Easy Desserts Under $5

I don't know about everyone else, but it seems like I am making/bringing desserts to a lot of things--friends' places for dinner, family gatherings, parties. And depending on the dessert, it has the potential to be 1) time consuming and 2) expensive! So I thought I would share a few easy dessserts to make--and all under $5. (Things like oil and eggs are not included in price.) And sorry no pictures! I need to get better at that. :)




Oreo Cake $5
I made this cake on a whim this weekend. I had 1/2 a container of oreos and wanted to make something cheap that didn't require me to buy a lot of ingredients, but I wanted something that tasted good and looked impressive! One hint is that when you frost the cake, get a few of the chocolate cake crumbs in the frosting--makes it look like cookies-and-cream frosting! Another hint is only add 2 eggs to the cake--not 3. This makes the cake less airy. I also add cocoa powder to cake mix to make it taste less box-y, but this is optional. :)

Box chocolate cake mix... $1
Can vanilla frosting... $1.50
Oreos... $2.50

Prepare cake according to package directions. Frost with vanilla ice cream and top with crushed oreos.




Black and White Rice Krispy Bars $3.50
I made these a few weeks ago for a bake sale. I was originally going to make plain old rice krispies, but then I remembered a special take on rice krispies that my mom used to make. They're a little more fancy than rice krispies, but are still very cheap to make!

5 cups rice krispies (generic)...$2
Bag marshmallows...$1
1/2 stick butter... $.50
1/4 cup Cocoa Powder and a handfull of chocoalte chips

Make rice krispies like normal except: 1) add whole mini-marshmallows to half of the mixture and 2) add cocoa powder and a handfull of chocoalte chips to the other half and 3) layer them on on top of the other in the pan.

S'mores Brownies $3
Someone brought these brownies to a family gathering this past weekend, and they were GOOD! I remember having them in the dorms at ISU, too. :) Something a little more unique than just boxed brownies. I also saw another version of these (except using pb and rice krispies!)

1/2 bag marshmallows ... $1
1 cup chocolate chips, melted... $1
1 box brownie mix (prepared with 1 egg instead of 2) ...$1

Prepare brownies. Immediately after taking them out of the oven, top with marshmallows and bake for 2 more minutes. Drizzle melted chocolate on top.