22 Quick Dessert Recipes You Can Make in a Pinch
Have a sweet treat in under an hour.
Antonis Achilleos
Some days you’re ready to channel your inner Great British Bake Off contestant and whip up a tiered cake or a fruit pie with a picture-perfect lattice top, and other days you just want a no-fuss treat. For those days when you don’t have a ton of time to spare, we’ve compiled this roundup of quick dessert recipes you can make for any occasion. The vast majority of these desserts, such as a Chocolate Raspberry Skillet Cake and a batch of Brownie Batter Babka Bites, come together in under an hour, including any baking and cooling time. As you’ll see, the hands-on time required from you is often much less, making these desserts the ideal confections to whip up in a pinch. So, whether you need a last-minute dessert for an office potluck, or an easy treat to bring to the school bake sale, we’ve got you covered with these 22 recipes!
Related: 11 Delicious Desserts You Won't Believe Are Actually Healthy-ish
Sweet Tahini and Date Truffles
Victor Protasio
All you need is five ingredients (plus flaky salt) to make these gorgeous, rich sesame-almond-date truffles that are ready in just 45 minutes. Each one boasts a marzipan-like texture from the almond flour, and a subtle bitterness from the tahini and chocolate. If you’re really pressed for time, you can go ahead and make these treats ahead of time so they’re ready when you need ‘em.
Pumpkin Bread Trifle With Pepita Streusel
Antonis Achilleos
A cream cheese-spiked trifle with a pumpkin spice streusel? Yes, please. You’ll start by baking a simple loaf of pumpkin bread. Then, bake a crumbly and sweet streusel made with flour, sugar, butter, pumpkin pie spice, and pepitas for some delightful crunch, and don’t forget the sweetened cream cheese, which is the glue that holds this confection together. And believe it or not, the whole thing is ready in 55 minutes.
Gingerbread Pretzel Popcorn
Each kernel of this festive popcorn is slathered with a vanilla caramel sauce made with cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg for a flavor that's reminiscent of freshly baked gingerbread cookies. This recipe calls for just 35 minutes of hands-on-work, and is ready to eat in a little over an hour.
Potato Chip Crispy Treats
Let’s be honest, crispy treats never disappoint, and these are ready in a little over an hour. In this recipe, the classic kids’ treat boasts a white chocolate drizzle and pieces of crushed wavy potato chips in each bite. The chips, which are a welcome addition, keep this easy dessert from being cloyingly sweet like the crispy treats you devoured as a child.
Summer Berry Trifle With Elderflower Cream
Believe it or not, this picture-perfect dessert is ready in just 15 minutes. This treat boasts layers of elderflower-spiked whipped cream, fresh summer berries, and crushed cookies, which soak up the berry juices until they're perfectly soft. Opt for several different types of berries, such as strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, to make this dessert especially delicious.
Honey Whole Wheat-Strawberry Clafoutis
This typical French dessert is ready in just 50 minutes. It’s made with whole-wheat flour, sweetened with honey, and packed with fresh strawberries. While a nice crust forms on the outside, the inside of this picture-perfect confection remains deliciously custardy. Just make sure you serve this treat immediately, as the center will sink as it cools.
Mini Pumpkin Pies With Speculoos Crust and Whipped Cream
If you don't feel like whipping up an entire pumpkin pie, try these mini desserts that require just 30 minutes of your time. Here, each small pie features a press-in crust made with Speculoos cookies, as well as spicy sweet pumpkin filling. The pies also get a kick from grated fresh ginger, but it mellows under a pillowy dollop of whipped cream.
Pan de Elote
Ready in just over an hour, this Mexican cornbread recipe comes from food blogger Esteban Castillo. Since the recipe calls for less flour and sweetened condensed milk, this dish tastes more like a pound cake than traditional cornbread. As you may have guessed, this means each slice is rich and creamy with a tight but tender crumb.
Apple Cider Doughnut Tower
Why have just one apple cider doughnut when you can make an apple cider doughnut tower in just 20 minutes? To assemble this masterpiece, you’ll procure some doughnuts (perhaps from your favorite orchard or farmer’s market) and whip together some cream with cream cheese and maple syrup. That combo acts as the glue that holds the tower together, while store-bought caramel sauce and chopped pecans top the whole thing.
