It’s no secret that the part of meals that many people look forward to most is the dessert. We never really grow out of wanting to know what’s going to come at the end of the meal, and it’s especially exciting if it’s a family favorite or something of a showstopper. Making desserts at home might often seem like it’s not worth the effort. You can easily pick up a cake or pie, or maybe some ice cream, from the store. But preparing your own desserts doesn’t have to be that time-consuming, and you can make something that impresses everyone without a lot of effort.
Homemade Ice Cream
Making ice cream at home might seem like something that’s out of your reach. Admittedly, it is much easier to do if you have an ice cream machine. However, you don’t have to have an electric churner to make ice cream yourself. There are recipes that don’t require an ice cream machine, and you can even make pistachio ice cream at home – or any flavor you like – using a blender. The joy of homemade ice cream is that you can add any flavors, colors, or extra treats to it. Once you have a basic recipe figured out, you can play around with it.
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Pies and Cheesecakes
A pie or cheesecake is always a crowd-pleaser, whether it’s for a family dinner or a dinner party. It’s also easy to make ahead and there are plenty of recipes that are really not that difficult to follow. It’s also often pretty easy to cheat a little by buying ready-made dough or crust, so you can remove one of the more difficult steps. There are all kinds of flavors and fillings you can try, plus you can choose recipes that require baking or those you can just put into the fridge to set.
Chocolate Fondants
If you’re looking for an impressive dessert for a dinner party, you can’t go wrong with a chocolate fondant. Well, they can go wrong fairly easily, but a little bit of practice makes perfect when it comes to chocolate fondants. It’s all in the timing, so working out just how long to leave them in your oven is a must if you want them to come out with a gooey center. They shouldn’t take too long to master, but it’s definitely worth doing a practice run before you decide to serve them to your guests.
Cakes, Brownies, and Traybakes
When you have a lot of people to serve, you don’t want to mess about with individual portions. A dessert that can easily be cut up into as many pieces as you like, depending on size, is ideal when you have a big crowd. So if you’re getting ready for a barbecue or potluck, a tray of brownies or a cake could be the ideal solution. You can make it in advance and some will even keep for a couple of days if you store them properly.
It’s easy to present a crowd-pleasing dessert without having to pull out all the stops. A little bit of presentation goes a long way too.
These are great ideas. I remember my dad making ice cream with fresh peaches when I was a little girl.