Dessert Shooters – Perfect For Senior Citizens With A Sweet Tooth

 Libbey Just Desserts Parfait Glass with Minaiture Stainless Steel Spoon 25-Piece

Dessert Shooters Are Mini Desserts – The Perfect Size For Your Elderly Loved One

‘And, what are dessert shooters,’ you may ask?

Dessert shooters are mini desserts generally served in small glasses – from shot glass size to around a 3 or 4 ounce serving dish.

I started experimenting with creating and serving dessert shooters a few years ago when I realized that large desserts were too much for my then 95-year-old Mom.

As a senior citizen, Mom’s appetite may have been small but her sweet tooth was alive and well (and craving a bit of dessert).

Mom always was asking for “a bit of something sweet” after dinner so I started scaling down dessert and serving it to her in small glasses, such as 2 ounce shot glasses. Just a few spoonfuls was all it too – she was a fan immediately.

And, as Mom aged, I was more interested in keeping calories going into her so dessert shooters were the perfect implement towards that goal!

Mom’s favorite dessert shooter was one I called ‘Strawberry Delight’ – the recipe is down below. I always made sure to top it with a bit of whipped cream and some fun chocolate jimmies. For the most special dessert shooters, I always added just ONE delicious Luxardo cherries. If you haven’t had a Luxardo cherry, you’re missing out – these are not your ordinary maraschinos!

Key To A Delicious Dessert Shooter – It’s All About Presentation, Dah-ling….

Since dessert shooters are so small on taste, I tried to make them large on presentation, and, in Mom’s eyes, the prettier, the better. I’d use flower petals or little drink umbrellas to add a fun vibe.

I found that making these dessert shooters was a very satisfying thing to do with my Mom. She was always suggesting new types and helped create many new, fun desserts for guest who came visiting – they all loved seeing her in the kitchen (mostly though, she was licking the bowls….).
Libbey Just Dessert Glass 16 Piece Mini Bowl SetI like to select a glass varying from 2 to around 3 or 4 ounces – anything larger was just a full-sized dessert for Mom. Rather than serve a single dessert shooter in a larger dessert dish, I liked to make them smaller and serve different flavors so Mom had a choice.

I also tried to match the glass to the particular dessert shooter I was making.

For example, those glasses there to the left are still my favorite dessert shooter glasses for translucent ingredients, such as jello. The glass just glows when filled with jello, a bit of whipped cream and some graham cracker crumbs for texture.

When thinking about glasses for your dessert shooter, think outside the box and select items that may not normally be used to serve desserts.

I like to use votive holders and teeny vases for an unusual type of dessert shooter presentation.

Fun Dessert Shooter Glasses – Think Chocolate!

Some of my mom’s favorite dessert shooters weren’t served in glasses at all. Instead, they were chocolate shells! She loved those things!

And, there’s no dishes to clean….just fingers to wipe! I used to fill a small chocolate dessert shell with a bit of strawberry ice cream and some whipped cream on top.

 Lang’s Chocolates Dark Chocolate Dessert Shell Bowls 12 piece Box Lang’s Chocolates Dark Chocolate Dessert Cups 32 piece box Belgian Chocolate Cups – Coffee Cup Marbled Ø44mm – 168 pces Kane Candy Chocolate, Tuxedo, 2.47-Ounce Cups

Tips To Making The Best Dessert Shooter For Your Senior Citizen Friend

Obviously, you want to create a tasty dessert that will delight your elderly friend. Here’s some things to consider:

• Always, ALWAYS make sure you understand any dietary restrictions. If sugar is an issue, search for sugar-free jellos and puddings as a foundation for the dessert.
• If your elderly friend needs to watch their weight, stick with those sugar-free options above. Make smaller desserts in 2 ounce glasses.
• Consider your senior citizen friend’s favorite tastes – for someone craving a bit of salt, add some crushed peanuts as a topping for their dessert. If M&M’s are a favorite, try sprinkling crushed candies throughout the dessert.
• Consider their teeth! If your friend is toothless, try things like pound cake as a base layer. Whipped cream is always your friend!

Strawberry Delight Dessert Shooter Recipe

That’s my mama enjoying a strawberry dessert shooter

This strawberry delight dessert shooter is almost too easy to put together but it never fails to get raves from my dinner guests.

