Your kids are sick and tired of your go-to party cake recipe. Mother-in-law is visiting next week, and you want to ‘wow’ her with your creations for once. Or it’s a lazy Sunday and you just fancy a treat for yourself. Whatever the reason, it’s never wrong to concoct delicious treats to share (or to have yourself!). Whether it’s a birthday or standard get-together, these ideas will be a hit with your guests.
Recipe #1: Peanut Butter Ganache Bars
There are many lovely chocolate-based recipes out there, so it was hard to pick just one. But considering just how tasty the 1-2 combo of peanut butter and chocolate is, this one was always going to be the winner.
You’re going to need: 24 Oreos (or ‘own brand’ alternatives), a quarter cup of granulated butter, 1 ⅓ cups of peanut butter (add a tablespoon or two if you prefer the taste to really come through), 2 cups of confectioner’s sugar, 10 ounces of high-quality choc chips, 1 stick of unsalted butter, quarter cup and 2 tablespoons of standard dark brown sugar, kosher salt, ¼ cup of heavy cream (again, add a tablespoon or two if you don’t mind the extra!).
We’re going to give you a full step-by-step for this one. Overall, it’s 5 minutes of prep work and 10 minutes in the oven. 8 steps, but super easy:
Step 1: Get that oven up to 375 Fahrenheit.
Step 2: Use a food processor and go with the cookies, granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons peanut butter, and 3 tablespoons butter. Go nuts (sorry, bad pun!) until it has that crumb-like texture.
Step 3: Move this to a pre-greased baking plan, around 8×8 inches. Pack it into a nice even layer.
Step 4: Bake this for 8-10 minutes, until you see it set. Leave to cool.
Step 5: Mix the sugars (confectioners and brown), a pinch of salt, and the remaining kinds of butter (peanut and regular). Set to the side.
Step 6: Heat the cream, stopping before the bubbling really starts to get going. Add the chocolate, leave it for a few minutes, then mix until smooth.
Step 7: Ganache on the crust (not all!), using a spatula. Add the peanut butter filling, evening it out. Finish with another layer of ganache.
Step 8: The hardest part! Put it into the freezer and wait an hour before you can dig in.
Recipe #2: Proper Key Lime Pie
When it comes to key lime pie, the ‘proper’ recipe published by Jamie Oliver is nothing short of sheer perfection. It’s the official state pie of Florida but has well and truly spread its wings to become a fan favorite all over the globe.
The advantage of this recipe is that it’s full of high-quality ingredients (makes a difference!), has an extra depth of flavor due to the extra limes used, and balances the sourness by using just a wee bit of honey. There are plenty of recipes out there, but this one has to rank amongst the best.
We’re not going to give you the full rundown here, as everything is available on Jamie’s website. The skinny: it serves eight, you’ll be baking for a bit of the time, but most of it is a waiting game. At least four hours, or overnight. So don’t think of making this if your party is today!
Minor Cheat #1: Use an Ice Cream Maker
This may be sacrilege for the next-level kitchen goddesses, but let’s get going with our ‘cheat sheet’ tips. Having too many appliances is a problem many of us already deal with, so apologies in advance for recommending this little miracle: the modern ice cream maker.
While we’re not telling you to go out and buy a particular model, the Cuisinart ICE-21 is a solid little machine. It’s not too expensive, hovering around $70, and makes some seriously smooth ice cream. It’s also relatively small.
Combine your ice cream with some crushed chocolate or cookies, and you have a treat that will go down a, well, treat. Be creative with your toppings and you can add a little bit of your own personality to your creations. It’ll save you loads of time and the result is far more delicious than the store-bought variety. This is a stress-free option, and to be honest just as good as the recipes above.
Ultimate Cheat #2: Go Mrs. Doubtfire
Modern lives are busy. Getting up before sunrise, prepping the kids before they go off to school, just about managing to brush your teeth before heading to the office, helping with homework, getting dinner together, you know the drill.
Rinse and repeat to utter exhaustion. So for the last tip, let’s give you this: go for the Mrs. Doubtfire approach. Don’t feel guilty about not spending hours baking your own treats. And don’t fret if your creations won’t get to the finale of Masterchef.
Putting that level of pressure on yourself can squeeze all the fun out of a party or celebration. So if you’re feeling like you don’t have time to do it all yourself, get help by ordering in. Tip: support a local business and go for a small bakery, rather than the usual big names (they’ll taste better too!).
Final Thoughts on Delicious Treats
Of course, there are many options out there for making delicious treats, so it’s just a matter of finding and perfecting those favorites that will become your staples for years to come. Use the delicious treats mentioned here to get started on a rewarding journey towards a satisfied sweet tooth.