12 Decadent Desserts to Help You Party Like It's Mardi Gras

It's Fat Tuesday! What should you eat for dessert? You need a special New Orleans recipe like bread pudding with whiskey sauce, bananas Foster, or some sugar-coated beignets.

Bananas Foster Split

This is our take on the sweet boozy dessert first served at famed New Orleans restaurant Brennan’s in the 1950s. The bananas are cooked in a buttery brown-sugar sauce, doused in dark rum, and flamed just before serving -- with a scoop of ice cream, of course!

We can't get enough of this traditional Louisiana confection that transforms toasted pecans into a sugary, fudge-like candy. Our version also calls for sour cream, which gives the treats an exceptionally smooth texture.

For a different take on pralines, try these drops. There's no cream or butter -- the nuts are simply suspended in a delicious soft caramel.

Vanilla bean and hazelnut liqueur set our version of this French toast-bread pudding hybrid apart. Serve it for breakfast or dessert -- it's a guaranteed crowd-pleaser at any time of day.

Craving something salty? This sweet-spicy popcorn can be whipped up in a jiffy.

Whip up a batch of the creamy pecan candy to take simple drop cookies to the next level. They'll be the first to go at your Mardi Gras party.