Popcorn Bars
Consider this 40-minute dessert recipe a unique take on rice crispy treats. Here, popcorn, butter, marshmallows, pretzels, and peanuts all join together to make addictively crunchy, chewy squares. What we love about this easy recipe is that you can customize it to your liking. Go ahead and experiment by folding in some potato chips in place of half the pretzels, or substituting half a cup of chocolate chips for half the peanuts.
Related: 12 Recipes For Bar Cookies You Can Make to Feed a Crowd
Chocolate Raspberry Skillet Cake
This 55-minute skillet cake is a great way to put your raspberry stash to good use. If you don't have the graham flour that this recipe calls for, just use whole wheat flour instead. The berries will still pull their weight and make this dessert delectable.
Dark Chocolate Coconut Tartlets
While it may be hard to believe that just 25 minutes stands between you and these cute tartlets, we promise that’s the case. The shredded coconut crust is piled high with nutty chocolate filling that includes your go-to nut butter, and this recipe gives you an excuse to dust off your mini muffin pan.
Salty-Sweet Chunkers
CAITLIN BENSEL
Ready in just 50 minutes, these chewy cookies are loaded with mix-ins that will satisfy just about anyone. These include pretzels, oats, mini marshmallows, chocolate mints and white chocolate chips, providing the perfect sweet and savory balance.
Apple Coffee Cake Twist With Giant Crumbs
The sweet-and-spicy cinnamon crumb topping is unquestionably the best part of any coffee cake. So naturally, we made it the star of this 55-minute dessert. Here, the big, buttery crumbs sit atop an elegant crescent roll twist, which is more striking to serve (and simpler to bake) than a traditional coffee cake.
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon is at its best here, as it is joined by a fluffy, tender base and a glaze that’s sweet but not too sweet thanks to the inclusion of cream cheese. These 30-minute pastries are most delicious right out of the oven, but you can also heat up any leftovers in the microwave for a very similar effect.
Honeydew and Blackberry Ice Cream Sundaes
Don't skip this sundae recipe, especially since it’s ready to eat in just 35 minutes. You'll start by stirring together a sesame-almond brittle that's infused with honey, and then nestle scoops of blackberry ice cream with honeydew melon. And if you love a little crunch, you'll be pleased to know that this dessert is topped with shards of sweet brittle and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
Vegan Blueberry Cookies
Good vegan desserts can be hard to find, but these cookies fit the bill and are ready to eat in under an hour. The bold hue is thanks to thawed frozen blueberries, while sweet white chocolate chips stud each cookie. When baking, we suggest using a stand or hand mixer to break up the blueberries. This will help ensure that the fruit is fully incorporated into the rest of the wet ingredients.
Mexican "Fried" Ice Cream
When making this popular treat, the only ingredient that gets fried is the panko crumbs. Then you stir in sugar, salt, and cinnamon, and it's time to roll balls of ice cream in it! Drizzle with honey and serve right away for a unique dessert that’s ready in just 35 minutes.
Brownie Batter Babka Bites
What do you get when you combine brownies and babka? These bite-size treats, of course! Each one features a beautiful golden hue, thanks to an egg wash, and has just the right amount of flaky sea salt for balance. These are best served warm, straight from the oven, which shouldn’t be too difficult considering they only take 35 minutes to make.
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Scones
White chocolate and macadamia nuts is a proven winning combo in cookies, so it's no surprise that the duo is right at home between the flaky layers of a scone. Each scone is blanketed in a buttery caramel glaze, a few more macadamia nuts for crunch, and some flakes of sea salt for an elegant finish. It’s no surprise that these treats are ready in just 30 minutes.
Related: 25 Easy Cold Weather Recipes to Make This Winter That’ll Fight Frigid Temps
Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats
Not only is this dessert ready in 30 minutes, it’s incredibly easy to make. There are just four high-quality ingredients here: finely chopped bittersweet chocolate bars, coconut oil, crispy rice cereal, and flaky sea salt. Call them a grown-up version of Rice Krispy Treats, which are fun to eat all year round.
Chocolate Bark With Dried Fruit and Spices
Sure, you can buy chocolate bark, but if you have 40 minutes to spare you can make it yourself. This bark is studded with dried apricots and figs, and flavored with cinnamon and a dash of cayenne pepper. To make sure the chocolate stays shiny and smooth, add a bit of shortening to the mix.
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