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Here are our top easy dessert recipes to make now! Pick from dessert ideas like no bake cookies, no-bowl cakes, 3 ingredient treats and more.
Low on time or energy, but want a sweet treat? Here are our top easy dessert recipes that go from 0 to treat in no time! We’re always on the lookout for simple treats, because it’s hard to find the energy when you’re already making the main meal. These easy desserts are simple or speedy to prep: either in advance or right before serving! Some favorites: no bake cookies, a tasty 2 ingredient Italian treat that takes no time at all, or our favorite cake you can mix right in the baking pan (genius!).
Want desserts by type? Try Fruit Desserts, Chocolate Desserts, Summer Desserts, Fall Desserts, Gluten Free Desserts, Vegan Desserts, or Healthy Desserts.
And now…our top easy dessert recipes!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Everyone loves a good chocolate cookie. But here's something we think is even better: these soft, gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars! They've got an irresistibly chewy texture, featuring a luxurious dough with loads of dark chocolate chips. A bit of oatmeal gives it a nostalgic heartiness, and the edges get perfectly golden.
No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
At the top of all easy desserts? No bake cookies! And theseNo Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookiesare a step above the rest. They're rich and chocolaty, full of chocolate peanut butter flavor and sweetened just enough with sugar and maple syrup. They’re beautifully glossy in texture, and the flavor? When we serve them at parties, they go fast.
Chocolate Mug Cake
Mug cakes are the definition of easy dessert ideas! This genius method for going from 0 to cake in just a few minutes is absolutely worth a try. ThisChocolate Mug Cakerecipe comes out insanely fudgy and 100% delicious! It’s got a secret ingredient that makes a delightfully rich flavor.
3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
Sometimes baking takes lots of ingredients, time, and mess…but not here! This genius combination of three ingredients makes for the mostpeanut butter-y, chewy, sweet and salty flourless cookiesyou’ll have. Really. It seems unbelievable, but it makes this recipe perfect for whipping up on moments notice and ideal for baking with kids.
No-Bowl Applesauce Cake
This applesauce cake is the ultimate easy dessert idea: you don't even need a bowl to mix it in! And it turns into one of the most delicious cakes you’ll eat. Moist and scented with cinnamon, it’s perfectly fluffy and a little gooey. It’s got a healthy spin with olive oil and Greek yogurt, and instead of icing there’s a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
Easy Chocolate Mousse
Looking for an easy dessert? Try thiseasy chocolate mousserecipe! All you need are three ingredients and 15 minutes to whip up this tasty treat. It comes out rich and creamy, with decadent chocolaty flavor. It’s even easier than aclassic mousse recipeand comes together in a flash.
Edible Cookie Dough
Need an easy dessert idea...fast? If you've got 5 minutes, make this edible cookie dough! This tasty mixture has thebestcookie dough flavor and texture. It's the ultimate simple treat! For a healthy spin, try this Chickpea Cookie Dough.
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Here’s aneasy dessertthat’s impressively irresistible every time:Chocolate Covered Strawberries! It might seem easier to buy this popular treat. But they’resosimple to make at home! The crunch of the crisp chocolate yields to the sweet tart tender fruit inside.
Sauteed Apples (a la Mode!)
Want aneasy dessert? Look no further than thesesauteed apples! There’s no baking necessary, and no advanced preparation. Just slice up some apples, saute them in butter and spices, andbam! Eat it warm topped with vanilla ice cream, and there’s really not much better.
Zucchini Brownies
Stop what you’re doing and gather the ingredients for this zucchini brownies recipe that will have your friends and family running for another piece. The brownies come out ultra moist and gooey, with a deep, rich chocolaty flavor.
Classic Strawberry Crumble
You can make this easy dessert with fresh or frozen strawberries: making it simple to whip up using pantry and freezer ingredients on moments notice! And the flavor is divine: there’s the strawberry filling, scented with orange zest and vanilla until the berries pop. Then there's the crunchy crumble topping, hearty and homey with oats and walnuts.
Easy Banana Ice Cream
Perfect Bananas Foster
Sautéed bananas float in a dreamy sauce of caramelized sugar and rum, topped with melty vanilla ice cream. It might be the ideal easy dessert because it’s so fast to whip up after dinner. All it takes is 10 minutes, with virtually no thinking ahead!
"Bliss Bites" Healthy No-Bake Cookies
Bliss bites are by far our most popular easy dessert recipe on this website! They taste like a homemade peanut butter cup combined with a no bake cookie, and people all over the world make and love them! Made with maple syrup, coconut oil, and oats, they’re naturally sweet, vegan, and gluten-free: so they work for eaters of all kinds.
Perfect Chocolate Bark
What's an easier dessert idea than chocolate bark? It's a fun way to make a special dessert in advance, then refrigerate it and nab a piece anytime a chocolate craving strikes. This one features dried cranberries, pistachios and coconut for a beautiful confetti of flavors.
Iced Applesauce Cookies
Hello and welcome to our new favorite cookie recipe…spicedApplesauce Cookies! These are so moist and irresistible, you’ll forget about everything else as you savor each chewy bite. The applesauce makes them ultra moist, and they’ve got a little oatmeal to balance the sweet.
Perfect Apple Crumble
If you've got the time to bake, apple crumble is a classic easy dessert! Chop fruit, mix up a simple topping, and bake! Golden, crunchy brown sugar crumbles top a sweet tart filling of warm spiced fruit, seasoned with cinnamon, allspice and ginger.
