Desserts Recipes

This easy vanilla-bourbon homemade whipped cream recipe makes a sophisticated topping for any pie, crisp or crumble, or dollop in after-dinner coffee for an elegant treat.

Sweet, tangy and so refreshing, this is a treat you could enjoy on repeat all summer long. The bananas make it ultra creamy, so it tastes like a cross between sorbet and ice cream. It's perfect for dessert or a midafternoon snack on a hot day.

These soft and moist cookies are spiked with ginger, cinnamon and a hint of clove and they crackle on top when they bake. Rolling them in powdered sugar gives them a lightly sweet coating on the outside that looks like a dusting of fresh fallen snow.

These not-too-sweet mini desserts combine the flavors of peanut butter cups and chocolate cake. Quinoa flour adds protein and makes these gluten-free, but feel free to substitute white whole-wheat flour instead.

Garri is made from dried, fermented cassava, a tuber native to South America and introduced to Africa by Portuguese traders from Brazil in the 16th century. San Francisco chef Simileoluwa Adebajo says her family, like many in Nigeria, often eat garri mixed with ground nuts, sugar and milk, like a cereal. These subtly sweet cookies are crisp and delicious.

This natural cookie icing recipe is quick and uses natural dyes to create vibrant colors for decorating cookies. The basic icing recipe makes natural white icing and has substantially less sugar than traditional cookie icing recipes. For creating colored cookie icings, try thawed juice concentrates: cranberry for pink, orange for pale orange or Concord grape for pastel purple.

Magical aquafaba—the liquid from canned chickpeas that often gets poured down the drain—mimics egg whites in these airy vegan meringue cookies. The other magical thing? These cookies require just three ingredients! Save the chickpeas themselves for hummus, stew or any one of our other recipes that call for canned chickpeas.

Slice-and-bake icebox cookies are the ultimate make-ahead treat. You can make a batch and bake as many as you like, saving the rest of the dough in the freezer. These simple swirled cookies are rolled in finely chopped pecans. They're mildly sweet—perfect for after dinner or paired with coffee.

Mix Greek yogurt with sweet jam and crunchy pistachios and freeze so you can break into chunks just like chocolate bark (but healthier!). This colorful snack or healthy dessert is perfect for kids and adults alike. Use full-fat yogurt to ensure the creamiest bark possible.

These lemon cookies are made healthier with whole-wheat pastry flour and they get their zippy flavor from fresh lemon zest and juice rather than lemon extract. This lemon cookie recipe would be the perfect accompaniment to afternoon tea.

Minced dried cherries and pistachios make these energy balls a salty-sweet snack to satisfy all your cravings. Almond butter and cocoa add substance and chocolaty appeal. Serve any time of day as a snack or dessert, or pack them for a hike.

These cardamom-spiced shortbread cookies were inspired by the Indian sweet kaju katli.

The key to these decadent treats is the portion size--baking them in mini-muffin tins keeps the carbs and saturated fat in check. And maple syrup allows you to make this pecan pie recipe without corn syrup.

This makeover recipe was one of the favorites chosen for our 30th anniversary issue. Tahini gives this cookie a subtle sesame flavor.

These crispy cookies are made with Piedmontese staples--hazelnuts and eggs--and called Brutti Ma Buoni: literally, “Ugly But Good.” But they are really more plain-looking than “ugly,” and pack a powerful, sweet, nutty burst of flavor, making them welcome at any table.

All you need are four simple ingredients to make healthier coconutty peanut butter balls that kids and grownups will love. Make this easy recipe for a bite-size treat, on-the-go snack or easy homemade gift. You can swap the peanut butter for almond butter or even sunflower seed butter if you need a nut-free snack for school.

These healthy apple cookies made with oats, shredded apples and brown sugar make snack time enjoyable for everybody.

The deep flavors of molasses, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg make these wholesome pumpkin cookies delicious without the addition of butter--and they lend themselves beautifully to the inclusion of whole-wheat flour. They are also the perfect texture for a sandwich cookie--fill them with a slightly sweetened cream cheese frosting.

