Dessert recipes for easy, super satisfying sweet treats

For seasoned cooks and kitchen novices, cookbook author and nutritionist Robin Miller takes it back to basics with great, family-friendly recipes worth making over and over again.

Robin Miller
| Special for The Republic

Whether you’re inspired by The Great British Baking Show or just craving a sweet treat, there’s something especially satisfying about a homemade dessert. And it doesn’t need to be a complicated, multi-tiered cake, spun sugar wonder or from-scratch puff pastry work of art to feel special.

These recipes keep it simple with no-bake options like cheesecake that begs to be topped with seasonal fruit; nostalgic banana pudding and our favorite, endlessly customizable, no-churn ice cream, along with showstopping (and shockingly straightforward) pineapple upside down cake and summer-in-a-bowl peach cobbler.

Go ahead. Treat yourself.

Here are five easy, breezy dessert recipes to try tonight.

Cheesecake recipe

Since this cheesecake needs time to chill, it’s an excellent make-ahead dessert option. Prepare the cheesecake as instructed, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days before serving. Once your cheesecake is set (from chilling in the refrigerator) it can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer — without toppings. To store your cheesecake, wrap the whole pan in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil. Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

Makes: 12 slices

Ingredients:

For the graham cracker crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 16 full graham cracker sheets)
½ cup (8 tablespoons/1 stick) butter, melted
¼ cup granulated sugar

For the cheesecake:

1 cup heavy cream, or heavy whipping cream, fridge cold
4 (8-ounce) blocks full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
¼ cup sour cream, room temperature
2 teaspoons lemon juice, preferably freshly squeezed
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
Fresh fruit or pie filling for topping (optional)

Instructions:

Line the bottom of a 9- or 10-inch springform pan with parchment paper (this is optional but makes transferring the cheesecake easier).
To make the crust, in a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and granulated sugar. Mix well. Press the mixture into the bottom and about 1-inch up the sides of the prepared pan. Pack firmly to ensure the crust doesn’t crumble when sliced (using the bottom of a measuring cup helps pack the crust into the pan). Freeze while you make the filling (10 to 20 minutes).
To make the filling, using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cold heavy cream until stiff peaks form (when you lift the whisk attachment, the whipped cream should stand straight up, not curl over or fall to the side). Set aside.
In the bowl of a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the powdered sugar until smooth. Make sure there are no lumps.
Fold in ½ cup of the whipped cream to aerate the mixture. Once incorporated, fold in the remaining whipped cream and combine slowly to prevent deflating.
Remove the crust from the freezer and pour the filling into crust. Using an offset spatula, smooth the surface.
Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, preferably 12 hours. Note that his cheesecake can be made 2 days in advance. The longer this cheesecake is chilled, the better it sets up.
Using a knife or offset spatula, loosen the outer edge of chilled cheesecake from the springform pan. Remove the rim. If desired, transfer the cheesecake to a serving dish.
Using a clean, sharp knife, slice the cheesecake and serve. For neat slices, clean the knife between each slice. Top as desired.

Pineapple upside down cake

I highly doubt you’ll have leftovers, but if you do, refrigerate the cake in an airtight container for up to four days or freeze for up to one month.

Makes: 10-12 servings

Ingredients:

For the topping:

20-ounce can pineapple slices in juice (not syrup); reserve 1/4 cup juice and leftover pineapple slices for the batter
12-18 maraschino cherries
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
½ cup packed light brown sugar

For the cake batter:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup milk, preferably whole milk
¼ cup pineapple juice, reserved from can
¼ cup sour cream, or full-fat plain Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Arrange paper towels on a flat surface or large baking sheet. Place the pineapple slices and cherries on the paper towels and pat dry. Set aside.
Pour the melted butter into the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan. Brush the butter up the sides of the pan. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter and spread out in an even layer. Arrange the pineapple slices over the brown sugar — one full round in the middle and half circles around the center piece. I used 11 half slices around the center round piece. Arrange the cherries in the pineapple slices. Press the pineapple and cherries down with a spatula to ensure they press into the sugar (this ensures you get a vibrant red and yellow color on top).
To make the batter, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, sour cream, reserved pineapple juice and vanilla.
In a mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in ⅓ of the milk mixture and then ⅓ of the flour mixture. Repeat two more times until everything is blended.
Finely chop the leftover pineapple pieces and fold them into the batter.
Pour the batter over the pineapple slices and cherries and smooth the surface.
Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and loosely cover with foil. Bake for 12 to 15 more minutes, until a wooden pick comes out clean, or with little moist bits clinging to it.
Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes.
Run a butter knife or offset spatula around the edges of the pan. Place a plate over the cake pan and flip. If the cake doesn’t release freely, gently tap the bottom of the pan.
Cool completely before serving. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to four days or freeze for up to one month.

Banana pudding recipe

For a show-stopping presentation, use a trifle dish or glass bowl (so you can see the layers). You can also use 13×9-inch baking dish. When using a baking dish, make 2 layers instead of 4. For a fun presentation, use glass jars!

