Best Party Dessert on a Budget?
I'm looking for a good dessert to bring to a casual party/watching a college football game...it needs to be cost efficient, because I'm on a budget these days! I need to feed about 10 people something really yummy. I have a bag of Oreos on hand. :O)
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29 Comments:
are you just looking to buy something or make it? if it's to buy - a couple of gallons of ice cream .... or an ice cream cake from your local dairy queen ....
if you're looking to make something, nothing is cheaper than angel food cake, 12 egg whites (less than $2, a cup of flour, sugar, a pinch of cream of tartar (ask your neighbor) .... and a couple of handfulls of chocolate chips to make a nice glaze. you can probably make a great dessert for under $5. if you have the time or inclination.
pooch at 10:26PM on 09/02/09
Layer:
White chocolate pudding
Broken/crushed Oreos
Dark chocolate pudding
Broken/crushed Oreos
Cool Whip
Cheap and amazingly yummy!!
Editmom at 10:44PM on 09/02/09
Not $2 cheap (impressive!) - banana pudding isn't bad.
Oreo's (crushed or not), layered with ice cream, and whipped cream works too...
Rice Krispie treats.
Cassaendra at 10:49PM on 09/02/09
*nodding*
I was going to suggest a trifle as well.
There are tons of options out there.
Gator Pam at 11:43PM on 09/02/09
any type of bread pudding. You can buy day old bread from the store, use 4 eggs, some milk, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Wanna make it decadent? Add some cocoa powder to the custard mix and maybe some chocolate chips. Hell, crumble up those oreos and throw them in there. bring a bottle of canned whip cream to put on top of each serving and there ya go! Soooo cheap and soooo good.
amiyrah18 at 12:19AM on 09/03/09
Oreo Truffles...
They are the easiest thing in the world and people are usually super impressed by them. All you need is your pack of Oreos, a pack of cream cheese and chocolate to roll them in.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-OREO-Truffles/Detail.aspx
I think the original recipe was like a promotional deal but regardless they turn out tasty.
jlweber at 12:46AM on 09/03/09
I would suggest chocolate chip cookies or brownies--for a 'theme' you can include M&Ms in the colors of the team you are rooting for--if you want to use the Oreos, Oreo brownies (with the cookies crushed in the batter) are popular recipes on many blogs. But cookies or brownies are certainly inexpensive to make--if you don't want to shell out for the cocoa powder, blondies are another option and can 'hold' a variety of add-ins, from M&Ms, Reeces Pieces, and so forth.
I would say nay to the trifle and pudding, personally--anything wet and messy can get gross when people serve themselves while focused on a game. Most guys I know wouldn't like angel food cake, if the population is mostly male--also it can be hard to cut for a crowd.
HeartofGlass at 5:45AM on 09/03/09
Buy a container of cool whip (about 1.50) and serve as a dip with the oreos.
lemonfair at 7:32AM on 09/03/09
bring a sheet cake & keep the damn oreos for yourself-ha!
gastronomeg at 9:03AM on 09/03/09
Is the desert for when you run out of pulled pork, ribs and chicken wings? I don't get it... most guys I tailgate with aren't about desert, but their wives/ girlfriends are.
If this is seriously for guys, bring the bag of oreos and they'll be fine. If this is a mixed crowd make something chocolate (brownies as HeartofGlass suggested) and the wives/ girlfriends will be happy. Either way, I haven't found desert to be all that good with beer, scotch or football.
Pavlov at 9:03AM on 09/03/09
Try these peanut butter cookies - really good only four ingredients - really easy on the bottom line!
1 cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky)
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
Preheat oven to 350°F. and grease baking sheets. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat together peanut butter and sugar until combined well. In a small bowl lightly beat egg and beat into peanut butter mixture with baking soda until combined well.
Roll level teaspoons of dough into balls and arrange about 1 inch apart on baking sheets. With tines of a fork flatten balls to about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, making a crosshatch pattern. Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven until puffed and pale golden, about 10 minutes.
Cool cookies on baking sheets 2 minutes and transfer with a metal spatula to racks to cool completely. Cookies may be kept in an airtight container at room temperature 5 days.
If you want to get fancy make some chocolate frosting and make sandwiches with them!
Martini Me at 10:27AM on 09/03/09
I just made a Snickers pie for a coworker's b-day with rave reviews! I used Oreos for the crust. 27 Oreos with the cream scooped out = the 2 cups of chocolate crumbs that you need.
http://makelifedelicious.com/2009/03/snickers-pie/
meem21 at 11:05AM on 09/03/09
Any nine inch cake will easily feed 10-12 people. Just don't skimp on the ingredients. Usually, the raw materials cost (eg unsweetened chocolate, nuts), is around $10-12 for the whole cake.
Go borrow some baking books and get inspired.
Ortolan at 11:47AM on 09/03/09
I just bought a huge bag of apples for a dollar and I'm going to make apple crisp. I agree you should keep the oreos to yourself.
sorahatch at 12:21PM on 09/03/09
Think seasonal.
The bread pudding suggestion is great. (day old bread, eggs- cheap but tasty). So was the frozen dessert idea with crushed oreo crust and ice cream.
Or an apple cake. Bar cookies.
Or cream puff shells, filled with custard or ice cream or whipped cream and seasonal fruit.
