Dessert Pie Bar (FREE Printable!)

Give our Dessert Pie Bar a try! We’ve got the best pie sauces, crowd-favorite toppings, and loads of whipped cream to finish things off. Why bake countless pies to accommodate various tastes when guests can create their ideal pie? Whether it’s a laid-back family night, a party, a shower, or just because, this dessert station is always a hit!

Dessert bars are where it’s at, and we’ve got you covered! Check out our Popcorn Bar, Hot Chocolate Bar, or Caramel Apple Bar for your next event.

Dessert Pie Bar

Dessert Pie Bar: The Crusts

For your Dessert Pie Bar, there are a few options when it comes to crusts. Here’s what you can do:

1. Grab store-bought mini graham cracker crusts or, use our Graham Cracker Crust recipe to make your own in mini pie tins.
2. Love chocolate? Whip up miniature crusts using our Oreo Pie Crust recipe.
3. For those who love the classic, either snag some store-bought mini pie crusts or use our Pie Crust Recipe to bake your own bite-sized versions.

Dessert Pie Bar: The Sauces

Choose five sauces to whip up (that’s the max the slow cooker can handle to keep them warm).

1. Caramel sauce: Rich, buttery with a smooth texture. Alternatively, whip up this homemade Caramel Sauce.
2. Chocolate sauce: Decadent, featuring chocolate chips, Nutella®, and coconut oil for a glossy finish.
3. Pecan sauce: Nutty and sweet, blending butter, brown sugar, chopped pecans, and heavy cream.
4. Dulce de leche: Creamy, thick sauce with a complex, caramel-like sweetness.
5. Apple pie filling: Apple pie in a sauce form, featuring cooked apples in a cinnamon-spiced syrup.
6. Creamy peanut butter: Smooth, nutty, and versatile, perfect for combining with other sauces.

Quick Tips:

• Prep in advance: Prepare sauces and crusts a day earlier to ease the actual day’s workload.
• Logical layout: Arrange everything in progression from crusts to sauces, toppings, and then whipped cream for a nice flow.
• Freshness first: Use lemon juice on fruits like bananas and apples to prevent browning.
• Watch the heat: Monitor the slow cooker so the sauces maintain the right consistency.

Dessert Pie Bar: The Toppings

Select 12 toppings to prepare and arrange in a muffin tin. Alternatively, pick a few favorites and display them in small bowls.

1. Mini chocolate chips
2. Bananas, sliced or diced
3. Pretzels, crushed or coarsely chopped
4. Graham crackers, crushed or coarsely chopped
5. Sweetened coconut flakes
6. Peanut brittle, coarsely chopped
7. Mixed nuts, coarsely chopped
8. Strawberries, sliced or diced
9. Blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries
10. Crushed toffee bits
11. Chocolate chip cookies, coarsely chopped
12. Crushed toffee chips
13. Mini peanut butter chocolate cups
14. Vanilla wafers, coarsely chopped
15. Oreos®, crushed

Dessert Pie Bar Supplies 

Before sharing our favorite flavor concoctions, let’s make sure we have all our tools in place! Here’s your checklist:

• Jars: Use wide-mouth Mason Jars for easy scooping of pie sauces.
• Hot tub for sauces: A 6-quart Crock-Pot®, filled halfway with water and set to high, to keep sauces warm.
• Topping central: Use a Muffin Pan with liners or cute miniature bowls for displaying toppings.
• Labels or signs (optional): Add labels or signs for easy identification of sauces and toppings.
• Mini wooden scoops (optional): Handy for scooping and sprinkling toppings.
• Nut grinder (optional): A spice or nut grinder to quickly grind toppings like cookies, nuts, seeds, and candies. 

Pie Flavor Ideas

1. Classic caramel banana: Graham cracker crust, caramel sauce, sliced bananas, whipped cream, crushed pretzels
2. Chocolate indulgence: Graham or Oreo crust, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, mini chocolate chips, shredded coconut
3. Nutty pecan delight: Graham or classic pie crust, pecan sauce, whipped cream, crushed graham crackers, chopped mixed nuts, toffee bits
4. Banoffee: Graham cracker crust, dulce de leche, sliced bananas, whipped cream, coconut
5. Apple pie remix: Graham or classic pie crust, apple pie filling, whipped cream, crushed graham crackers, chopped peanut brittle
6. Sweet and salty peanut: Graham or classic pie crust, creamy peanut butter sauce, whipped cream, crushed pretzels, crushed Butterfinger®
7. Chocolate peanut butter: Graham or Oreo crust, chocolate sauce, creamy peanut butter sauce, whipped cream, mini peanut butter cups
8. Banana split pie: Graham or Oreo crust, chocolate sauce, sliced bananas, whipped cream, chopped mixed nuts
9. Caramel coco crunch: Graham or classic pie crust, caramel sauce, whipped cream, coconut, chopped chocolate-chip cookies
10. Nutella strawberry: Graham or Oreo crust, chocolate sauce, sliced strawberries, whipped cream, crushed Oreos
11. Fruity fusion: Graham or classic pie crust, dulce de leche, raspberries, whipped cream, crushed vanilla wafers

