Bite Size Phyllo Cup Desserts

So last Saturday I went to my sister's house for my nephew's 5th birthday.  He's getting so big! and my sister just redid her kitchen- suuuuuuuper jealous. Hopefully one day I will have something as nice.  Anyway, I brought over a little dessert that was super quick and easy.  And I'm pretty sure everyone enjoyed them.  I knew there would be adults and kids, so I was trying to be appealing to both- that is why I chose the toppings that I did.  Essentially it's a little pudding cup, so what kid doesn't like chocolate pudding?!  Stuff it into a phyllo cup and top with a fancy topping and it is now adult friendly as well.

Bite Size Phyllo Cup Dessert

·  Phyllo Dough (didn’t even need a full package for about 30 cups)

·  Cooking spray or melted butter

·  2 ½ chocolate pudding snack pack cups (or whatever flavor you like)

·  1 ½ cups of whipped topping (you can also use the aerosol whipped cream)

·  1 tube of mini M&M’s

·  6 oz raspberries

(Phyllo dough can also be purchased in already made cups)

1. I used about 5 sheets of phyllo at a time.  Spray them with cooking spray or wipe gently with butter.  I cut them into 12 square pieces and then placed them in my mini muffin tin.
2. I baked about 10 mins until golden brown and firm.
3. If you are serving these right away you should fill them now, but I filled them about 3 hours before serving and some cups got soggy- and they weren’t as good as when the cups were crunchy, so try and hold off until the last minute.
4. Fill two ziplocks- one with pudding, one with whipped topping and cut the tip off the end and use as a piping bag.  Fill each cup-first with pudding then whipped topping.
5. Top some with raspberries and some with M&M’s (or whatever topping you like!)

-You can substitute an endless combination of toppings and fillings.  It really is all about the technique. Like I said before you can purchase pre-made cups to make life way easier.  You can also make the pudding and whipped topping from scratch if you really wanted.  Use the idea and tailor it to your likely or event!
-I also used fat free pudding and whipped topping! No one noticed =) So eat more than one and enjoy!

-Little background on phyllo dough:

• If you have ever eaten Bakalava- that's phyllo dough.
• They are paper thin sheets of unleavened dough that are used a lot in the Middle East/Greece for pastries.
• The word phyllo comes from the Greek word "leaf"
• Can be used for desserts or savory dishes (like tarts)

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllo)