Pavê (Brazilian Cookie Cream Dessert)

Nov 3, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Dessert Custards puddings creams Vanilla: Extract Easy

Pave is a no-bake Brazilian dessert of milk-dipped cookies layered with a thick vanilla condensed milk custard and finished with chocolate. It is made ahead and served chilled. Makes 8 servings in about 4 hr 40 min.

Prep 30 min

Cook 10 min

Cooling 4 hr

Total 4 hr 40 min

Servings 8

Ingredients

Adjust yield

servings

2 cups (500 ml)whole milk, for the custard
1 ¼ cups (395 g)sweetened condensed milk, 1 can
⅔ cup (150 ml)heavy cream, for the custard
3 ½ tbsp (30 g)cornstarch
½ tsp (3 ml)vanilla extract
2 ⅓ cups (220 g)maria cookies or plain tea biscuits
½ cup (120 ml)whole milk, for dipping, for the layers
5 ½ oz (150 g)semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
⅔ cup (150 ml)heavy cream, for the topping

Baking tools for this recipe

Convert to grams Scale it Change the pan

Instructions

Whisk the cornstarch into a little of the cold milk until smooth, then pour into a saucepan with the rest of the milk, condensed milk, cream and vanilla.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it bubbles gently, then reduce the heat and simmer 5 minutes until thick enough to coat a spoon.
Cool the custard in a bowl set over cold water, stirring now and then, until lukewarm.
Spread a thin layer of custard in an 8-inch square dish. Dip the cookies one by one into the cold milk for just a second and arrange in a single layer.
Cover with custard, repeat with cookies, and continue until you finish with a layer of custard on top. You should have 3 cookie layers.
For the topping, heat the cream until steaming, pour over the chopped chocolate, wait 2 minutes and stir until smooth. Cool slightly and spread over the top.
Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, so the cookies soften into cake. Cut into squares to serve.

Tips

Dip the cookies quickly; soaked ones fall apart.
Let the custard cool before layering or the cookies turn mushy.
Chill overnight for the cleanest slices.
Keep this milk and cream dessert refrigerated and discard after 3 days.

Made this?

Log it to keep your bakes, ratings and notes together in My Kitchen.

Be the first to share one.

Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make pavê (brazilian cookie cream dessert)?

Plan on 30 minutes of prep and 10 minutes of cooking, plus 4 hours to chill. The recipe makes 8 servings.

How should I store pavê (brazilian cookie cream dessert)?

Keep refrigerated, covered, up to 3 days.

Can I make pavê (brazilian cookie cream dessert) ahead?

Yes. It needs time to chill and set, so it is a good one to make the day before you serve it.

Can I use a different form of vanilla?

Yes. This recipe uses 0.5 tsp vanilla extract (3 ml). Each teaspoon of pure vanilla extract can be swapped for 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste, the seeds of half a vanilla bean, or 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla powder. Paste and seeds add the classic dark specks.

Pave is a Brazilian chilled dessert of cookies layered with sweet cream in a dish and set in the refrigerator. Serve it with strong coffee.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 8 servings this recipe makes.

488 Calories / serving

26.3g Fat

55.1g Carbs

8.7g Protein

43.4g Sugar

Whole recipe (8 servings): ~3904 cal · 210g fat · 441g carbs · 70g protein · 347g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.