When it comes to dinner time, we all know what it feels like when we see disappointed guests and family members. They enjoyed the starter, loved the dinner, but felt like the dessert was lacking or there weren’t enough after-dinner treats to snack on. So to help sate those needs for something sweet, here are a couple of dinner treats that you can cook up for any occasion.
Salted Chocolate Milk
There’s going to be a lot of chocolate in these delicious after-dinner treat ideas. Chocolate milk is delicious on its own, but when salted and served with a few biscuits, it makes a fantastic after-dinner drink and snack that can complement your dessert. A simple way to do this would be to add a pinch of salt into a glass of chocolate milk. However, this usually isn’t needed for most sugar-heavy store-bought chocolate milk and is more recommended if you make your own. Homemade chocolate milk can be a little bitter due to the cocoa content, and the salt helps to counteract this.
Chocolate Truffles
Who doesn’t love a delicious, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate truffle? You could always buy a packet of truffles and serve them on a plate with a hot cup of coffee or tea, or you could even try to make your own. You’ll need cooking chocolate, some cream, unsalted butter and some chocolate shavings to create your own truffles. While the ingredients are simple, making your own truffles takes a bit of work, but it’s well worth the effort. You can even add a little alcohol if you’re making them for grown-up guests.
Decadent Hot Chocolate
If chocolate milk wasn’t good enough, how about hot chocolate? Simple and plain hot chocolate makes a fantastic after-dinner drink to warm yourself up (works great during the winter!) but you can add a little spice on top to make it taste even better. Instead of using instant hot chocolate, get some cocoa powder and add hot milk. Add sugar to taste, and sprinkle a bit of cinnamon if you want a unique-tasting hot chocolate drink. Add a couple of marshmallows or chocolate pieces and serve with biscuits. If you need more ideas, take a look at this article at telegraph.co.uk for some inspiration.
Cake Pops
There’s something special about putting round balls of cake onto a stick and serving them. It’s a delicious way to eat cake that doesn’t make such a mess, and you can customise the cakes with anything from melted chocolate to decorative icing. Take a look at this step-by-step cake pop tutorial from cakejournal.com if you want some brilliant ideas on how to get started. If you’re feeling extra fancy, you could serve it with hot chocolate or create a thick dipping sauce to go with your cake pops.
Apple Nachos
Don’t worry, we won’t be mixing cheese and apples with guacamole! Apple nachos can be a deliciously healthy way of eating apples, and you can create massive serving platters with very little effort. Simply cut apples into thin wedges, arrange on a plate much like regular nachos, then sprinkle on a drizzle of different sauces and toppings. For topping ideas, try chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, nuts, pretzels or even icing sprinkles. For sauces, there’s chocolate and caramel. Try to avoid other fruit sauces to prevent the flavours clashing with the sourness of the apple. A great way to save time on this recipe is to cut the wedges beforehand and keep them in the fridge. However, don’t attempt to keep them for too long in the fridge as they might go brown and look strange.
Chocolate Toast
Take the idea of a grilled cheese and replace the dairy with chocolate. There are several ways to do this. Either use chocolate spread between two slices of bread and toast it for a while or use entire chunks of chocolate. To help it spread and melt evenly, try shave or break the chocolate into smaller pieces before sandwiching it between the bread. If you want to add a little more class to your grilled chocolate sandwich, add a sprinkle of cinnamon or sugar if you plan to use darker or purer chocolates.
Apple Rings
Since we can have onion rings, why not apple rings? Simple remove the core of an apple, slice it, and then cut the slices into rings using a cookie cutter. Coat the apples in batter and fry them until they turn golden brown. It will turn the apples mushy on the inside and deliciously crisp on the outside. If you want a little more flavour, sprinkle a little sugar and cinnamon over them.
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