Impress Your Friends with a Fabulous Dessert Party
What you will need for a successful dessert party is space for your guests, music in your chosen genre, drinks of your choice, and . . . yes, desserts! The drinks will depend on whether you will be serving alcohol or not. Even if you will be serving alcohol, you will still want to have coffee and soft drinks available on ice for your guests who do not drink or choose not to drink the night of your party. Don’t forget to add bottled water to that ice; it is a drink very much in vogue now.
So what are the options?
As mentioned, there are two ways to plan a dessert party that will work. One way is to provide all the desserts yourself by choosing some easy recipes (a few included below) and preparing the desserts starting a day or two before the party; longer if you are planning to freeze those which can be frozen. If you choose this option, don’t be afraid to get a little help from a bakery. You can buy brownies and a decorated cake, etc. so you won’t have to prepare everything you’re serving.
The second option is to simplymake it a “bring your own dessert” party. Ask guests to bring a “covered dish” of their favorite dessert and you will need to make just one dessert and provide the drinks, tableware, and entertainment. This works equally well with a large or small guest list.
Okay, so let’s see an example . . . Gimme a recipe!
The easiest of desserts are those that take very little time or experience to prepare. Case in point: Unfrozen Ice Cream Delight. This can be mixed up in very little time and it is always a winner with visitors.
The first step is what will take the most time and that is just a few minutes. Crush 60 or 65 Ritz (r) crackers (take note, that’s not graham, it’s Ritz, but it’s delicious, no worries!) and then keep a fistful out for the topping. Mix the remaining crumbs with 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of butter that you have melted; the microwave works great for melting it if you keep it covered. Cover the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan with the crumbs and press down gently.
The rest is so very effortless! Mix 1 1/2 cups of milk with 2 packages (small size) of instant vanilla pudding mix. Add 1 quart of vanilla ice cream and keep beating. Finally add an 8 ounce tub of whipped topping, stir, and pour it over the crumb crust. Sprinkle the reserved cracker crumbs over top and cover it with foil. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight; this does not get frozen. And voila, your first dessert is finished in a very short time.
. . . And another dessert favorite
This will possibly be the quickest dessert you have ever made. Make it the morning of your party. It will take only minutes.
The first step is to break up an angel food cake that you had bought in the supermarket’s bakery. Tear it into bite sized pieces into the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan. An alternative is simply slicing the cake, but breaking it up is just as easy. That is your first layer already completed.
For the second layer, prepare a large pack of instant vanilla pudding the way the package instructs. Give it about two minutes to just begin to get firm and spread it over the broken up angel food cake. The third layer is uncomplicated, too; simply spread a large (16 ounce) tub of whipped topping over the pudding.
All that’s left to do is the topping and that is your choice. Blueberry pie filling is incredibly good, but you can try cherry pie filling, pineapple pie filling, etc.
. . . And still more?!
You are well on the way to having a very successful dessert party if you make a few of these incredibly easy recipes and then get yourself some help from a bakery by way of special cake, pies, brownies, and so on. All three of the desserts in this article can easily be made in less than an hour. If you don’t have three 13 by 9 inch baking dishes, use aluminum pans.
This dessert is also extremely easy to prepare. In a large mixing bowl, lightly combine the following ingredients:
– 1/3 cup lemon juice
– Sweetened condensed milk (14 ounce can)
– 1/3 cup flaked coconut
– 10 ounce can crushed pineapple
– 1/3 cup chopped nuts (walnuts work great!)
When these ingredients are combined, fold in 12 ounces of whipped topping and put the mixture into a graham cracker crust. There is a new large size now that works best, but if you can’t find one in the large size, use two of the regular size.
Believe it or not, you are finished with this pie! Allow it to chill for at least a few hours, but making it the night before your party will work great.
It’s party day! Don’t panic, this part is a piece of cake!
If you made all or some of these very easy desserts and got some help from a bakery, the preparation on party day will be minimal. Of course there will be the usual making sure the house is clean but besides that, do the decorating and get the tables set up. Put your tableware and glasses out.
Make sure that you have a good selection of music and someone to keep it playing (ask someone to do this if you would rather not bother with it yourself.) At the last moment, get dressed and sit down to relax for a moment with your drink of choice. It’s going to be an excellent party!