Or crush the oreos and make a chocolate trifle (angel food cake, pudding, crushed cookies, etc.)
CJ McD at 12:25PM on 09/03/09
A couple of home made pumkin pies are right up there as budget friendly too.
CJ McD at 12:27PM on 09/03/09
It seems to me that people are always more impressed than strictly necessary with a freeform fruit galette, and the only thing expensive in it is the butter for the short crust. Buy whatever fruit's cheap- if you can get end of the day "fire sale" super ripe fruit at your stores/farmers market/flea market, so much the better. If you live in the burbs and have neighbors with fruit trees full of fresh fruit, see if they mind if you take some- there's lots of good stuff just finishing its season now, and it seems like people are usually happy to get rid of some of it. Here's a good link I found for directions: http://www.finecooking.com/articles/how-to/galettes-rustic-tarts.aspx
If you wanted to get cuh-razy, you could layer some smashed up oreos between the fruit and the crust to soak up any juice- especially if you found some cheap berries or stonefruit.
Ravara at 3:55PM on 09/03/09
Oh yeah, I have to second the motion for the Oreo truffles. Slightly time-consuming because you have to do it in stages. And chocolate isn't cheap, although you could easily get away with the candy coating/almond bark. But it's a serious crowd-pleaser. I took a big platter of them to a teen party last weekend. I can't even do justice to the way they react to them. Grownups are equally enthusiastic.
Kathleen Purvis at 4:58PM on 09/03/09
Thanks for all the ideas. I think I'll do the brownies with Oreos in the batter and maybe try the PB cookies.
barbara_flay at 6:53PM on 09/03/09
if you're intp mexican fare... you can try CRISPAS with CAJETA.
Crispas are fried whole wheat tortillas and then sprinkled with cinammon sugar.
For the Cajeta - just take a can of sweetened condensed milk and submerge it in water and boil it for 2 hours. Trun upside-down at teh 1-hour mark. Let it cool off before opening the can.
Dunk crispas in the Cajeta... DELICIOSO!!! and cheap too. It's the sweet version of nachos with cheese...
MadelynRodriguez at 6:57PM on 09/03/09
Stack the Oreos in a round pyramid on a decent looking plate and serve with a smile. It doesn't get much cheaper than that for you.
Raiders757 at 8:09PM on 09/03/09
Rice pudding!!!! served with a dollop of a nice jam or fresh fruit scattered over it!
gharris at 8:50PM on 09/03/09
Broiled stone fruit--my favorite are peaches, but nectarines, plums, and apricots are all delicious. Just cut in half, take out the pit, and broil flesh side up until they're getting brown and crispy. Delicious! Example (with pineapple, also great): http://bencookseverything.blogspot.com/2009/02/gaff-factory-shrimp-jambalaya-and.html
-Ben
http://bencookseverything.blogspot.com
fozziebayer at 12:03PM on 09/04/09
Probably too late, but get 2 boxes of dark chocolate brownie mix. Mix together with crushed Oreos and bake both boxes together in one 9x13 pan. Make sure to underbake them a little so they stay moist and fudgy. People will think they are homemade and will only set you back a few bucks.
xwafflesx at 12:45PM on 09/04/09
A great dessert is Tres Leches Cake. Aaron Sanchez on the Food Network has a good receipe. Serve with or without fresh fruit.
gmm31313 at 7:08PM on 09/04/09
2 small boxes vanilla pudding + milk req. by directions
1 reg. sized container of cool whip
1 box graham crackers
1 can store bought chocolate icing (I like the darker, or fudgier kinds, but any will do)
Prepare the pudding and mix with the cool whip. Lay out crackers in a single layer, trying to fill in the whole area as well as you can on the bottom of a 9x13 pan, and spread half the pudding mixture on top. Carefully lay out another layer of crackers on top of that--they sort of float on there. Carefully spread the second half of the pudding mixture and float another layer of crackers on top. This layer it's important to make sure you cover as much of the pudding as possible with the crackers and not get any pudding on top of the crackers. You will use the icing to frost the top of this, and seal the pudding/crackers underneath it. You want to aim for a thick layer of icing, sort of gluing the crackers together to form an icing crust on top. You can refrigerate this overnight before the event, and in fact, it's best if allowed to sit overnight, because the crackers absorb liquid from the pudding and get soft. You want to let it chill for at least a few hours before serving. My MIL calls it "chocolate eclair" and it is so good, I started taking two of them with me when I took any, because it goes so fast. Cheap and ridiculously easy.
grumblekitty at 8:25PM on 09/05/09
Processed foods (oreos, really not that cheap either ) and pudding mixes freak me out a little.
Baked apples, granny smith 75 cents a pound!. Cut in half and top with cinnamon, sugar, butter. Bake in a water bath for 45-60 minutes at 350. Top with ice cream if budget affords.
Cantaloupe Alone at 6:17PM on 09/06/09
Okay I know no one is looking at this, but I thought of the cheapest and most fun dish.
Carmel corn!
1lb of popcorn is 99 cents. Popcorn has a ratio of 40-1. So lets say you can make 20 cups of popcorn with a quarter of the bag. Next you will need sugar 2 cups approx, salt, and baking soda, well you can look up the recipe. Its so cheap!
Cantaloupe Alone at 8:40PM on 09/08/09
mini cupcakes.
yayfood at 10:16PM on 09/08/09