Easy No Bake Mini Desserts
There is just something so enticing about these easy no bake mini desserts! As I was trying to come up with a dessert for the party last week, I recalled having made a Chips Ahoy and Cool Whip ice box cake when the kids were little. We made this while we were on vacation at the beach. It may be a combination of the beach just making everything taste better and the light cool confection being perfect after a hot afternoon at the beach, but we all remember how good it was. I wondered if that would work in a mini version.
So yesterday, using shot glasses, these delectable little desserts were created. To say that a dessert could not get much simpler is an understatement. It requires Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip Cookies, milk, and Cool Whip. I also usually add a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract to the Cool Whip. It seems to make the Cool Whip taste a little more homemade.
Usually, this is made in a casserole dish. The cookies are dipped in milk and placed side by side to cover the bottom of the dish. Then a layer of Cool Whip is gently smoothed over the top of the cookies. Another layer of cookies on top of the topping follows and the process is repeated until the dish is full, which is usually three layers of cookies and topping. Then the dessert needs to be chilled in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.
For the mini desserts, after stirring the vanilla extract into the Cool Whip, the topping was spooned into a cake decorating bag. I tried one of the fancy tips but decided using the large round tip to pipe the topping made the dessert looked better and less fussy.
A small bowl of milk was used to dip a cookie on each side. Then I set the cookie on a plate and using a one inch round, metal cookie cutter, I cut out a disc for the dessert. Using the pieces leftover, I lined the bottom of the shot glass with a layer of cookie pieces and then piped a layer of Cool Whip. The cutout round was set on top of that layer of Cool Whip and the top layer of topping was piped. A little mint leaf and some shaved chocolate were used to decorate the desserts.
One eight-ounce tub of Cool Whip will make about twelve to fourteen of these mini desserts. A three inch deep cake pan works perfectly to corral the little shot glasses and avoid ruining the garnish on the tops. I used a layer of tin foil to cover the cake pan before chilling in the refrigerator.
The family seemed to like these little taste temptations, but I continued to think about what I could add to make it more of a burst of flavor. So I googled the dessert and came across a post on The Tasting Table, They used one-third Kahlua in the milk!
Oh my gosh! Bailey's Irish Cream! Wouldn't that be great? That is what I will be trying next time. The little mint leaf on top will be a perfect garnish, too! Cool Whip is on the shopping list again today!
Do you have any other flavor ideas for this easy no bake mini dessert?
