In today’s post I’m going to show you the super easy steps to make these yummy cake/brownie mini “sliders” that you can pair with sugar cookie “fries” for this adorable tromp l’oeuil dessert platter. While they’re a fun surprise for any occasion they work especially well for Father’s Day which happens to be tomorrow. Since they can be made with all store-bought supplies they can be whipped up last minute meaning you still have time to make them yourself!
These sweet treats have been around the internet for a LONG time, so this is by no means my idea. I actually got the idea from Bakerella’s blog back in 2009 and made my version pictured here for Father’s Day for my dad in 2014.
Angie’s original post is linked above, and she reissued it here with updated templates for other holidays and occasions including birthdays, Canada Day and the 4th of July.
Foodstuffs you will need:
- vanilla cupcakes – “buns”
- brownies – “burgers”
- sesame seeds
- sugar cookie mix – “fries”
- Toppings: (all optional as desired)
- icing – “ketchup” & “mustard”
- granulated sugar – “salt”
- orange starburst (or other taffy-type candy) – “cheese slices”
- red gummy candy – “tomato slices”
- green gummy candy – “pickle slices”
- green candy tape/roll up – “lettuce”
- Other candies to make any other desired burger toppings
- gel food colors
- circle cookie cutters
- rolling pin
- parchment paper
- knife
- water
- food-safe paint/basting brush
- optional: printer & paper/cardstock for fry cups
- optional: condiment cups for “ketchup” and “mustard” dipping
I forgot to take pics of the fries-making process, but you can find the full instructions at the Bakerella blog post. Basically you bake vanilla or sugar cookies (I used Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie mix) and bake the cookies as wide rectangles which you slice into “french fry” strips once baked and then toss in or sprinkle with granulated sugar to simulate salt crystals.
Most versions of the faux sliders start with vanilla cupcakes for the buns and brownies for the burgers.
I baked mine using store-bought box mix but you can go an even easier route and purchase ready-made plain cupcakes and brownies to skip this baking step completely. Slice all cupcakes in half horizontally and then use a cookie cutter that best matches the bun diameter to cut burger “patties” from the brownies.
For the burger toppings I’d basically wandered the aisles at my local bulk store looking for candies that could pull double-duty as other foods.
I tested out a few orange taffy-type candies for the cheese slice and in the end went with orange Starburst. Laffy Taffy, Airheads or any other orange taffy that can be rolled flat would also work well. I found it easiest to squish the candy flat and then roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper. You can also use wax paper if necessary, as I did here for storing the candies and keeping the layers from sticking together.
I used the green portion from rainbow Fruit by the Foot to simulate lettuce by tearing it into jagged strips. If you can find an all-green version that would be even better, though my kids didn’t mind eating the other colors that were left over after I harvested all the green bits!
I used red gummy disks for tomato slices, first cutting them in half widthwise to get thinner discs, then I cut those in half again as a full circle of red candy would be a bit much with all the other candy.
My store didn’t have plain green gummy rounds to use for pickle slices, so I cut up some mint-leaf shaped ones instead.
Once you have all your toppings ready, tint some icing red and yellow to simulate ketchup and mustard, and then assemble your burgers as desired.
Mine had a slice of “cheese” on the lower “bun”, then the patty, and then tomatos, pickles and lettuce, all arranged to slightly overlap the sides so they’d be visible.
A drizzle of “ketchup” and “mustard” was the last step before placing the top half of the “bun” on top.
To really finish the look brush the tops of the cupcakes with a bit of water and then sprinkle on some sesame seeds.
Arrange them on a platter and sprinkle the faux fries around. If desired you can add condiment cups or little puddles of “ketchup” and “mustard” for dipping the fries into. These were as much fun to eat as they were to make and all these years later Henri still keeps asking me to make them again, which is the real testament to how much of a hit these were!
jeloca.com 