Okay, so I decided to tackle dessert for a big family barbecue we had a few weeks back. Usually, it’s a bit chaotic, slicing cake, dishing out pudding, you know the drill. I figured, let’s try something different, maybe make it easier for everyone to just grab something.
I started thinking about individual portions. That led me down the path of dessert cups. Plastic ones seemed like the obvious choice, honestly. Less fuss, no worrying about breaking fancy glasses, and cleanup sounded way simpler. My main goal was making things easy for myself!
So, I went hunting for some decent plastic cups. Looked around online first, then checked a local party supply store. Wow, the options! Tiny shot glass styles, squarish ones, taller ones. I didn’t want anything huge, just enough for a good few bites. I found some clear ones, pretty standard looking, that held about 8 ounces, maybe? Seemed like a good size – not too stingy, not too massive. They felt reasonably solid, not that super flimsy plastic that cracks if you look at it wrong. I think the package mentioned PET plastic. Anyway, I grabbed a big pack of them.
Prepping the Good Stuff
Decided on a layered no-bake cheesecake thing. Easy to make a big batch and looked nice layered. So, I got all the cups out, washed them just in case, and lined them up on the kitchen counter. Felt a bit like a production line! Making the filling and the base was straightforward. Then came filling them. Spooning it in was okay, but a bit messy around the rims. I actually ended up using a large zip-top bag with the corner snipped off, like a makeshift piping bag. Worked much better to get clean layers.
I made layers: crushed cookie base, cheesecake filling, then topped with some cherry pie filling later once they’d set a bit in the fridge. Lining them all up on trays looked pretty cool, actually.
Serving Them Up
At the barbecue, I just pulled the trays out of the fridge and set them on a side table. It worked like a charm. People just walked up and grabbed one. No waiting for someone to serve, no messing with plates and forks really (we had small spoons). Kids handled them easily, adults liked just grabbing a portion. It definitely cut down on the usual dessert bottleneck.
- Super easy for guests
- Portion control was built-in
- Looked quite neat on the table
The Aftermath
Cleanup? Way easier than washing dozens of bowls and spoons. Most people just tossed their empty cups into the trash bag we had out. I did notice the little recycling symbol on the bottom – PP, maybe? I gathered the ones that weren’t too sticky, gave them a quick rinse, and put them in our recycling bin. The rest went into the general waste. Still, compared to washing glassware, it was a breeze.
Overall, yeah, using those plastic dessert cups was a good move for that kind of event. Made life simpler. They weren’t fancy, just functional clear plastic, but they absolutely did the job I needed them to do. For a big, casual crowd, I’d definitely do it again. Sometimes practical just wins.
