strawberry Shortcake {HERE}
Looking of more Irish inspired recipes?
If you are looking for more Irish inspired recipes like my Blackberry Fool, try these too.
- Corned Beef & Cabbage {HERE}
- Cottage Pie {HERE}
- Irish Soda Bread {HERE}
- Guinness Irish Beef Stew {HERE}
- Potato Leek Soup {HERE}
- Irish Apple Cake {HERE}
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Thank you so much for joining me today, friends! I hope that you love my Blackberry Fool easy Irish dessert! The full, printable recipe is below. Happy spring and happy eating!
Blackberry Fool
Equipment
- Sauce pan
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
Ingredients
Ingredients for the stewed blackberries
- 12 oz fresh or frozen blackberries
- 1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 cup castor sugar or fine sugar In the US, this is often called Baker's Sugar.
- 1/4 cup honey
Ingredients for the whipped component
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla paste Or the scrapings from a vanilla pod.
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, whole milk preferably
Toppings
- Fresh blackberries
- Mint leaves
Instructions
- Combine the blackberries, lemon juice, sugar and honey in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Mix lightly until the sugar dissolves and is well combined. Then turn down the flame to a simmer and simmer the mixture it for about 7 minutes. Remove it from the heat and let it cool completely. (About 1 hour) Then add it to a jar and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours.
- In the stand mixer or in a large bowl, combine the heavy cream, confectioners sugar and vanilla. Mix on high until you see stiff peaks. Then fold in the Greek yogurt until everything is smooth and well combined. You can refrigerate this now if you like until you want to build the dessert.
- Prepare the dessert by adding a base of the whipped cream mix to a cup or small bowl, add in a couple scoops of the blackberry mix and then swirl at the base. Then alternate the mixtures until the cup is full. Again, you can refrigerate this now if you have prepared ahead of time.
- To serve, add on fresh blackberries and mint leaves.
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