We list the best sweet treats to serve your family and friends after dinner – then sit back and take the compliments!

We are accustomed to eating our meals in a certain sequence – first come the starters, followed by a large main course, and then rounded off with dessert. Missing any of these courses results in a feeling of dissatisfaction.

But you would rather miss the other two courses than miss dessert – the sweetest part of the meal is its most vital one, because it satiates you and kills any desire to keep gorging further. There’s no need to order for brownies and other treats; you can whip up tasty desserts in your own kitchen. Here are 5 ideas to get you started:

1.    Pudding.

This one’s an all-time favourite for both children and adults. Pudding recipes are normally quite simple, and you can whip up a delicious pudding to complete the meal you just served your guests. If you’ve never made it before, go with a simple pudding recipe – you will find some great ones on the Milkmaid website – and be sure to use condensed milk to impart a rich creaminess that will have your guests smacking their lips in glee. A basic bread and eggs pudding recipe are a good starting point, before you graduate to baked ones.

2.    Ice cream.

Another after-dinner favourite is ice cream. Serve generous scoops in bowls as you move to the terrace or the lawn after a long dinner and conversation. There are many simple ice cream recipes you can follow online to make the perfect ice cream that everyone will crave for.

3.    Kalakand.

Creamy, slightly dense and yummily moist, kalakand is served on festive. It is also a great dessert to come after a heavy meal – it is lighter than most desserts, and its small portions make for easy eating without cramming the belly. Use Milkmaid condensed milk in the recipe to get just the right amount of sweetness with each bite. You can also find a simple recipe with Milkmaid.

4.    Gulab jamun.

Though they are a little more time-intensive than most other desserts, gulab jamuns served after a meal are the perfect way to end dinner. This rich Indian sweet is coveted by one and all, young and old, and there is scarcely a way to get it wrong. You will need gulab jamun premix if you’re a novice, or you can create the dish from scratch with the right list of ingredients. Add a small scoop of vanilla ice cream to the bowl and watch your guests polish off the sweet within minutes!

5.    Jalebi.

Another traditional Indian sweet, jalebis are normally consumed hot with unsweetened milk or rabadi. You can make jalebis and set them aside in a warm pan before the dinner starts, and then serve them cool for dessert with a dash of creamy rabadi. Use condensed milk for the rabadi to get a creamy texture and the perfect density.