A bowl of apples becomes a baked dessert with few ingredients.
Whether you're preparing dessert for a potluck or a picnic for your family, dessert is no doubt the favorite part of any meal. Desserts can be expensive but there are plenty of cheap ways to cap off a meal with a delicious dessert. The key is combining low-cost ingredients creatively.
Baked Apples
Spicy, soft and slightly sweet apples aren't just delectable inside pie. Mix brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg (optional) with 1/2 cup apple juice in a small bowl and stir thoroughly. Remove the apple core, but leave the skin on the outside to protect the apple moisture while baking. Set the apples in a tin foil-lined casserole dish before pouring the liquid mixture into each apple core. Pour another 1/2 cup of apple cider or juice over the entire dish and cover with tin foil. Bake for 45 minutes in the oven.
Pineapple Cream Salad
Pineapple cream salad is an easy dessert which doesn't cost a lot to make and small children to help with. Prevent sogginess by preparing this recipe immediately before serving. Pour approximately 3 cups of whipping cream in a large salad bowl. Mix in one can of crushed pineapple, one strained jar of maraschino cherries and 1 cup shredded coconut. Mix the ingredients together, then stir in a small bag of miniature marshmallows. Cover with plastic and serve chilled.
Cereal Balls
Combine 2 sticks of butter with one bag of small marshmallows in a large salad bowl. Melt the combination in the microwave for one minute or until the marshmallows are completely gelatinous. Immediately mix in 4 cups of your favorite crispy cereal into the melted mixture. Add the cereal immediately after melting the other ingredients. Choose a cereal that is light and puffy, instead of flaky, so it crumbles easily. Scoop the crunchy, gooey mixture into small balls using an ice cream scooper and place them on a foil-wrapped cookie sheet. Insert the cereal balls into the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes or until the mixture solidifies.
Raspberry Brownies
Follow the instructions for a standard box of brownie mix but include an additional egg for a fudge-like consistency. Pour brownie batter into a baking pan and drop 3 tsp. to 4 tsp. of raspberry jam on the batter surface. Insert a butter knife into each jam glob and swirl it generously through the surrounding brownie batter. The brownie batter will rise slightly around the jam swirls while baking, concealing the raspberry surprise just beneath the surface.
Tags: brownie batter, apple core, into each, large salad, large salad bowl, mixture into, salad bowl