7 Easy Bite-sized Summer Desserts ...

1. Caramel Peanut Butter Apple Dip

Don’t just think you need to stop at Apples as a dipper for this smooth dessert. If you ask me, dunking anything from peaches, pears, strawberries, bananas, fingers. Whatever the vessel, as long as it gets to your mouth, over and over and over again, I say it’s fair game.

RECIPE
3/4 cup Caramel Sauce
1/4 cup Smooth Peanut Butter
1/2 cup Marshmallow Fluff
1 tbsp Chopped Peanuts

Combine the caramel sauce and peanut butter until smooth. Next fold in the marshmallow fluff and then top with chopped peanuts. Serve with sliced apple.

2. Chocolate Covered Bananas

A very well know dessert, taken to the next level. Of course Chocolate and Bananas are long time lovers, but when they roll around with salted peanuts well it’s a heavenly “Menage a Trois” {so I’ve heard}. This dainty dessert can also be made far less tiny by using the entire banana. Who only wanted a bit of this dreamy dessert anyways? I say make the whole cluster.

RECIPE
8 ounces Semisweet Chocolate
6 Popsicle Sticks
2 Bananas
1/3 cup Salted Peanuts

Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of gently simmering water. Stir just until melted.

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Insert a popsicle stick in one end of each banana piece. Dip banana, one piece at a time, in chocolate, spooning on additional chocolate to cover.

Sprinkle each banana with peanuts, and set on prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate until chocolate is firm, 20 minutes, or up to 3 days.

3. Kiwi Popsicles

Make sure you tell your kids that even though they are wrapped in smooth milk chocolate, they won’t like them. They are filled with fruit. YUCK! This adult popsicle, to me, puts any fruity frozen pop to shame. Bite into this badboy and you will feel all sorts of warm and fuzzy inside. It’s a small dessert but it will hit the spot, each and every time.

RECIPE
2 Kiwi Fruit
1/4 cup Coconut Oil
1/2 Chocolate Chips
Sticks

Peel, remove ends and cut in half two Kiwi Fruit {about 1/2" thick}.
Put each Kiwi circle on a stick and place in the freezer.
While the Kiwi Pops freeze, over a double boiler melt your coconut oil and chocolate chips until smooth and creamy.

Once the Kiwi has set-up, remove them from the freezer and dunk them in the liquid Chocolate, placing them back on the tray for the freezer.

Put them back in the freezer to set-up another 10 minutes and remove them to dunk them a second time. Place them in them back in freezer for their last time.

ENJOY!

4. Watermelon Cups

This to me could be considered a dainty dessert or an amazing appetizer. Fruit and Cheese are a fabulous way to begin or complete a meal, am I not right ladies? Combine the two with chopped fresh mint and you had me at “hello.” A must try for your next shin-dig, or the next time your just laying around, alone… so you don’t have to share. Make sure you try this bite-sized summer dessert, you won’t be disappointed.

RECIPE
16 Watermelon Cubes, 1 inch
2 ounces Feta Cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp Mint, finely chopped
2 tsp Shallots, finely chopped
Pepper

Using a small melon baller or a 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon, scoop out a small well in each watermelon cube, keeping the walls of the cube intact.

In a small bowl, mash together the feta, mint and shallots; season with pepper. Stuff the wells of the watermelon cubes with the feta mixture.

5. Fruit Pizzas

This bite-sized summer dessert takes the word easy to the next level…stupid simple. A pre-made cookie dough made into cups, stuffing them with Cream Cheese and Cool Whip, topped with fruit. I mean common, easy never had it so….easy! My only tip to you, buy 2 packages of the Cookie Dough a little bit kept slipping into my mouth before it was cooked and I didn’t have much to serve. I wouldn’t want this to happen to you.

RECIPE
1 Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough, small package
8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1 Container Cool Whip, Large
4 cups Mixed Fruit

Cook sugar cookie dough either as 1 large pizza, small cups or small cookies at 350- cooking time will depend on what type of cookie you are making (generally 6-7 minutes for small cookies, longer for one large cookie), do not over cook. Whip softened cream cheese, then add in cool whip until nice and smooth. Place in Ziploc bag, cut off tip, pipe frosting onto cookies. Decorate with fruit.

6. Champagne & Strawberries

Just because it’s a liquid, doesn’t mean it can’t be a dessert. This Champagne is packed with Sherbet and Fruit, it is far from your average sip of bubbly. This is only considered to be a dainty dessert if you serve it in a likewise flute. Unlike I did, a water pitcher with a straw.

RECIPE
1 pint lemon sherbet
2 pints strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 cups champagne

Drop scoops of sherbet into 4 tall clear glasses. Top with strawberry slices, and then pour in champagne until filled.

7. S’mores Strawberries

Strawberries are a staple during the Summer. Sweet, healthy and can be used in so many ways. This bite-sized summer dessert we are stuffing, dipping and if that wasn’t enough, rolling… really there is no better way to eat this sweet berry. Simple, but oh so delicious.

RECIPE
Large Strawberries
1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow creme (1 1/2 cups)
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz)

Remove stems from strawberries; carefully cut out center of each strawberry. Spoon marshmallow creme into decorating bag fitted with medium tip; squeeze bag to pipe marshmallow creme into center of each strawberry.

Line plate with cooking parchment paper. Place graham cracker crumbs in small bowl. In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips uncovered on High 30 seconds; stir. Continue to microwave in 15-second increments until chips are softened and can be stirred smooth.

Dip bottom of each strawberry in melted chocolate, then roll in graham cracker crumbs. Place on plate. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or until chocolate is hardened.

What have we come to the conclusion this article… Anything Chocolate covered is perfectly pleasing. Bite-sized summer desserts come in all forms, even bubbly liquids. So the next time you’re looking for a dainty dessert, look no further. Tell me, what’s your favorite bite-sized dessert?

Sources: realmomkitchen.com, marthastewart.com, littlemissmama.com, rachaelraymag.com, bannerboutique.blogspot.ca, allrecipes.com, bettycrocker.com

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