I just finished going through a weekly book study with a group of my friends, and one of my favorite parts of hosting book club each week was choosing and preparing the dessert that I served. It was so much fun to choose things that I thought my friends would enjoy and to serve them in fancier ways than I do for Paul! 🙂
I don’t drink and never serve alcohol in my home, so if you’re looking for an alternative to wine for your girls’ night – I have some ideas for you! Since I served these things on a weeknight after a busy day at work, I kept the prep time as minimal as possible and instead focused on the presentation. Girls appreciate those little touches! Things like paper doilies, tiny dishes, cocktail napkins, trays, fancy glasses, trays and linen napkins really make a difference when presenting a simple dessert.
Each night before the girls arrived, I snapped a quick picture of my presentation. Here are 5 dessert ideas for girl’s night!
#1 Mini Fudge Mint Trifles: I layered pre-made sugar free chocolate pudding (approx 3/4 of a pudding cup) with a tablespoon of Cool Whip into pretty glass dishes. Adding two fudge mint cookies (from Aldi – they taste almost exactly like Thin Mints) gives the dessert a crunchy, indulgent finish! These can also be very diet friendly when using sugar free pudding & Cool Whip.
#2 Fruit with Honey-Yogurt Dressing: I think this was the most popular of all the desserts! I combined mandarin oranges, strawberries and blueberries and drizzled the dressing over the top of each serving. This is definitely a great option when you’re watching your calories or Weight Watcher points!
#3 Mini Cinnamon Bun Scones: I love this recipe any time, but I made a batch using my cookie scoop to create mini scones that were perfect for two-bite snacks! These keep well in the freezer and can be thawed an hour or so before you serve them.
#4 Mint Chocolate Delights: This is another recipe that I keep in the freezer for quick entertaining solutions! I like to freeze the raw dough already scooped into 1″ balls, and then pop a few in the oven just before I need them. Fresh-baked cookies with no cleanup!
#5 Chocolate Pie: This is another great recipe using chocolate pudding! I follow the directions on the pudding box for “pudding pie” using less milk than regular pudding. Pour it into a graham cracker crust – keep in mind it needs an hour to set. I like to top each slice with a little Cool Whip and some chocolate shavings. If you don’t have a chocolate bar, a sprinkle of cinnamon or cocoa powder is also a nice touch!
There were a couple other nights that I didn’t have something in the freezer or time to assemble a dessert, so I picked up a dessert from the bakery section of my grocery store. I arranged and served those desserts just as I would a homemade item!
What’s your go-to dessert for girls’ night?
Come Home For Comfort 
You can’t go wrong with chocolate, that’s for sure! 🙂 Love the doilies. Earlier this week, I just found a huge supply I bought over 10 years ago for a crafting project that didn’t require so many. Think I’ll try to incorporate some into desserts in the upcoming months. Thanks for the inspiration!
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Oh yes! Doilies add a lot to your presentation. 🙂
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Will read for dessert! When is the next discussion? I’m headed over! One of my favorite go to desserts is my Cream Cheese Pound Cake. It has ingredients that I always have on hand and freezes like a dream.
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We’re on a break until the fall, so put it in your calendar and come over for the next one (and could you bring some of that pound cake?)! 🙂
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Mint chocolate is amazing in any form 🙂
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I agree! 🙂
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Stopping by from Tuesday Talk! XOXO I love all of these ideas. I don’t drink, either, so I always have to think outside the norm when it comes to serving drinks!
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Thanks so much for stopping by, Stefanie! ❤
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Whit!! These are not WW friendly… you are rubbing them in my face right now 🙂
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Sorry girl – they aren’t all WW friendly.
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Rolling out the dough into balls and then freezing them is such a great idea. Your mint trifles sound like a yummy treat! My favorite go-to dessert is an Oreo pudding pie similar to your chocolate pudding pie but with cool whip added to the pudding mixture.
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Oh yum! I know Paul would like that – does it set up in the fridge or the freezer?
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You did a great job with presentation! Who doesn’t love dessert that’s served in a lovely way? It makes it even more special!
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I just tried to channel you when serving them! ❤
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Yum!! These all look so great and so quick. They’d be perfect for a sweet treat after a busy day. I think my favorite is your thin mint trifles. I’m sure your book club was thrilled to see what you had planned for them. I always have a stash of frozen cookie dough in my freezer. It’s so great to be able to pull something out and have a dessert ready in under 20 minutes for those last minute things that come up. You’re an excellent host 🙂
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Frozen cookie dough in the freezer is such a great entertaining hack…unless you can’t resist eating it raw, right out of the freezer. That’s my problem. LOL.
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Yum. What time should I be there for girls night.lol
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My go-to dessert for any occasion is brownie pudding. It’s so easy & I always have all the ingredients on hand. My mom has made it for as long as I can remember.
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Yum – that is a good one!!! 🙂
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Yes please to all of these above. I never have a dessert that I don’t love.
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That’s my belief too!
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