The summer might be almost over, but it’s not too late to give all those cool, creamy and fruity desserts one last hurrah. From NY-style Cheesecake Bars to Blueberry Boy Bait, all of these treats guarantee a deliciously sweet ending to your Labor Day weekend.
Dense and creamy with a hint of lemon and a crisp brown sugar-graham cracker crust, these bars are not only a cinch to make, they rival the best NY cheesecake out there. GET THE RECIPE
A few pantry staples and some fresh strawberries are all you need to make this delicious, foolproof cake. And it’s so simple, you can have it in the oven in 15 minutes! GET THE RECIPE
This key lime pie ice cream has all the bright lime flavor of key lime pie — even the crunchy, buttery graham cracker crust — and it’s a snap to make. There’s no temperamental custard base to make and chill, no ice cream machine to fiddle with, and no pulling the ice cream out of the freezer every 30 minutes to beat out the crystals. GET THE RECIPE
This dazzling, delicious trifle can be made in under 30 minutes — just be sure to plan ahead as it needs to chill in the fridge at least 8 hours before serving. GET THE RECIPE
Peaches, plums and nectarines go from simple to sublime when soaked in ginger syrup infused with fresh mint. GET THE RECIPE
You don’t even need an oven to make this gorgeous dessert. Simply layer store-bought chocolate wafers with peanut butter-flavored whipped cream in a loaf pan, and then chill overnight. In the fridge, the cookies soften and meld with the cream, creating a dessert that resembles a fancy layered mousse cake. GET THE RECIPE
The beauty of banana ice cream is that it’s naturally low in fat; the thick texture puréed bananas makes it rich and creamy without the addition of eggs or heavy cream. GET THE RECIPE
Made with cream cheese, ricotta cheese, and a ground almond crust, this cake is a hybrid between an American-style cheesecake and an Italian-style cheesecake. It’s a dream to make: unlike most cheesecakes, you don’t have to worry about the top cracking or fuss with a water bath because it all gets covered with fruit anyway. GET THE RECIPE
Ice cream sandwiches — kids love them, adults love them, and they’re so much fun to eat! Made with store-bought cookies and premium quality ice cream, these adorable ice cream sandwiches are a step up from the ice cream man’s. GET THE RECIPE
Also known as Snowballs, Butter Balls or Russian Tea Cakes, these crisp, shortbread-like cookies are made from ground pecans, coconut and lime. The perfect one-bite treat for a summer party! GET THE RECIPE
Heavy on the crunchy streusel topping and spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom, this fresh peach cake makes a lovely coffee cake for brunch — but it’s also wonderful topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream after dinner. GET THE RECIPE
This strawberry treat bears no resemblance to store-bought frozen yogurt or the imitation ice cream served at most fro-yo shops. It tastes intensely of fresh strawberries, almost like a cross between strawberry frozen yogurt and strawberry sorbet. GET THE RECIPE
Fresh plums soften into jammy, mulberry-colored pockets as they bake into this simple summer cake. GET THE RECIPE
With their crisp and buttery shortbread crust, tart lemon filling, and powdered sugar topping, these lemon squares are as pretty as they are delicious. They also freeze beautifully, so you can make them ahead of time. GET THE RECIPE
Made with only three ingredients, this fro-yo tastes just like the one at your favorite frozen yogurt shop, only better. GET THE RECIPE
The recipe for this old-fashioned blueberry coffee cake traces back to a 1954 Pillsbury Recipe & Baking Contest. Its creator, 15-year-old Renny Powell, called her tender, easy-to-make cake “Boy Bait” for its habit forming effect on young men. (She won 2nd place in the junior division.) My version is updated with lemon zest to complement the flavor of the blueberries and a crunchy cinnamon streusel topping. GET THE RECIPE