Super-impressive dinner party dessert, $10

This is The Bargain Queen's favourite dinner party dessert. It's super impressive, irresistably yummy and costs about $10 for four generous serves.

Ingredients:
1 litre (2 pints) fresh gelati, from a specialist gelati store like Gelatissimo in Sydney (about $8)
1/2 pack Sara Lee Bake at Home cookie dough (about $4/pack but half can go in the freezer 'til later)

The Bargain Queen's favourite is White Choc Chunk cookies with Veronese Chocolate gelato - yum!

The trick to making two store-bought ingredients into an impressive dessert is getting the timing right. For the gelati to taste its best, it should be bought the day of the dinner party. Also, it saves a lot of fuss later if you have the cookies on the baking sheet ready to be cooked before guests arrive.

Then the timing works a bit like this:

1. When you serve the main course (entree for everyone States-side), turn the oven on to pre-heat to the correct temperature
2. When you clear dishes away after the main course (entree), take the cookies from the fridge and stick them in the oven. Set a timer to tell you when they're done, especially if you've had a few glasses of wine!
3. Pull out the cookies when they're browned around the edges, still a bit squishy in the centre
4. Stick a couple of cookies in each bowl while they're still hot, add a couple of scoops of icecream, pour some Grand Marnier over the top if you want to be really fancy
5. Serve!

If it still sounds too simple to be impressive, just think of the fresh cookie smell wafting through your house...

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