Mini-fy Your Favorite Desserts

Jennifer Iserloh, the Skinny ChefLast week I co-hosted a barbeque at my friend Steve's house, who happens to live just around the corner. It was a treat to cook in his killer kitchen, and grill on his well appointed patio with two separate grills and a well manicured garden that is the envy of our neighbors and my French bulldog Chester (who darted around the flower patches).

I wanted to make something special for dessert that I wouldn't have to cut or serve, something that people could eat with their fingers, something other than cookies or brownies.

My cookbook Secrets of a Skinny Chef happened to be open to the banana cream pie recipe, one of my favorites - but I needed to make it bite sized.

Everyone loves miniature version of things - even in the land of super-size where bigger seems better. There is something irresistible about the mini version of something like this banana cream pie for example, no fork needed.

It's fun to "mini-fy" your favorite desserts. Here are some easy ways to switch up the recipe with ingredients that you can find in your local grocery store.

Crusty
Nilla wafers are the perfect diameter for a fast make-shift crust, just remember to soften them first by soaking them in a flavored liquid solution like water and liquor. Placing them in a mini muffin paper to serve works well for mini cheesecakes, banana cream pie, or even chocolate pudding pie.

Contain It
Mini muffin papers are marvelous for parties where you want to serve more. But if you want to make slightly larger versions, you can opt for ¼ cup ramekins that are a perfect pre-portioned dessert for a sit down meal.

Shrink It
No need to scale down your pie or cake recipe, a full recipe usually makes about 2 dozen bite-sized treats. Just decrease baking time if you plan on using smaller baking pans or muffin tins.

Make the Skinny Chef's Banana Cream Pie recipe.

Nutritional stats per serving (2 mini banana cream pies):
139 calories, 4 g protein, 20 g carbohydrates, 4 g fat (1 g saturated), 58 mg cholesterol, 0 g fiber, 94 mg sodium