25 Delights for your Dessert Bar

Photo: Adrianne Bonafede

At my wedding back in the Summer of '05 I had an unassuming candy bar using a few soda shoppe style glass candy jars that I purchased from Target. Since then, dessert and candy bars have come a LONG way, being popularized in part by the wonderful Amy Atlas. Dessert bars are popping up at all types of events, from weddings to children's 1st birthday parties, and just about every occasion in between. Some brides are now choosing to forgo the traditional tiered wedding cake in favor of a dessert bar, or incorporate a smaller cake within the bar's theme like in the photo above.

The beautiful photos of dessert bars, floating around the web are inspiring. However, some people may wonder what types of desserts fit well with this style of presentation. To that end, I've compiled a list of 25 Delights for your Dessert bar, mix and match to create your own signature spread that will surely impress your guests.

Piece of Cake

1. Tall Cupcakes via SugarBloom (w. instructions)
2. Mini Cupcakes [Photo: National Geographic Blogs]
3. Red Velvet Cake Balls via Bakerella (w. instructions)

Stick It To 'Em

4. Lollipop-Pies via Luxirare (with instructions)
5. (a,b, &C) Cupcake Pops and Cake Pops via Bakerella (w. instructions)
6. Chocolate Covered Cheesecake Pops via Closet Cooking (w. recipe)
7. Brownie Pops via Brownie Pops

Little Dippers
8. Dipped Pretzel Rods [Photo: Cute Cakes of San Diego]
9. Chocolate Dipped Fortune Cookies via DIY Wedding (w. recipe)
10. Chocolate Dipped Fruit [Photo: Dove Chocolate]

C is for Cookie
11. Decorative Cookies via The Flour Pot
12. French Macaroons via Ariel Yve Designs [Photo: Daemon's Food]
13. Bar Cookies via Women's Day Magazine (w. 10 recipes) more bar recipes @about.com

It's Worth A Shot
14. Jello Cubes infused w. fruit flavored Vodka via Brides.com [Photo:Wendell Weber]
15. Dessert Shooters [Photo: The Peabody Galleria]
Shot glass suggestions: panna cotta, zabaglione, semifreddo, pudding, mousse, trifle, parfait, tiramisu...

Candy Confections

16. Chocolate Truffles via Simply Recipes with recipe
17. Personalized Lollipops via Accent the Party
18. Custom Candy Bar Wrappers [Photo: Karen Mordechai for Amy Atlas Events]
19. Rock Candy Swizzle Sticks [Photo: Escape Concepts]
20. Truffle Sandwiches via Country Kitchen Sweet Art w. video

Pâtisserie

21. Mini Phyllo Cups [Photo: Elegant Affairs Caterers]
22. Krocant Rolls [Photo: Old Style Cakes]
23.Petit Fours [Photo: Old Style Cakes]
24. Meringues [Photo: Miss Meringue]
25. Mini Cannoli via Fine Cooking with recipe
26. Mini Cheesecake [Photo: Stephanie's Kitchen]
25. Mini Fruit Tarts via The Nibble

Now that you hopefully have a better idea of what types of desserts to serve (pretty much anything sweet and bite sized), stay tuned for the next Dessert Bar installment where I'll share inspiration on presentation. For more sweet ideas, check out my posts on Strawberry Topiaries and Dressed Up Mints.