More Fun Treats:

• Dessert Cheese Ball brownie-batter flavored
• Crème Brûlée a fancy dessert that couldn’t be easier to make!
• Churros with two dipping sauce ideas
• Apple Cobbler with a cookie-like topping
• Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars with a graham cracker crust

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5 from 1 vote

Dessert Pie Bar

By Chelsea Lords

Give our Dessert Pie Bar a try! We've got the best pie sauces, crowd-favorite toppings, and loads of whipped cream to finish things off. Why bake countless pies to accommodate various tastes when guests can create their ideal pie? Whether it's a laid-back family night, a party, a shower, or just because, this dessert station is always a hit!

Prep Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 guests

Equipment

• See Note 1 for the supplies needed

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

Caramel Sauce

• ▢ 1 bag (10.8 oz) soft caramels, unwrapped
• ▢ 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Chocolate Sauce

• ▢ 1 cup chocolate chips use good-quality chocolate
• ▢ 1/3 cup Nutella or other chocolate hazelnut spread
• ▢ 2 teaspoons coconut oil (or vegetable/canola oil)

Pecan Sauce

• ▢ 1/2 cup (8 tbsp) salted butter, cut into tablespoons
• ▢ 1 cup brown sugar
• ▢ 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
• ▢ 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Other Sauce Options:

• ▢ 1-2 cans Dulce de Leche (or homemade)
• ▢ 1 can Apple pie filling
• ▢ Creamy peanut butter

Pie Bar

• ▢ 12 mini graham cracker crusts (or mini pie crusts or tart shells)
• ▢ Homemade Whipped Cream (or spray whipped topping)
• ▢ Favorite pie toppings such as mini chocolate chips, bananas (sliced or diced), pretzels (crushed or coarsely chopped), graham crackers (crushed or coarsely chopped), sweetened coconut flakes, peanut brittle (coarsely chopped), mixed nuts (coarsely chopped), Strawberries (sliced or diced), blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries, crushed toffee bits, chocolate chip cookies (coarsely chopped), crushed candy bar bits, mini peanut butter chocolate cups, vanilla wafers (coarsely chopped), and crushed Oreos (Note 2)
• ▢ Free printable menu

Instructions 

• SAUCES: Choose five sauces to prepare.
• CARAMEL: In a small pot over medium-low heat, melt the caramels with the cream. Stir continuously until smooth and well combined. Transfer the sauce to a wide-mouth Mason jar.
  
• CHOCOLATE SAUCE: In a microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips with coconut oil. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring after each until smooth. Mix in Nutella until well combined. Pour the mixture into a wide-mouth mason jar.
  
• PECAN/NUT FILLING: In a small pot, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Once the mixture starts to bubble, add the heavy cream and pecans. Stir continuously for 1-2 minutes or until the sugar is fully dissolved. Pour the sauce into a jar.
  
• OTHER SAUCES: Transfer apple pie filling to a jar (right in the jar use a knife to slice into smaller pieces). Fill other mason jars with creamy peanut butter and dulce de leche.
• KEEP SAUCES WARM: Fill a 6-quart slow cooker halfway with water and set it on high. Place the sauce-filled jars in the cooker. Stir the sauces occasionally to ensure even warmth.
  
• TOPPINGS: Arrange your chosen toppings in a lined muffin tin or small serving bowls.
  
• WHIPPED CREAM: Prepare homemade whipped cream according to recipe directions (click link in ingredients). Transfer it to a chilled serving bowl that is set inside a bowl filled with ice. Alternatively use spray whipped topping or thawed topping
• SERVING STATION: Organize a serving station with warm cooker of sauces, mini graham cracker crusts, bowl of whipped cream, and toppings. Enjoy!

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Supplies:

• Jars: You'll need wide-mouth Mason Jars to for the pie sauces.
• Hot tub for sauces: Nab a 6-quart Crock-Pot. 
• Topping central: A Muffin Pan with liners does the trick. Or if you want to prepare less toppings, grab a few small bowls.
• Labels or signs (optional): Jazz things up with some labels or signs
• Mini wooden scoops (optional): Perfect for digging into the toppings.
• Nut grinder (optional): A spice or nut grinder to quickly grind toppings like cookies, nuts, seeds, and candies.

Note 2: Toppings: Select 12 toppings to prepare and arrange in a muffin tin. Alternatively, pick a few favorites and display them in small bowls. (Bananas brown quickly, so if they'll be out for a while, plan on refreshing often.)

Nutrition information is not provided, since each person's choice will vary.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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