You'll flip your lid! 5 Dessert-in-a-jar recipes

Have you tried your hand at making one of the popular dessert-in-a-jar recipes? If you haven't, what are you waiting for? Aside from the mouth-watering final product of a sweet treat, there are a few more good reasons you'll flip your lid over these goodies:

• It's a little out-of-the-ordinary -- and definitely fun -- to serve your family and guests an individually "packaged" dessert.
• The see-through glass jar helps tantalize your sweet tooth -- imagine showcasing a dessert in all its layers of gooey, sweet goodness!
• Less mess! When you make dessert in the same container you eventually serve it in, you can eliminate a few bowls and pans from your clean-up routine!

Whether you choose mini jars or the larger-sized glass jars, you'll have dinner guests plowing through dinner just to get to dessert. Give it a go with one of these five recipes:

Brownie dessert a jar

Brownies are just about perfection on their own. Layer them in a jar with pecans, whipped cream and chocolate sauce and you're going to have a special treat that will make the whole room go silent! Brownie dessert in a jar from Planner Perfect Meals shares this dessert secret-to-success recipe that can easily be adapted to another dessert favorite.

Whether you use a pre-packaged cake mix to make life a little easier or prefer to make your cake mix from scratch (below), consider Blueberry Teacake in a Jar from Sarah's Cucina Bella for a perfectly-portioned serving of dessert paradise.

Blueberry teacake in a jar

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup nonfat milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Set four glass pint-sized canning jars on a baking sheet and divide the blueberries evenly among them. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the melted butter and sugar, stirring well to combine. Add the egg and vanilla, stirring well after each addition. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and stir well. Pour in the milk and stir.
3. Divide the batter evenly among the four canning jars, taking care to get it in the jar without dripping down the sides. Wipe any excess batter off with a wet paper towel.
4. Slide the baking sheet with the jars into the oven. It should be set on the middle rack. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until it's golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean.
5. Let the jars cool for about 30 minutes before serving. Leftovers can be covered with a lid and stored in a cool, dry place for up to three days.

Strawberry cheesecake in a jar

From the Real Women of Philadelphia (leave it to Kraft and Paula Deen to come up with some great recipes!) comes this super-simple Strawberry cheesecake in a jar recipe from Annie Smith. It's got it all -- graham cracker crust, strawberry topping, and of course, cream cheese. The beauty of this recipe is that you can keep this dessert stored in the freezer until you're ready to serve it, and of course, the fact that it's easy is an added bonus!

Single serving pie in a jar

Convenience and crumb toppings push this pie-inspired recipe to the top of any dessert lover's list! Best Bites shows you step-by-step instructions for how to make a delicious and decorative dessert treat with its recipe for Single serving pie in a jar. You might want to try the apple pie version at this time of the year!

Cupcake crumble in a jar

Not that this would ever happen in my household, but if you find yourself in need of something to do with your leftover cupcakes (who said that?) before they dry out, consider this recipe from Babble for Cupcake crumble in a jar that helps you reuse and recycle dessert! The addition of vanilla or chocolate pudding brings moisture back, and then it's up to you to decide what other goodies you want to sprinkle or dollop to top off this treat!

Blow the lid off dessert! Get in your fair share of these goodies before the next dessert development is on the horizon.

Watch: How to make rainbow cake in a jar

As one more bonus recipe, check out the wildly popular Rainbow cake in a jar recipe from Babble. It looks too pretty to eat, but after the first bite, you won't mind!

More dessert recipes to try

Cherry-apple cobbler
Creamy blueberry pie
New York cheesecake