Dessert Recipes on the Grill

Who wants to heat up the kitchen on a sweltering summer evening? Instead, fire up the grill and throw on some steaks. You can even char-grill your side dishes like potatoes, corn, and other veggies. Too bad you can't whip up dessert on the barbecue.

Good news! You can serve your family sweet, delectable after-dinner dishes right off the grill. Following are some simple yet scrumptious treats for you to try.

BBQ Banana Splits

Ingredients:

6 large, unpeeled bananas
2 6 oz. pkgs. semisweet chocolate chips
1 10.5 oz. pkg. miniature marshmallows

Cut the stem off each banana, keeping the peel intact. Slice the peel from stem to end, leaving a small amount uncut on each end. Leaving the bananas in their peels, carefully cut them into slices without puncturing the skin. Spray 6 banana-size strips of aluminum foil with nonstick cooking spray and place a banana on each strip. Gently stuff equal portions of marshmallows and chocolate chips into each banana. Wrap the foil around the bananas tightly and grill for approximately five minutes, or until the chocolate and marshmallows are melted. Peel open and eat with a spoon.

Cookie Pizza

Ingredients:

1 18 oz. pkg. refrigerated cookie dough (peanut butter or chocolate chip will
taste delicious)
1 / 2 cup caramel topping
1 /2 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped
8 oz. chocolate chips
1 large banana, sliced thin

Spray a 12-inch pizza pan with non-stick cooking spray. Flatten dough onto pan and place on grill for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden and dough is set, but not crisp. Remove from grill and drizzle with caramel topping. Sprinkle with nuts and chocolate chips, then return to grill for a couple of minutes, until chocolate softens. Cool on a wire rack. Top with banana slices before serving.

Grilled Fruit Crisp

Ingredients:

21 oz. pie filling (try peach, cherry, or apple… yum!)
1/ 3 cup brown sugar
1 /2 pkg. yellow cake mix
2 sticks butter or margarine

Spray a 9-inch round pan with cooking spray. Pour pie filling into pan. Combine brown sugar and cake mix and sprinkle evenly over pie filling. Thinly slice butter or margarine and place slices over the brown sugar/cake mix, covering as much as possible. The pan should be on indirect heat, so invert another pan onto the grill and set the fruit crisp pan on top of it. Close grill lid and bake for about an hour, or until brown.

Peach Kabobs

Ingredients:

2 medium peaches
2 teaspoons sugar
1 /4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 /4 teaspoon nutmeg

Score peaches and remove pits. Cut each peach half into three slices. Combine sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Coat peach slices with mixture. Place onto skewers and grill 3 minutes on each side. Best served warm.

Broiled Pineapple Slices

Ingredients:

8 pineapple slices
4 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 /4 cup brown sugar
1 /2 teaspoon cinnamon

Place pineapple slices onto broiler pan. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over pineapple. Grill for 4-5 minutes, or until brown and bubbly.

So the next time you fire up the "barbie", dazzle your family and friends by topping off the meal with a gratifying grilled goodie.