What’s a meal without a mouth-watering dessert to top it off? In today’s fast-paced society there are always ballgames to get to, meetings to attend, and work to get caught up on. Many people are guilty of just grabbing pre-packaged cookies or cupcakes at the store because they don’t think they have time to make a delicious dessert.
Believe it or not, you don’t have to be a pastry chef to create five-star desserts that your whole family will love. We’ve put together a list of our favorite dessert recipes that are not only easy, but will wow your family and friends as well. They don’t have to know you spent less than an hour in the kitchen…
But before you take a look at the recipes, check out a few helpful tips you’ll want to keep in mind:
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When making a graham cracker or cookie crust, put the ingredients in a large freezer bag and roll over it gently with a rolling pin. Plastic bags designed for the freezer are a lot stronger and are less likely to get holes poked in them as you’re crushing the ingredients.
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If you’re bringing the dessert to a picnic or other outdoor event, make sure it’s properly refrigerated (especially anything that’s dairy-based) so it looks nice and tastes like it should.
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Save money on frequently used ingredients by buying in bulk and storing them in a dry pantry, refrigerator, or freezer between uses. This can easily be done for things like butter, oil, sugar, flour and more.
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Store leftovers in an airtight container so your family can enjoy them for weeks to come.
Now, check out our top picks for elegant desserts that are not only delicious, but are also easy to whip up in a jiff!
Chocolate Éclair Squares
16 servings
2 pkg. (3.4 oz.) vanilla flavor instant pudding mix
2 cups cold milk
1 tub (8 oz.) whipped topping, thawed
64 vanilla wafer cookies
2 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate
Beat
pudding mixes and milk in large bowl with whisk 2 min. Stir in whipped topping.
Arrange 16 wafers on bottom of 8-inch square dish; cover with 1/3 of the pudding mixture. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining wafers. Refrigerate 4 hours.
Microwave chocolate in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. or until melted when stirred. Drizzle over dessert.
Refrigerate any leftovers.
Chocolate Bliss Cheesecake
12 servings
18 chocolate sandwich cookies, finely crushed (about 1-1/2 cups)
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
3 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pkg. (8 squares) semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted, cooled slightly
3 eggs
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Mix cookie crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.
Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add chocolate; mix well.
Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.
Bake 55 min. to 1 hour or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate 4 hours before serving.
Refrigerate any leftovers.
Banana Split Cake
24 servings
9 graham crackers, crushed (about 1 ½ cups)
1 cup sugar, divided
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple in juice, drained
6 bananas, divided
2 pkg. (3.4 oz.) vanilla flavor instant pudding mix
2 cups cold milk
2 cups whipped topping, thawed and divided
1 cup pecans, chopped
Mix graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar and butter; press onto bottom of 13×9-inch pan. Freeze 10 min.
Beat cream cheese and remaining sugar with mixer until well blended. Spread carefully over crust; top with pineapple. Slice 4 bananas; arrange over pineapple.
Beat pudding mixes and milk with whisk 2 min. until well blended. Stir in 1 cup whipped topping; spread over banana layer in pan. Top with remaining whipped topping. Refrigerate 5 hours.
Slice remaining 2 bananas just before serving; arrange over dessert. Top with nuts.
Refrigerate any leftovers.
Best Ever Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake
8 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate, divided
1 pkg. (2-layer size) chocolate cake mix
1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) chocolate instant pudding mix
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
½ cup oil
½ cup water
1 tub (8 oz.) whipped topping (Do not thaw.)
2 Tbsp. sliced almonds, optional
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Chop 2 oz. chocolate. Beat cake mix, dry pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil and water in large bowl with mixer until blended. Stir in chopped chocolate. Pour into 2 (9-inch) round pans sprayed with cooking spray.
Bake 30 to 35 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min. Loosen cakes from sides of pans. Invert onto wire racks; gently remove pans. Cool cakes completely.
Microwave whipped topping and remaining chocolate in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 1 min. Let stand 15 min. to thicken.
Stack cake layers on plate, filling and frosting with whipped topping mixture. Sprinkle with nuts, if using.
Refrigerate any leftovers.