This irresistible diabetic-friendly peanut butter cookie recipe contains no flour. For Christmas or special occasions, imprint them with cookie cutters to fit the season instead of the star-shaped cutter.

Perfect meringues depend on totally yolk-free whites. The seemingly fussy step of separating each egg into a small bowl before combining them guarantees yolk-free whites for bakeshop-quality meringues every time. These crispy little morsels travel well and make great gifts too.

Perfect for an on-the-go breakfast or snack, these energy bites will keep you fueled.

This recipe for traditional Thai coconut balls is all about the coconut. First, skip the preshredded stuff (the filling won't hold together with it) and get yourself to the produce department for a fresh one.

Serve this easy blackberry sauce with ice cream, lemon mousse, angel food cake or sliced peaches—the list goes on!

Thanks to a mix of pumpkin, sunflower, hemp and chia seeds, these healthy snack bars are packed with protein, fiber, minerals and healthy fats. Because these bars pack well, they're great for taking along on all-day adventures.

Use your favorite combination of nuts to make this quick and easy chocolate nut bark.

Skip the greasy mess and bake these healthier churros rather than frying them in oil. The cinnamon-sugar-dusted classic Mexican dessert comes out of the oven crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside.

This pretty pumpkin-cranberry Bundt cake is a delicious alternative to holiday pumpkin pie.

Here we fill hollowed out apples with apple pie filling, top with a pie crust lattice, and bake them until golden brown and filling is bubbly.

This apple dessert marries the best parts of apple crisp with a baked apple to make an adorable and tasty sweet treat. Cooking an apple crisp inside an apple is a wonderful treat in summer with a scoop of ice cream, or in fall after an apple-picking trip.

Chickpea blondies? Hear us out! Not only do these legume-based treats have a delightful fudgy texture, they have twice as much fiber and three times as much protein as a blondie made with flour.

This is a healthier version of a traditional cobbler, with canola oil in place of some of the butter and whole-wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour. Unlike more classic biscuit-topped cobblers, the peaches and blueberries are nestled into a tender batter that swells around the fruit as it bakes. Other fruits may be substituted. It's especially beautiful when baked in and served right from a cast-iron skillet.

There are plenty of granola bar options at the grocery store, but they're also easy (and often healthier) to make at home. Feel free to vary the add-ins to your taste, swapping 2 cups of any combination of small (or chopped) dried fruit, nuts, seeds and/or chocolate chips for the dried cranberries and nuts in this version. We tested several sticky sweeteners, including maple syrup and honey, but found brown rice syrup held the bars together the best.

With plenty of protein from both tofu and soymilk, this banana-split-inspired breakfast smoothie will keep you satisfied until lunchtime.

The oaky taste of Armagnac, a French brandy made in Gascony, has long been paired with prunes. While Armagnac is available in vintage bottlings, nothing so extravagant is needed for this recipe. Use waterproof markers to decorate the outside of glass jars with flowers, abstract designs or a favorite line from a poem.

This rice pudding is dairy-free, but the bananas and rice milk make it so creamy and rich-tasting, no one will know the difference.

In this healthy take on apple pie, egg roll wrappers stand in for pie crust, saving you calories and the headache of rolling out dough. We like to use Granny Smith apples because they hold their shape and provide tart balance to the sweet filling. Try dipping these handheld crispy treats in whipped cream.

Get the salty-sweet chocolate satisfaction of a candy bar with this better-for-you chocolate-peanut butter gluten-free snack or dessert recipe. Pair it with a glass of milk, hot or cold, for a boost of calcium and protein.

Astoundingly good for minimal effort, this makes an indulgent weekend breakfast or anyday dessert. A judicious smear of mascarpone (half the fat of butter) is part of the luxury, but even lighter low-fat cream cheese will work as well. The real secret is warming the berries just enough to make the flavor bloom and transform their juices into a rosy syrup.

