A Scottish pudding for Burns Night? Not whisky.

[Cabbagesandcustard]

I have some very special people coming over dinner on a Burns Night and want to make something nice for them. The main course will be haggis and the works - but I can't think of anything to make for pudding that doesn't involve whisky, which is out of bounds due to one of the guests being a recovering alcoholic! TBH, I'm not keen on the flavour anyway. Any thoughts on an alternative dessert?

Clootie dumpling and custard?

Crannachan without whisky?

Ooh yes crannachan. We love it.

You could bastardise cranachan.....make a kind of raspberry Eton mess with some toasted oatmeal over the top. Or deep fry a couple of Mars bars? Clootie dumpling is very traditional if you want to stay classical, or maybe just coffee and shortbread or tablet

Mars bars were in jest, but nigella did deep fry fun size Mars bars and bounty bars, haven't tried it myself but there must be something in it!
I often just do cheese for burns night, lots of lovely scottish cheese

I made a cranachan cheesecake one year, with oats in the base and layers of raspberries through it. It's no bake too. I did soak the base with whiskey but maybe you could use something like fruit juice?

A pudding made with Scotland's or other national drink perhaps? Irn Bru cake, trifle or similar? Irn Bru sorbet is excellent two Italian cafe/ice cream shops near us do it, likely available across Scotland!

Google has plenty of recipe ideas for Irn Bru desserts, some look more enticing than others...

Irn bru! Deep fried mars bars! - what clever ideas! Thanks everyone, you've given me some inspiration

Trifle is often served at burns suppers, I do one with frozen rasps left to thaw over some amaretti biscuits topped with chill cabinet custard , whipped cream & grated chocolate.a kind of Scottish/Italian trifle or a bramble crumble. I have also consulted a Sue Lawrence cookbook & she suggests a Seville Orange tart (called Dundee Tart), shortbread ice cream with sticky bananas or a rhubarb crumble or crisp. Bread & butter pudding with marmalade ( look at Shirley Spear's recipie). Finally some tablet for the coffee.

Black Bun, or Border tart...some tablet maybe, something shortbread based

Otherwise you are pretty stuck with Clootie Dumpling or Cranachan without the booze.

Go straight to the cheese course and only put out oatcakes to go with the cheese...caboc is gorgeous!

Trifle or treacle tart. Although I'd be inclined to skip dessert and go for cheese too. Maybe with some very good chocolate (Scottish chocolate is having a moment right now) at the very end. Or a slice of fruit cake with the cheese.

Cranachan without whiskey is like champagne without bubbles...

Some tablet to go with the coffee is always good and if you have non-Scots there you can enjoy the sight of them feeling the sugar high.

You could try drop scones with jam and whipped cream.

Or a selection of Scottish sweet nibbles - macaroon bars, coconut ice, tablet, mini snowballs and Tunnocks teacakes (other teacakes may be available but who cares.)

Marzy I neeeeeeeeed your cranachan cheesecake recipe!