Homemade Lime Sherbet
Here’s an easy frozen dessert that will have citrus lovers shouting from the rooftops: homemadeLime Sherbet! Make it homemade with real limes and it’s transcendental: creamy and unbelievably zesty, with a pure flavor that easily trumps any store-bought variety. There’s something about real limes that can’t be beat.
Chocolate Covered Bananas
Here's another favorite easy dessert that’s healthy and ultra delicious:Chocolate Covered Bananas! The crunch of a crisp dark chocolate coating around an icy banana makes magic. Make up a batch and store them in the freezer for anytime a chocolate craving hits.
Easy Blueberry Cobbler
This blueberry cobbler is everything you need in a sweet treat: the fruit layer bursts forth with pure berry juiciness. The topping is cakey and fluffy, just sweet enough and baked to golden perfection.Thisis the blueberry cobbler recipe you need!
Easy Strawberry Sorbet
Got an ice cream maker? Then here's an incredibly easy dessert: sorbet! The flavor is like taking a bite of 100 strawberries at once: sweet, pure, and tangy. The frosty texture is like an Italian strawberry gelato: cold and creamy, with just the right robust vibrancy to each bite.
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
Here’s a favorite trick for easy desserts:Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars! These are everything you want in a treat: irresistible sweet peanut-y flavor, chewy texture, and a little drizzle of chocolate on top! These no bake oatmeal bars are like our famousbliss bite cookies, but easier and healthier.
Vanilla Mug Cake
Need a sweet treat that takes literally 5 minutes to make with ingredients you have on hand? Meet the ultimateVanilla Mug Cake! This one is so moist, so sweetly vanilla-scented, it feels like it’s a fancy from-scratch baking project. Except it’s acake made in the microwave. The mug cake is an internet trend that’s totally worth trying: because it really is that delicious.
Classic Lemon Bars
Here’s a classic recipe that’s one of the top ways to enjoy zingy citrus: this easylemon bars recipe! This one is my Grandma’s recipe, done up with a few small tweaks to coax out even more flavor. A zingy lemon custard topping layers over a thick shortbread layer, making the best textural contrast of gooey versus crunchy. It’s got just the right burst of lemon and hint of vanilla in the shortbread.
Affogato
Last up in our easy dessert recipes: Affogato! The Italian affogato is one of the world's easiest desserts: just top vanilla ice cream with a shot of espresso. As the hot coffee hits the frozen ice cream, it transforms into the most delicious rich and melty treat.
More sweet recipes
Love sweets? Us too. In addition to these easy dessert recipes, we’ve got lots of other collections to browse. Here are a few of our top lists of treats, from chocolate to fruit to special diets:
- Try our top Genius Dessert Recipes
- Go wholesome with these Healthy Desserts
- Are you a choco-holic? Try these Chocolate Dessert Recipes
- Or go fruity with Top Fruit Desserts, Apple Desserts, Pumpkin Desserts, Blueberry Desserts, or Strawberry Desserts
- Opt for seasonal with Summer Desserts, Fall Desserts or Thanksgiving Desserts
- Browse special diets with Gluten Free Treats and Vegan Desserts
01
20 Genius Dessert Recipes
02
21 Healthy Desserts to Try
03
20 Decadent Chocolate Desserts
04
35 Summer Desserts Everyone Should Try
25 Easy Dessert Recipes!
- Author: Sonja Overhiser
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 16 1x
Description
These soft and gooey chocolate chip cookie bars are crowd-pleasers! They’re easy to whip up and perfectly chewy.
Ingredients
Scale
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup Old Fashioned rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips, divided
- Sea salt for sprinkling, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9 x 9 pan. Line the pan with a piece of parchment paper, cut so that it extends on two sides to easily remove it from the pan.
- In a medium bowl, mix the flour, oats, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
- In a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, mix the room temperature butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium speed for 4 to 5 minutes until fluffy. Scrape the bowl with a spatula and incorporate eggs and vanilla into the butter at low speed. Once combined, add the flour mixture and mix until the dough just comes together. Stir in ¾ cup of the chocolate chips until they are evenly distributed.
- Use a spatula to press the sticky batter into the pan in a thin, even layer. Sprinkle and press the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips into the top of the dough.
- Bake 21 to 23 minutes until starting to brown at the edges. Remove the pan to a cooling rack . If desired, sprinkle a few pinches of flaky sea salt over the bars.
- Cool completely, at least 1 hour. Run a knife around the edges, then cut into 16 pieces. (You can also serve warm with ice cream.) To store, place layers of parchment paper in between the bars and store in a sealed container at room temperature for 3 days, refrigerated for 2 weeks, or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Cookies
- Diet: Vegetarian
Keywords: Easy desserts, easy dessert recipes
More easy recipes
We’ve got ’em! Creating easy recipes for every meal is our sweet spot. In fact, we wrote a book about simple cooking, too. Whether you’re looking for a specific diet or just general browsing, here are a few more easy recipe ideas:
- Try these 25 Easy Recipes for every meal
- Opt for 20 Easy Vegan Dinner Recipes or 30 Easy Vegetarian Recipes
- Grab these 15 Easy Salad Recipes
- Thristy? Go for 5 Easy Juicing Recipes
- Love seafood? Try our 30 Easy Seafood Recipes
Published on / Last updated on
Categorized In:
- Dessert Recipes
- Recipe Collections
- Recipes
Tagged with:
- Dessert
- Recipe
- Roundup
About the authors
Sonja & Alex
Meet Sonja and Alex Overhiser: Husband and wife. Expert home cooks. Authors of recipes you’ll want to make again and again.
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