Ten Fabulous Dessert Bars
Whether you are throwing a shower, celebrating a birthday or just having a group of friends over for a movie night, serving a themed buffet will not only save you time, but it will save you money!
I’ve come up with ten really delicious and simple dessert bar options that you can use for your next party. Go simple and select one item from each category, or go all out and provide lots of toppings and sauces! For most of them, they are dump and display – meaning you can buy all the supplies at the store, dump them into the containers and you are ready to party – barely any prep! They adapt really well to serve 10 or 100. Another great thing about them is that depending on how you display them and the decorations you add, you can fit them to almost any themed party and they can be dressed up for a fancy affair or made casual for a family get-together.
S’mores Dessert Bar
Base: graham crackers, thin mints, chocolate cookies, cinnamon graham crackers, keebler fudge stripe cookies, biscoff cookies, ginger snaps, thin brownies
Chocolate: peanut butter cups, plain chocolate, white chocolate, caramel filled chocolate, twix, kit kats, andes chocolate/mint, nutella,
Marshmallows: plain, chocolate, coconut covered, strawberry, peeps
Other toppings: berries, shredded coconut, bananas
Trail Mix Bar
Options could include: chocolate covered pomegranates, marshmallows, pretzels, chocolate covered almonds or peanuts, shelled pistachios, dried cranberries or cherries, raisins, chocolate covered raisings, peanuts, granola, dried fruit, M&M’s
Ice Cream Sundae Dessert Bar
Ice-cream – Since you are topping them with lots of goodness, stick with the basics: chocolate, vanilla and strawberry
**Freeze scoops on a cookie sheet or in cupcake lined muffin tins and once frozen place them in a bowl so they are easier for guests to serve themselves
Toppings: Caramel, Fudge, Strawberries, Whip cream, Cherries, Bananas, Oreos, Reeces, Gummy bears, Sprinkles, Brownie bites, Sponge cake bites, Peanuts, Marshmallows, Skor bar, M&m’s, Snickers
Ice Cream Sandwich Bar
Cookies: oatmeal, chocolate chip, snickerdoodles, ginger snap, sugar, chocolate
Softened Ice cream: select flavors that pair well with your cookies: vanilla, chocolate, cinnamon, caramel, etc.
Toppings to roll the sides in: peanuts, toffee, crushed oreo’s, mini chocolate chips, toasted coconut, sprinkles, mini m&m’s
Fruit Pizza Dessert Bar
Base: sugar cookies
Glue: whipped cream mixed with berry flavored yogurt, whipped cream, lemon curd, buttercream frosting, cream cheese frosting
Toppings: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, kiwi, bananas, coconut
Mini Pie/Tart Dessert Bar
Base: mini pie shells or tarts – grahm cracker crust, traditional crust or almond flour crust
Pie Fillings: cherry, raspberry, lemon, apple, banana pudding, crème anglaise
Toppings: whipped cream or ice cream (cinnamon ice cream, caramel ice cream, lemon ice cream)
Crepe/Waffle Bar
Base: Crepes (they sell precooked crepes at Costco now!) or Waffles (cheat and use Ego if you are in a time crunch or make them ahead and freeze them, then toast them on the day of the party)
Toppings: variety of berries, fresh fruit, pie fillings (apple, cherry, banana cream, etc.), Nutella, whipped cream, chocolate mousse, lemon curd, ice cream, caramelized bananas, peanut butter
Hot Cocoa Bar
Hot chocolate: a variety of chocolate powder flavors (like Stephens Gourmet)
Liquid: steamed milk (soy, almond, coconut, milk)
Toppings: marshmallows, caramel topping, whipped cream, sprinkles, chocolate shavings, candy canes (crushed or whole), cayenne pepper, cinnamon, red hots, wafer cookies
Cupcake
Cupcakes: since you are topping them, stick with basics like chocolate & vanilla
Frosting: (already loaded into piping bags) offer 3-5 choices – cream cheese, butter cream, strawberry, mint, chocolate, peanut butter, coconut, lemon/lime, german chocolate
Toppings: a variety of candy bars that have been chopped small, sprinkles, coconut, marshmallows, fruit, chocolate covered strawberries, chopped nuts, pop rocks – anything miniature
Popcorn Bar
Variety of popcorn: caramel, white cheddar, cheddar, ranch, cookies and cream, butter, kettle, white chocolate
Toppings: chocolate (like M&M’s, Jr. Mints or Reeces Pieces), nuts, offer plain popcorn and then the shakers (you can get a bunch of flavors at Orson Gigi)
Photo credits: Smores, Trail Mix, Ice Cream Sundae, Ice Cream Sandwich, Fruit Pizza, Mini Tarts, Crepes, Hot Cocoa, Cupcakes, Popcorn, Popcorn Shakers
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Wow. These are great ideas – I never would have thought of most of them!
Thanks Summer, you know how I love food and anytime I can pick what toppings I want is the best!