Serradura (Sawdust Pudding)

Serradura was introduced to me by my beautiful sorority sister, Melanie. She’s an expert in all things related to Spanish & Portuguese food, as she spends a good amount of time in the Ironbound section of Newark, NJ. This area of Newark is sort of like stepping into the cobblestone streets of Europe. Most of the restaurants are either Spanish, Portuguese or Brazilian, and there are a ton of bakeries in the area. Any good Portuguese restaurant has this dessert which originates from Macau, an island off the coast of mainland China. It is a former Portuguese colony. This interaction likely led to this dessert becoming a bakery staple for the Portuguese.

Serradura means “sawdust” in Portuguese, and it’s easy to see why the dessert is named as such, as the crushed Maria cookies resemble sawdust! It’s a real crowd pleaser, and also happens to be the EASIEST DESSERT EVER to make (4 ingredients)! You will definitely be asked for the recipe for these. I love serving these in shot glasses for parties with tiny spoons to match!

2 cups heavy cream

2/3 – 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk (fat free or regular)

30 Maria biscuits or tea biscuits, crushed

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the biscuits into the food processor and pulse until they’re fine crumbs.  If you don’t have a food processor, you can put the biscuits into a gallon sized plastic bag, and pound them with a rolling pin or small frying pan.

Pour the cold heavy cream into a bowl, then add in the vanilla extract.

Begin to whip the cream and vanilla for about 30 seconds until it starts looking fluffy.

Now add in your condensed milk.  Start with 2/3 of a cup, and beat it in until you’ve got stiff peaks.  If you’d like the whipped cream sweeter, add in the rest.  Don’t overmix, or you’ll end up with sweetened butter! 🙂

Grab a glass of your choice and place a layer of whipped cream in the bottom.  Smooth out the cream. Sprinkle some biscuit crumbs (don’t make it too thick, you want the whipped cream to soften each layer of biscuit crumbs so that the dessert is silky and not dry. Repeat with several layers of whipped cream and crumbs, ending with whipped cream and a light sprinkle of crumbs as a garnish.  Cover the desserts with plastic wrap and refrigerate them for 2-3 hours and then you’re ready to serve!

5 from 2 votes

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Serradura (Sawdust Pudding)

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2/3 – 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk fat free or regular
• 30 Maria biscuits or tea biscuits crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Place the biscuits into the food processor and pulse until they’re fine crumbs. If you don’t have a food processor, you can put the biscuits into a gallon sized plastic bag, and pound them with a rolling pin or small frying pan.
2. Pour the cold heavy cream into a bowl, then add in the vanilla extract.
3. Begin to whip the cream and vanilla for about 30 seconds until it starts looking fluffy.
4. Now add in your condensed milk. Start with 2/3 of a cup, and beat it in until you’ve got stiff peaks. If you’d like the whipped cream sweeter, add in the rest. Don’t overmix, or you’ll end up with sweetened butter!
5. Grab a glass of your choice and place a layer of whipped cream in the bottom. Smooth out the cream. Sprinkle some biscuit crumbs (don’t make it too thick, you want the whipped cream to soften each layer of biscuit crumbs so that the dessert is silky and not dry. Repeat with several layers of whipped cream and crumbs, ending with whipped cream and a light sprinkle of crumbs as a garnish. Cover the desserts with plastic wrap and refrigerate them for 2-3 hours and then you’re ready to serve!