Think Twice Before Bringing This Store-Bought Dessert To A Potluck Again

There are a lot of reasons to love potlucks. Of course, there's the camaraderie of bringing a bunch of people together, whether it's for a family reunion, holiday get-together, or neighborhood block party. But if we're being honest, the best part about a potluck is the food, and the excuse to fill your plate up multiple times because you've simply got to try a little of everything everyone has brought. As far as your own contribution, you should bring something that's shareable (obviously), is safe to eat at outdoor temperatures (no mayo, please), and most importantly, something that's tasty, perhaps even a special recipe that you like to show off. Put some love and attention into your dish, and if you've got dessert duty, steer clear of store-bought cupcakes with gobs of frosting.

In many cases, the cupcakes that store bakeries make are made for volume over flavor. Sure, they may be sweet and tasty, but the various colors, flavors, and completely uniform sizes are all possible by artificial and less than superior ingredients. Flavor-wise, you're probably better off using a boxed cake mix. Yes, these sometimes include artificial ingredients as well, but they usually turn out amazingly soft and moist results. If you can make your cupcakes from scratch, all the better. Personally, I'll go for a cupcake that looks like it was made and frosted by hand over a picture-perfect one any day.

We love a good cupcake at a potluck. They're portable, easy to eat, and just plain delicious. And we get it: Sometimes life's demands call for a quick stop to pick up some store-bought ones. But if you heed our advice and at least try to save some time with a boxed cake mix, you can definitely make them taste homemade. Duff Goldman's tip of adding spices to boxed cake mix can turn plain chocolate cupcakes into Mexican chocolate ones when you add a little chili and cinnamon. You can also enhance store-bought frosting by adding a little citrus zest, or add some ground ginger to lemon-flavored boxed mix.

For other potluck dessert options, the simplest treats are arguably the best choices. A huge pan of fudgy brownies always has a fanbase, as do giant chocolate chip, peanut butter, and chewy snickerdoodle cookies. Dessert bars like lemon, raspberry oatmeal, cherry lemon, and blueberry crumb are easy to make and serve. Slab pies stretch far, as do Bundt cakes, which don't always need sticky frosting to make them delicious. And, of course, there's classic Rice Krispies treats, which are taken to a whole new level when you add savory bacon. You'll have a dessert that will probably be requested every time there's a new potluck.