To extend the life of your banana pudding, transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Makes: 10 to 12 servings

Ingredients:

8-ounce block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 (3.4-ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix (make sure it’s instant)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 ½ cups milk, preferably whole milk or 2%
8-ounce container whipped topping (such as Cool Whip), thawed according to package directions
11-ounce package vanilla wafer cookies, such as Nilla wafers (reserve a few for garnish)
5 to 7 bananas (ripe, but not overripe), peeled and sliced (reserve a few slices for garnish)

Instructions:

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla pudding mix and vanilla extract. With the mixer on low, gradually beat in the milk. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the mixture is smooth and thick.
Fold in half of the whipped topping.
Arrange ¼ of the vanilla wafer cookies in a single layer on the bottom of a trifle dish, large glass bowl or 13×9-inch baking dish (when using a 13×9-inch baking dish, make 2 layers instead of 4). Top with a single layer of banana slices.
Top with ¼ of the pudding mixture and spread out to cover all the bananas (I like to use a cookie scoop to scoop the pudding mixture onto the bananas; it makes the process easy and clean).
Repeat step 3 and step 4 to make a total of four layers. Top with the remaining whipped topping.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving (this ensures the wafers soften).
Garnish with wafer cookies and banana slices and serve.

Peach cobbler recipe

If you have leftovers, cover the baking pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Note that the cake portion will continue to absorb the peach syrup and juices over time. To reheat your peach cobbler, I suggest using your oven (not the microwave, which can make the cake portion tough and chewy). First, pull the cobbler (or individual portions of the cobbler) from the fridge 30 minutes before reheating to ensure even heating. Then, warm in a 300 degree F oven for 10 to 20 minutes.

Makes: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients:

For the peaches:

5 ripe peaches, or 4 cups frozen peaches
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the batter:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup milk, preferably whole milk
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Vanilla ice cream for serving, optional

Instructions:

If you’re using fresh peaches, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Gently lower 2 to 3 peaches at a time into the boiling water. Let the peaches sit in the boiling water for 30 seconds. Transfer the peaches to a bowl of ice water to prevent further cooking and to loosen the skin. When the peaches have cooled, drain, peel, halve and pit them. Slice the peach halves into ½-inch slices.
Transfer the peaches to a medium saucepan (if using frozen peaches, add them to the saucepan at this point). Add ¾ cup granulated sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt and set the pan over medium heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves and produces a syrup, stirring gently. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Set aside.
Spread the butter pieces out in the bottom of a 13×9-inch baking pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place the pan with the butter in the oven while it preheats. Once the butter has melted, remove the pan from the oven (keep the oven at 350 degrees F).
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt. Add the milk and stir until just combined, being careful not to overmix. Pour the mixture over the melted butter in the pan (do not stir). Spoon the peaches and peach liquid over the flour mixture (do not stir.) Sprinkle the cinnamon over the peaches.
Return the pan to the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the batter puffs up and is golden brown and no longer jiggly.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Homemade ice cream recipe

Make sure your heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk are chilled before using. This ensures you’ll get the most volume in your whipped cream. To be extra certain your cream whips up perfectly, you can also chill your mixing bowl and whisk.

Makes: About 2½ pints, more with mix-ins

Ingredients:

3 cups heavy cream, chilled
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk, chilled
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Optional: Mix-ins

Instructions:

Place cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form. With the mixer on medium speed, gradually add the sweetened condensed milk. Add the vanilla extract and mix until just blended. Do not add additional ingredients at this point.
Transfer the mixture to a large zip-top freezer bag, squeeze out the air, and seal. Put the bag in the freezer, lying flat and freeze until firm, about three hours.
Remove the ice cream from the freezer and break it into chunks. Working in batches to prevent overfilling, transfer the chunks to the bowl of your food processor or high-powered blender and pulse until smooth.
If adding mix-ins, fold them in by hand or add them to the food processor or blender and pulse until you reach your desired consistency.
Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.

Variations

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Add ½ cup regular or mini semisweet chocolate chips, 1 teaspoon peppermint extract and 2 to 3 drops of green food coloring (food coloring is optional).

Strawberry Ice Cream

Combine 2 cups offresh or frozen strawberries and 3 tablespoons granulated sugar in a small saucepan and set the pan over medium heat. Cook until the strawberries are very soft. Cool before mixing into your ice cream, rather than completely blending them into the ice cream. You can use any fresh or frozen fruit you prefer, including blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, bananas or peaches.

Chocolate Ice Cream

Add ¾ cup sifted cocoa powder and 4 ounces melted (cooled) chocolate.

Rocky Road Ice Cream

Prepare the chocolate ice cream above and add 1 cup mini marshmallows and ½ cup chopped almonds or peanuts.

S’Mores Ice Cream

Add 10 crushed graham cracker squares, 1 chopped chocolate bar and ½ cup marshmallow fluff.

Mocha Ice Cream

Add ½ cup sifted cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder.

Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Add ¼ cup molasses, 2 tablespoons browned butter and ½ cup chopped pecans. To make brown butter, place 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan and set the pan over medium heat. Cook until the butter gives off a nutty aroma and you see little brown bits in the pan. Transfer the butter to a shallow dish and cool before adding to the ice cream.

Questions or comments? Email the culinary team at cooking@azcentral.com.

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