Picnics are fun. It is a time to bond with family and friends. It is also a time for fun and easy relaxation. That means that if you prepare some foods and desserts for the picnic, the foods should be easy to prepare and easily carried around in a picnic basket. It should always be hassle free so you can enjoy the picnic all day. These are some easy to do picnic recipes.

1. Caramel Apple - This is a yummy treat for both old and young. A good and tasty blend of apples and caramel.

Ingredients:

8 apples

two 14 oz packages of vanilla caramel

Use the 2 packages of vanilla caramel and melt in saucepan with about 2 tbsp of water over low heat. Remember to continue stirring until mixture is a bit sticky. Dip each apple, making sure all of it is covered by the hot caramel mix. Wrap the apple in buttered foil for about 30 minutes till it cools.

2. Easy Tropical Brownies Made With Coconut - A convenient way to make brownies. Mostly mixing all ingredients and a few minutes for baking this dessert.

Ingredients:

4 cups of graham crackers, crushed

1 6 oz package of chocolate chips

1 cup of shredded coconut

1 cup toasted nuts

2 cans of condensed milk

powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease a 13 x 9 pan. Mix all ingredients and put into the pan. Bake for about 30 - 40 minutes. Remove from pan while still hot and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm.

3. Honeyed Grapes - A nice and cute way to serve grapes. This is very convenient to do.

Ingredients:

1 pound of seedless grapes

2 tbsp brandy

1/4 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup honey

sour cream

Wash the grapes well and remove the stems. Put in a bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix the lemon juice, honey and brandy. Make sure to continue mixing till you get a more liquid texture, not sticky. Then pour liquid over the grapes. Refrigerate overnight.

At the picnic, you can serve the honey grapes in tall crystal sherbet glasses. This looks elegant even in a picnic. Top with sour cream before serving.

4. Jelly Fruit Layer

Ingredients:

1 cup boiling water

1 package of gelatin

2 cups of ice cream or 1 pint any flavor

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Add the ice cream by the spoonfuls and continue stirring till the ice cream melts. Pour into a glass when cooled down. You should chill further for another 30 minutes. Serve chilled and you can put in fresh slices of fruits if desired.

5. Delicious Carrot Cake - A healthy dessert for everybody.

Ingredients:

1 cup sunflower oil

1 cup caster sugar

3 large eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup self rising flour

1 cup carrots, peeled and grated

For the icing

1/4 cup cream cheese

1 tbsp icing sugar

1 tbsp olive oil

In a bowl, mix the sunflower oil and sugar well. Add in the slightly beaten eggs. Sift the flour and fold into the egg mixture. Add the carrot and mix well. Pour the mixture into a well greased baking dish and bake at 350º F for about 35 minutes or when it turns brown.

To do the icing mix, mix olive oil and cream cheese in a bowl. Mix till smooth. Add icing sugar and mix well. Top this on the carrot cake before serving.

6. Easy Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 package white cake mix

2 cups chocolate chips

Line the cupcake pan with paper liners. Prepare the cake mix as per directions. Stir in the chocolate chips. Blend well. Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake at 250º F for about 20 minutes.

7. Marshmallow Fruit Dip - This is good for fruits and some vegetable sticks like carrots, celery, even chips.

Ingredients:

1 jar of marshmallow fluff

8 oz block of softened cream cheese

1-2 slices of grated orange rind

Add above ingredients into a bowl and mix till you get a fluffy texture. Then you are ready to dip in anything into it. You decide if you want it cold or at room temperature.

The picnic desserts recipes are conveniently prepared a day before the scheduled picnic day. Just remember to put all these goodies in their proper containers like plastic containers and zipped locked bags. You may even need to bring an ice box for the desserts that still need to be chilled or kept cold for the entire picnic time. With careful planning, you can have an enjoyable picnic!

Mark Perry

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