Fancy but Easy Dessert

Crush graham crackers on the bottom of the pan. Cover with fat free/sugar free white chocolate pudding and then decorate the top with fresh fruit. Yummy and healthy!!

7 Layer Bars? You make them ahead and then serve them on a pretty platter.

1 Pack graham crackers (most boxes have 3 packs), plus a few extra crackers.
1 stick butter
9 oz chocolate chips (dark or milk)*
9 oz peanut butter or butterscotch chips (check for PB allergies)*
1 pack coconut
6 ounces walnuts or pecans (check for allergies) - coarsely chopped
1 can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated) but low fat is fine
*You can use more chocolate and less of the others, doesn't matter. Quantities are approximate so if you're short on something, make it anyway.
If someone has PB allergies, use butterscotch chips. If anyone has a nut allergy, leave the nuts out entirely.

Melt butter in the bottom of an 8x11 pyrex pan (or 9x12).
Meanwhile, crush the graham crackers into crumbs in the food processor or with a rolling pin
Add the crumbs to the butter, mixing thorough, and pressing to the bottom of the pen with the back of a fork until level - this makes the crust.

Sprinkle the rest of the ingredients (chips & nuts) relatively evenly across the top of the crust. Top with coconut and nuts. When the whole thing is assembled, slowly pour the condensed milk across the top of the whole thing - you'll find it is fairly thick and it's easy to pour in stripes, then fill in the blank spots. It will drip down into the crevices and along the edge - that's fine.

Bake at 325 for about 30-40 minutes - the milk and coconut can lightly brown on top but don't let it burn.

Let it cool completely - important! After it cools to room temp, chill in the fridge. When it's chilled completely, use a sharp knife (warmed in hot water if necessary) or a metal spatula with a thin edge, and cut into bars or squares. Lift the bars out and place on a platter - you can stack them if they are cold. This can go back in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

If you cut them when they are warm, they are messy. So the advantage to this recipe is, you really just have to make them ahead! Great for any hostess!

By the way, I really stink at baking and desserts, and this is foolproof.

Sabayon and fresh berries served in beautiful stems.

We have done this before:
http://www.marthastewart.com/355303/kevins-summer-party-t...

I haven't tried this, but I am looking forward to!!
http://dearlillieblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/how-to-fake-fa...

home baked sugar cookies, iced with pink flavored cream cheese, decorated with small pieces of strawberry, kiwi, blueberry, looks great and yummy

Cheesecake is pretty easy to make, and fun to dress up. You can always add your own fruit to it, or drizzle a little chocolate or carmel sauce on top..It always looks good on display, and it's not runny!

Well, it's runny because it's frozen ice cream. But Oh My Goodness, it's delicious and gorgeous and very easy to make.

I take a cappuccino packet and mix it with about 5 cups of kind of melty chocolate ice cream with a blender in a large bowl. When the mix is sufficiently mixed in, pour it into a chocolate pie shell. Let it set in the freezer at least 6 hours (better over night). Then, when you cut the piece and plate it up, dollop a spoon of whipped cream, sprinkle with almond slices, and do a zig-zag pattern drizzle over the whole plate with chocolate sauce. It looks fancy-shmancy and it's soooo delicious!

I have crystal goblet-type things that I use as dessert cups. I've used to them to dress up mixed fruit, ice cream with wine poured over it, warm apple with cinnamon, stuff like that.

I've done Lou's answer before. It's yummy! You can use any flavor of pudding.

kuchen
frosted sugar cookies (round doesn't have to be shapes)
snickerdoodles

peanut butter kisses mini cupcake cookies (pour the batter into a mini cupcake pan instead of forming balls)

A Brownie Torte (i think this is the name) is super easy and looks like you did something fancy!
Here it is:
1. make brownie mix according to pkg in a 9X13 pan, either well sprayed or lined with foil so you can get it out in one piece easily. I usually place my giant cutting board over the pan and flip so I don't crack it.
2. Cut the brownie length-wise in half so you have 2 long skinny pieces.
3. open a container of chocolate frosting and remove the foil. Heat in microwave for 20-30 seconds so it is easy to mix and spread.
4. place one brownie section on the plate you want to serve it on and spread half the frosting -it's ok if some runs over the sides.
5. place the other half directly on top.
6. spread the rest of the frosting on top letting it run over the sides randomly.
7. sprinkle with toffee or heath bits (or whatever you may have handy- it just looks pretty)

After a half hour or so the frosting is firm again so it slices and serves easily.

p.s you may not want to share this with anyone- it's chocolate heaven!!!

The hardest part about making these little cheesecakes is making the batter "fluffy". I make them all the time. Do not overbake. To save even more time, I crush ready-made crust and spoon it in the bottom of the cups. But they are super cute. I use two kinds of pie filling to dollop on the tops; adds great color. Use plastic spoons to eat.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mini-cheesecakes-iii/detail....

Chocolate Pie

Buy a graham cracker crust. Take a box of chocolate pudding and follow the recipe for a pie. Then pour the pudding into the crust. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Put whipped cream on top. (I use almost the entire cool whip tub.) Shave some chocolate from a candy bar on top. Refrigerate if you want it firm. Looks great and it's so easy.

This isn't fancy but it does tend to look nice, isn't messing, and everyone seems to love it.

Bake a 9x13 pan of brownies (you want to use the cake-like recipe rather than the super chewy/fudge-like one).
Soft cream cheese (works best if you let it sit out while you are baking the brownies), mix with a little bit of caramel topping (the icecream topping made by Smuckers works great)
After the brownies have cooled, use the cream cheese & caramel mixture to frost the brownies.
Chop a few Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and some Granny Smith Green Apples (both of these can be more or less - however you prefer)
Sprinkle the candy and apples on top and drizzle a bit of caramel on top.

You can leave the candy off if you want and/or you can use Cream Cheese icing instead (that icing will make it sweeter and that can be too much for some).

how about individual fruit pizzas? I love making these and you can do it by pan - or to make it less messy, just cut sugar cookies like you would normally and decorate them individually.

Frozen yogurt, chocolate mouuse with whipped cream on top?