5 Easy Make-Ahead Dessert Shooters (from Dollar Tree!)

You read that right – get all the ingredients you need for these delicious easy make-ahead dessert shooters from Dollar Tree.

Looking for easy make-ahead dessert shooters with few ingredients…all from the Dollar Tree?

Yep. You’re in the right place.

Easy Make Ahead Dessert Shooters (Using Shelf-Stable Ingredients)

Before we dive into the really simple dessert shooter recipes below, I just wanted to touch on the supplies you can pick up from Dollar Tree (that aren’t ingredients).

These aren't necessary, but they really add to the experience of both making AND eating them:

• Dessert shooter cups (well…I guess these are necessary)
• Mini silver spoons
• Disposable icing bags
• Silver serving tray

These Dollar Tree, make-ahead dessert shooters pack a punch. They'd be perfect for after Thanksgiving dinner.

Oh yeah – they're made with shelf-stable ingredients, and they’re incredibly easy to make. Most are 4 ingredients!

Hint: I’m giving you the recipe amounts for 6 dessert shooters, but with the ingredients you buy, you can make more than 12 per recipe. So, double up if you’d like! You’ll also notice that buying one ingredient can be used for several recipes – like the banana nut muffin mix, or the carton of milk or the container of vanilla icing.

1. Mint Fudge Shooters

These were my husband’s favorite ones (he’s also a huge fan of chocolate chip mint ice cream, FYI).

Hint: please don’t ask me for my favorite – it’s about a 5-way tie!

Fresh, minty, light, and an absolute delight to eat. Did I mention they're no-bake?

What to buy from Dollar Tree:

• 1 box of Fudge Mint cookies
• 1 Dove chocolate pudding mix
• 1 Jet Puff Marshmallow Fluff
• 1 carton of shelf-stable milk
• 1 container of vanilla icing

Instructions:

1. Make the chocolate pudding mix, according to directions.
2. Microwave ½ cup fluff for 15-20 seconds.
3. Mix fluff with ½ cup chocolate pudding. You might get clumps of white marshmallow – keep mixing until well combined.
4. Crush 6 fudge mint cookies.
5. Layer dessert shooter cups with crushed fudge mint cookies, chocolate pudding fluff mixture, crushed fudge mint cookies, and chocolate pudding fluff mixture. Then top with a dollop of icing (using a piping bag), and more crushed fudge mint cookies (OR, broken pieces of Andes mints, also sold at Dollar Tree).
6. Yields 6. Try to eat just one. Try. I mean – that's why there are only 4 in the photo…

2. Pumpkin Layered Fluff Shooters

Ooooohhhhh – do you love pumpkin stuff? I sure do.

When I saw a bag of my most favorite ginger snap cookies from childhood, I knew I had to make these.

Here's another no-bake, make-ahead dessert shooter recipe.

What to buy from Dollar Tree:

• 1 can of pumpkin
• 1 bag of ginger snaps cookies
• 1 Jet Puff Marshmallow Fluff
• 1 container of vanilla icing

Instructions:

1. Heat 2/3 cup of marshmallow fluff in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.
2. Combine ¼ cup pumpkin with the heated marshmallow fluff.
3. Crush 10 ginger snap cookies.
4. Put some ginger cookie crumbs in the bottom of a dessert shooter. Layer with the pumpkin fluff, then a dollop of vanilla icing (easiest done through an icing piping bag). Repeat the layers. Top with just a sprinkle of ginger cookie crumbs.
5. Yields 6. I don’t think you can just eat one, though, so I can’t really call it six servings (haha!).

Hint: this is one of my favorite no-bake Thanksgiving desserts.

3. 5-Ingredient Banana Fluff Shooters

5 ingredients, guys. That’s it.

And the end result? Well, the yummy flavor speaks for itself.

What to buy from Dollar Tree:

• 1 package of banana muffin mix
• 1 Jet Puff Marshmallow Fluff
• 1 bottle of caramel syrup
• 1 container of shelf-stable milk
• 1 package maple walnuts

Instructions:

1. Make the banana muffins according to the package directions.
2. Microwave 2/3 cup marshmallow fluff for 15-20 seconds.
3. Combine heated marshmallow fluff with 1 tbsp. caramel syrup.
4. Crumble several banana muffins, and put some in the bottom of each dessert shooter cup. Spoon in some caramel fluff on top, then more crumbled banana nut muffins, then more caramel fluff, then more muffin.
5. Top with several maple walnuts (crushed or not, your choice).
6. Yields 6. You might get away by eating two of these in one sitting…

4. Banana PB Delights

Oh my gosh. The peanut and banana combination in these? Over the top. So indulgent. I could eat only one before my sweet tooth and I felt completely satisfied for the night.

Psst: the caramel syrup should not be in the photo above.

What to buy from Dollar Tree:

• 1 package of banana muffin mix
• 1 container of peanut butter (I went with the nut-filled one for added crunch – highly recommend)
• 1 carton of shelf-stable milk
• 1 container of vanilla icing
• 1 can sweetened condensed creamer

Instructions:

1. Make the banana muffins according to the package directions (or use the remaining ones you made in the previous recipe).
2. Heat 2/3 cup peanut butter up for 20 seconds in the microwave.
3. Mix in 3 tbsps. milk and 1 tbsp. sweetened condensed creamer in with the peanut butter.
4. Layer the dessert shooter with crumbled banana nut muffin, peanut butter mixture, crumbled banana nut muffin, peanut butter mixture, and then a dollop of icing on top.
5. Yields 6. Though, surprisingly, only 5 after you eat one in the kitchen.  

5. Chocolate PB Fluff Shooters

If I had three wishes for tonight, it would be: a) to have the dishes do themselves, b) $100 extra, and c) to have one of these chocolate PB fluff shooters to eat.

Ahhhhh – it’s that good.

What to buy from Dollar Tree:

• 1 Jet Puff Marshmallow Fluff
• 1 Dove chocolate pudding mix
• 1 package of peanut butter cookie mix
• 1 container of vegetable oil
• 1 container of vanilla icing

Instructions:

1. Make the peanut butter cookies according to the directions on the package.
2. Make the chocolate pudding according to the package directions.
3. Microwave 1/3 cup marshmallow fluff for 15-20 seconds.
4. Combine 1/3 cup chocolate pudding with the 1/3 cup marshmallow fluff. You might have white flecks for a bit – keep mixing.
5. Crumble peanut butter cookies, and add some to the bottom of each dessert shooter. Layer chocolate pudding fluff on top, then more crumbled cookies, then more chocolate pudding fluff. Top off with a dollop of vanilla icing.

I’ve been in love with the idea of mini-desserts for years now, after seeing them on The Taste. I’m SO glad I combined my love of mini-desserts with my love of the Dollar Tree and created these easy make-ahead dessert shooters. I didn’t even mind making a gazillion of them in my own test kitchen – it delights me to no end to open my fridge to an army of dessert shooters.

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Amanda L Grossman

Personal Finance Writer and CEO at Frugal Confessions, LLC

Amanda L. Grossman is a writer and Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI®), Plutus Foundation Grant Recipient, and founder of Frugal Confessions. Over the last 13 years, her money work has helped people with how to save money and how to manage money. She's been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Kiplinger, Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report, Business Insider, LifeHacker, Real Simple Magazine, Woman's World, Woman's Day, ABC 13 Houston, Keybank, and more. Read more here or on LinkedIn.

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