While regular hot cocoa is lovely and warming, sometimes something a bit more spirited is in order. Some other tasty additions to hot chocolate: bourbon, creme de menthe, Galliano, creme de cassis, Chambord.

A hit of lime zest and crunchy salt flakes on ripe watermelon is an addictive, salty-sweet way to enjoy a refreshing and hydrating snack. Pair it with a few pistachios for a protein boost.

Sweet satisfaction in seconds.

We sped up the preparation of a traditional English trifle by layering whipped cream, macerated berries and store-bought angel food cake. This recipe is flexible—you can soak the cake in flavored liqueurs or sweet or fortified wine, assemble it in a large trifle bowl or individual serving dishes, and use any seasonal fruit you may have on hand.

Need a sweet treat for a snack or dessert? This healthy low-calorie recipe will satisfy your craving for a banana sundae (without the ice cream) and is ready in less than 5 minutes.

Broiling fruit brings out its inherent sweetness. A squeeze of tart lime juice balances it out. Try this technique with pineapple as well.

This warm, bright and sweet blackberry crisp is lightly flavored with lime and ginger. The fresh blackberries bubble into a thick and saucy filling, and the buttery crumble topping melts in your mouth.

Plantains are a common ingredient in West African cooking. From street snacks to stews, plantains can be enjoyed at every stage of their maturing process. Green plantains can be used for chips, while yellow ones serve as a starchy side. Here, we use super-ripe black ones where the starch has turned to sugar making them perfect for dessert.

Try this Mini Berry Cream Pies recipe the next time you want to whip up a quick healthy dessert. For this red-white-and-blue dessert, frozen mini phyllo cups work the best. Keep them nestled in their tray for easy transport to a picnic or potluck.

Get all the tropical flavors you love in a piña colada in this creamy dairy-free dessert. This ice cream alternative gets its sweetness from pineapple and coconut and is just as delicious with or without the optional rum. Either way, it's sure to put you in a beachy state of mind--not bad for a treat that takes just 10 minutes to whip up in your food processor.

Kiwi and mango get a burst of citrus flavor in this easy fruit salad recipe.

Get cheesecake flavor without having to bake with this healthy dessert recipe. To make it gluten-free, look for gluten-free graham crackers.

This simple dessert works any time of the year, but its flavors will be the best and brightest in the winter when oranges are at their peak.

Rich, creamy and thick enough that you may want to scoop it with a spoon, this European-style drinking chocolate is something different from the usual hot cocoa. Serve it in a demitasse or espresso cup for an elegant treat.

This easy peach cobbler uses canned peaches to speed up prep time. A fluffy, tender cake envelops the tender peaches, creating an incredibly simple fruit dessert you can enjoy year-round.

These two-bite, protein-packed snacks have all the flavors of a campfire favorite rolled right in. Mini chocolate chips and graham cracker pieces are blended into the base mixture, while a mini marshmallow is tucked into the center. Even better, they're no-bake and you can make a big batch in about 30 minutes.

Both simpler and more decadent than a chocolate croissant, a grilled chocolate sandwich is a marriage of bread and chocolate in which the two components are evenly matched.

Blueberries add all the sweetness you need, naturally, to protein-rich Greek yogurt in this satisfying snack.

This simple spiced popcorn snack will satisfy your sweet tooth and provide a hearty dose of whole-grains, fiber and antioxidants.

This rich, healthy chocolate shake recipe is dairy-free and gets its creaminess from avocado instead of ice cream. If you aren't avoiding dairy, you can use regular low-fat milk and any type of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips in place of the nondairy chocolate chips.

This peach dump cake serves up a fluffy, tender vanilla cake that's studded with juicy, sweet peaches. This peach cake is so simple it's sure to become a favorite summertime dessert. Using a box of organic cake mix makes the recipe prep even easier.

This warm pudding has a marvelous deep chocolaty flavor, but it's low in fat and super-quick to make. Don't skimp on the quality of cocoa with this one--treat yourself to the good stuff.