Easy Mother's Day Desserts for Dads and Kids to Tackle Together
Marshall Troy, 2012,Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved
Listen up, dads. Even though Mother's Day is just a few hours away and you may not have bought the devoted mom in your life a worthy present yet, there's indeed time left to gift her something from the heart, a present that she'll surely appreciate. Instead of resorting to a bouquet of flowers from the local bodega, gather your kids in the kitchen and commit to making Mom an extra-special Mother's Day dessert. While there's a time and a place for fancy, intricate sweets, Mother's Day isn't it, especially if they are to be prepared by little hands. Can-do desserts are the treats of choice instead — those that deliver tried-and-true results every time. Check out a few of FN Dish's favorite easy desserts below, then browse Food Network's Mother's Day Central for more recipe inspiration and entertaining tips.
A no-bake recipe that can be prepped in only 20 minutes, Food Network Kitchens' Lemon Tiramisu Trifle relies on store-bought goodies like lemon curd and ladyfinger cookies to ensure that this dessert is a cinch to prepare. Once you and your kids have arranged the first half of the cookies in a dish, start layering them with lemon syrup, lemon cream and fresh berries. While the trifle is essentially done as is, it needs to chill for at least eight hours so that the flavors of the lemon, berries and cream marry and the ladyfingers become soft with syrup. This means that it's best to make the dessert tonight or first thing tomorrow morning, so it will be ready to enjoy after dinner.
Sandra Lee's Vanilla Pudding Raspberry Napoleon requires even less time to prepare, but it's every bit as deliciously impressive. With thin wafer cookies at the base, she stacks a dollop of creamy pudding and a spoonful of honeyed raspberries before adding another cookie to ultimately create a towering masterpiece in less than 10 minutes. Little ones will look forward to serving Mom her own individual Napoleon like a present prepared just for her.
For something fresh and colorful, look to Food Network Magazine's Rhubarb Crumble, made with just a handful of ingredients. Seasonal rhubarb is the star of the dessert, cooked with sugar and lemon juice until soft. Stir in strawberries, then let your kids finish each bowl with tangy Greek yogurt and toasted almonds to add contrasting smooth and crunchy textures before bringing the crumble to Mom.
Check out Food Network's Mother's Day Central for more easy dessert ideas for Mom.