Decadent Dessert Exchange

Easy Desserts To Share With Friends

Last week I gather some of my best gal pals together for a scrumptious dessert exchange. It was liking killing a flock of birds with one stone. I was looking for some recipes for dessert  – easy desserts, and you can never get enough face time with your girlfriends. Plus I wanted an excuse to make one of the many recipes I’ve pinned on Pinterest.

The rules were simple – everyone had to bring a homemade dessert (with the recipe) to my place. I was strict on this. I wanted to exchange homemade treats, so I enforced a wine fine to those who bought their way out. We ate, we drank, and of course, we gossiped. I’ve got the best friends ever, and they just happen to be hot stuff in the kitchen as well. Here’s what we dove into:

Chocolate Quinoa Cake

I’ve been dying to try this cake from the Quiona 365 cookbook. There was no flour of any sort in this dense, rich cake. It was similar to a brownie, but not as thick and intense. Definitely a keeper. Click here for the recipe.

Peanut Butter Icing Topped Cupcakes

My friend makes professional-looking cakes like this all the time. She’s an amazing baker and this combo was a real winner. Tip: If you have leftover icing, slather it on the quiona cake.

Ginger-Yogurt Mousse with Pistachio Meringue

With an hour to go before the party, I started on this mousse (yeah, I’m a slacker – but a busy one!). Surprisingly I had all the ingredients in the house, but it took longer than expected to whip up. The taste was a refreshing change from all the chocolate we had going on, but it was the meringue that I loved the most.

Dessert Cheese Ball

What this dessert lacks in appearance, it makes up for in taste. Hitting all the right buttons, it was sweet and savoury, smooth and crunchy (thanks to the chocolate chips). We could’ve sworn there was peanut butter in it, but there wasn’t, making it a fab dessert for those with peanut allergies. Relatives consider this your warning: you’ll see this at Christmas.

And there were many more desserts present: homemade icecream, bread and butter pudding (made with croissants!) and a minty, frozen chocolate cookie topped with whipped cream. One week later I still feel full. A salad exchange is definitely in order come spring.

Cheese ball photo via

What’s your go to dessert?