To make the Strawberry delight dessert shooter for two, you will need:

• 2 dessert shooter glasses
• Pound cake cut into small cubes. I use frozen pound cake and cut the whole thing into cubes and then throw it into freezer bags. Then, I just take out what I need when I’m putting together dessert shooters. Very easy!
• 6 Strawberries cut in half (12 halves) – minimum. I used to use up to 12 strawberries if they were in season.
• 1/2 t sugar
• 4 Oreo cookies crumbled
• Whipped cream

Directions:

1. Add strawberries and the sugar in a bowl and mix well. Let sit until there is a juice formed – around 5 minutes or so.
2. Put 2 tsp of Oreo cookie crumbs in the bottom of each dessert shooter glass.
3. Add in a dollop of whipped cream and 3 halves of the strawberries.
4. Add in another layer of oreo cookie crumbs, 3 halves of strawberries and whipped cream.

The top layer should be whipped cream sprinkled with more oreo cookie crumbs. And, for the prettiest topping, add one of those Luxardo cherries on top (those things are addictive!)

Serve on a pretty silver tray and enjoy!

Glass Dessert Shooter Glasses

Small desserts can be served in glass or plastic. I actually prefer glass – cleanup is a bit more but I just toss them in the dishwasher.

As I mentioned above, it’s fun to serve these little desserts in dishes that normally wouldn’t be thought of – like votive holders or mini mason jars.

 KOVOT Set of 4 Mini Dessert And Appetizer Double Walled 5 Oz Gourmet Glasses Just Desserts Mini Bowl 25-Piece Set – Brown Box Packaging Libbey Just Desserts 17-piece, Mini Coupe Bowl Set Mini 3.5 Inch Glass Bowls for Kitchen Prep, Dessert, Dips, and Candy Dishes or Nut Bowls, Set of 12

Plastic Dessert Shooter Glasses

If it’s cleanup you’re trying to avoid, plastic dessert shooter glasses are the name of the game. These small, demure dessert glasses are also reusable with a quick wash.

 Zappy Elegant Disposable Plastic Straight Wall Shooter Glasses 3 Oz: Clear Pack of 50 Tumblers – Tasting Sample Dessert Shooters Champagne Wine Beer Shot Glass Parfait Souffle Jello Tumbler Party Cups Zappy 50 3oz Mini Dessert Cups & 50 Tasting Spoons Tall Square Clear Plastic Dessert Glasses Disposable Shot Glass Tumbler Shooter Cups Parfait Glasses Sample Appetizer Bowls Trifle Bowl 3 oz 5 oz Small Plastic Dessert Cups with Spoons – 20 Dessert Shooters for Chocolate Desserts, Appetizers, Dessert Samplers, Dessert Shot Glasses & More 3 oz Mini Plastic Dessert Cups with Spoons – 40 Dessert Shooters for Chocolate Desserts, Appetizers, Dessert Samplers, Dessert Shot Glasses & More 50 Mini Plastic Dessert Cups with Spoons – 3 oz Round Dessert Shooters for Chocolate Desserts, Appetizers, Dessert Samplers, Dessert Shot Glasses & More MINI WONDERS Heavy Duty Plastic Clear Single Serve Tall Martini 2.5 oz Cocktail Dessert Cups 24 Count Toast Shot Shooter Glasses Disposable Reusable Party Bowls

Make Up Your Own Dessert Shooters

One of the coolest things to me about dessert shooters is that they’re so much fun to make up.

Mixing and matching ingredients based on colors, tastes and textures may give you some dessert ideas that you’d have never thought of otherwise.

Here’s some ideas to get you started. Construct your personalized dessert shooter by using and and all (??) of the dessert shooter items below:

Bottom Layer 

Graham cracker crumbs
Any crushed cookie
Any crushed nut
Cookie dough
Lady fingers

Middle Layer

Any favorite pudding or jello
Cheesecake filling (this is a great invention and is in the refrigerator section of your grocer)
Mousse
Ice cream (always a welcomed addition)
Pie filling

Top Layer

Whipped cream
Ganache
Creme fraiche

Garnishes

Cookie crumbs
Any kind of ice cream sauce
Marshmallows
Chocolate jimmies
Cinnamon candies

Don’t forget those Luxardo cherries. They are unlike any other cherry I’ve ever had. (I love them in my Manhattan in the evenings….).