With the summer heat we’ve been having, I bet you’ve been firing up the grill more days than not. Who wants to heat up their house—especially those of us without air conditioning—in the summer?
In the past few months, we’ve covered lots of topics for the grill, including options for vegetarians, and an alternative for the typical burgers-and-dogs menu. Why not include something to satisfy your sweet tooth, too!
First, remember that FOIL is your FRIEND. You can wrap almost anything in foil and grill it. Here are some ideas that arrive wrapped like a present—just let them cool down before diving in! Also, individual packets of dessert promote automatic portion control for those who might go for seconds…and thirds.
-Set up a ‘banana bar’ and have each person choose toppings, such as chocolate chips, sliced strawberries, marshmallows and even a spread of peanut butter. Wrap each individually and grill until it’s gooey inside.
-S’mores get even easier (and less messy) when you wrap them individually, or assemble a few in a foil pie plate and allow them to melt.
-Fruit slices, such as apples or peaches, mixed with a little butter, sugar and cinnamon, soften and sizzle in foil packets. Top with some vanilla ice cream before serving.
Turn your grill into your oven with heavy-duty grill pans, cast-iron pans or disposable foil pans. Be sure to double-up on the foil pans to prevent burning.
-Use your pizza stone to make a sweet pizza! Store-bought dough topped with some squares of chocolate, bits of graham crackers, and marshmallows take s’mores up a notch. You could also top your dough with pie filling, like cherry, and then dollop on some whipped cream after cooking.
-Brownies can be made on the grill as well. Make sure the grill is at medium heat and check after 15 minutes.
Lastly, you can place some items directly on the grill.
-Consider toasting up some thick slices of pound cake or biscuits, then top with strawberries and whipped cream for strawberry shortcakes!
-Large pieces of fruit, like pineapple slices or peach halves, stay together when grilled. Drizzle with a little honey and cinnamon after for a sweet—and light—treat.
-Make a fruit skewer with cut-up fruit and grill until slightly charred to bring out their natural sweetness.
While many of these aren’t specifically low in calories, they are high in fun (at least for the kids!) and fruit is the star ingredient in most of them.
Next time you fire up the grill, have some dessert ready to go on when the steaks come off.
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