Quick and easy sweet treats

Sweet party food should be quick, easy and delicious. Here are some great ideas for quick and easy sweet treats, that all your guests will enjoy.

Condensed Milk Slice

This is the easiest slice recipe in the world, and once you start eating it, you won’t be able to stop. As well as making it into a slice, you can roll the dough into balls and coat them in coconut. The ball version makes a nice take-home treat for the party loot bag.

You will need:

• 2 packets Plain BiscuitsVarying the type of biscuits you use means you can make lots of different flavours of the same slice. Good biscuits to try are plain Wine, Malt, Girl Guide, Krispies, Gingernuts, and Chocolate Chip, or try using two different biscuits in the same batch.

• 1 cup Tasty TreatsYour tasty treats could be just about anything, and you can include more than one treat in any batch. Some of my favourite treats to include are chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, chopped up Mars Bars, or dried apricots.

• 1 cup Coconut
• 1 cup Butter (melted)
• 1 tin Condensed Milk

To make:

1. Crush the biscuits to form chunky crumbs. You can either use a food processor, or place the biscuits in a plastic bag and roll over them with a rolling pin.
2. Mix the biscuit crumbs with the remaining ingredients, until the whole mixture is moist.
3. Press the dough into a slice tin, and put it in the refrigerator for approximately 2 hours to set, before cutting it into squares. You can hurry up the process by setting the slice in the freezer, but once cut, it should be kept in the fridge.

Delicious!

Cream Puff Stack

This can either be presented as finger food, or as a fully fledged dessert. Either way, it looks like you’ve spent hours getting it just right.

You will need:

• 1 packet Frozen Pre-filled Cream Puffs
• 1 packet White Chocolate Melts
• ¼ cup Cream
• ½ packet Dark Chocolate Melts
• Strawberries, M&M’s or mini chocolate fish (optional)

To make:

1. Melt the white chocolate melts by following the instructions on the packet, and set aside for approximately 1 minute to cool slightly.
2. Pour in the cream, and mix quickly so that the chocolate thickens. (Using the exact quantity of cream is not essential; it simply stops the chocolate from setting rock hard.)
3. Using a warm knife, ice the cream puffs one by one with the melted chocolate, and start building them into a cone-like stack. The melted chocolate will hold them in place. If you want to add sweets for decoration, now is the time to do it
4. Melt the dark chocolate melts following the instructions on the packet, and then using a fork, quickly drizzle it all over the cream puff stack.

Now place the stack in the middle of the table, and your guests can pull off cream puffs as they want.

Marshmallow and Strawberry Kebabs

There are no specific quantities for this recipe, simply use as much (or as little) of each ingredient as you choose. If strawberries are out of season, you can replace them with pineapple chunks.

You will need:

• Marshmallows
• Strawberries
• White Chocolate Melts
• Kebab Sticks

To make:

1. Cut the stalks off fresh strawberries, and thread them onto wooden kebab sticks, alternating each berry with a pink or white marshmallow. You may want to cut the kebab sticks in half, so that your guests don’t have an entire feast in one kebab.
2. Melt the white chocolate following the instructions on the packet.
3. Dip, or lay the kebabs in the melted white chocolate, so that only part of the kebab is coated.
4. Place the kebabs on a piece of baking paper to set (this should only take a few minutes) then lay them on a plate to serve.

Chocolate Crackles

Nothing says ‘kiwi birthday party’ like chocolate crackles. It’s a tradition that you can’t help but pass on. There are lots of different recipes around, but this one is no-fail.

You will need:

• 250g Kremelta (or vegetable shortening)
• 4 cups Rice Bubbles
• 1 cup Icing Sugar (sifted)
• 3 tablespoons Cocoa
• 1 cup Coconut

To make:

1. Melt the Kremelta following the instructions on the packet.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
3. Spoon the mixture into muffin tins or paper patty cases, and put in the fridge to set.

These can be made days ahead of time, and keep well in the fridge (provided you don’t eat them first of course!).

S-mores

This treat was introduced to us by an American friend, and now it is a firm favourite for our parties – especially sleepovers for the kids !

You will need:

• 1-2 packets Chocolate Digestive Biscuits
• Marshmallows

To make:

1. Lay half of the chocolate digestive biscuits on a baking tray, chocolate side up.
2. Place a marshmallow on top of each biscuit, and then put a second biscuit on top, chocolate side down, to form a sandwich.
3. Place the tray in a 180*C pre-heated oven for 3-5 minutes, or until the marshmallows are melted.

Rumour has it, these marshmallow biscuits are called s-mores because once you’ve had one, you always want some-more.

No Cook – No Fuss

• Instead of a bowl full of lollies, put out a bowl full of pink and white marshmallows, mini chocolate fish, strawberries and white chocolate buttons. It looks great.
• Buy pre-prepared sweet pastry cases, and fill them with custard and frozen berries.
• Ice plain wine biscuits with chocolate spread and sprinkle them with hundreds and thousands.
• Thread bananas onto chopsticks, and freeze them in a plastic bag over night. Icy fruit pops!
• Thread soft jubes onto elastic so each child can have their own lolly bracelet.
• Mix a large bag of pre-popped popcorn with approximately ½ cup coloured icing, and roll it into balls. The icing will make the popcorn pieces stick together, and it will go hard in the fridge.
• Stuff ice cream cones with marshmallows, and stick a meringue to the top using whipped cream or chocolate spread.

Remember kids don’t need a whole heap of sweet treats, so pick a couple of things and keep it simple. If you’re really pushed for time, buy a carton of ice cream and a packet of cones…but don’t forget to make one for yourself – you’ll need it!

Happy Partying!