The Best Desserts for Picnics

Make fruit skewers for your next picnic.

Picnics can range from a romantic moonlight dinner in a park to a lunchtime picnic with a group of children. When you plan a picnic menu, it is important to choose items that will not spoil when left out of the refrigerator and won't melt if it is hot outside. Desserts can be especially tricky with this, as melting substances, like chocolate, are frequently used.

Fresh Fruit Skewers

Fresh fruit skewers are a good option for a hot summertime picnic. This dessert can work well for young children if you don't want to feed them much sugar, but they can also be an elegant option for an adult picnic. Place fruits that won't brown when cut, such as strawberries, seedless grapes, cantaloupe and orange slices onto wooden skewers. You can also create a dipping sauce by thinning a fruit preserve with a bit of water.

Cookies

Cookies are both easy to eat and easy to make, so consider serving them if you are planning a picnic for a large number of people. Avoid the classic chocolate chip cookie if it will be hot outside, as the chips could melt and result in a mess. Instead, choose cookies without melting ingredients, such as oatmeal raisin cookies, snickerdoodles, sugar cookies or shortbread cookies.

Cupcakes

Serve cupcakes at your next picnic and decorate them with frosting in a seasonal color. Miniature cupcakes are a good option for children as they can eat them in one or two bites, which will be much less messy than a traditional cupcake. Choose frosting that isn't butter-based if the temperature will be hot outside. Keep your cupcakes covered until you serve them so that they stay moist.

Individual Pies

Bake individual pies for your picnic so that every person gets their own. These work well for picnics because you can pick them up and eat them rather than using a knife and fork. Choose fillings that can be served at room temperature, such as cherry pie, apple pie or pecan pie.

References

• Food and Wine: Picnic Desserts
• Eating Well: Picnic Desserts
• Delish: July 4th Picnic Desserts
• Food Network: Picnic Recipes and Tips