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25 Best Chocolate Ice Cream Recipes (All Types)

All Deserts | Pies | Cookies | Cakes | Cheesecakes | Scones | Muffins When a sweet summertime appetite strikes, many turn to chocolate ice cream as a treat. However, with handmade chocolate ice cream, you can create unique blends of chocolatey flavors any time of the year. Fudge, coffee, peanut butter, or mint, there …

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35 Best Strawberry Ice Cream Recipes (All Types)

All Deserts | Pies | Cookies | Cakes | Cheesecakes | Scones | Muffins Ice cream is among the most popular dessert of choice in America, with most of our taste buds going all in on vanilla. However, connoisseurs and casual lickers alike know that strawberry-flavored ice cream sits high with the leading pack because …

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50 Best Salted Caramel Cookie Bar Recipes (All Types)

All Deserts | Pies | Cookies | Cakes | Cheesecakes | Scones | Muffins Cookie bars are some of the least time-consuming and plain-sailing sweet affairs to bake. However, everything else worthy of confectionary praise in this field usually has hard-to-decipher instructions or takes too much time. The mission then becomes finding a recipe that …

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Slow Cooker Apple Pudding Cake Recipe

All Deserts | Pies | Cookies | Cakes | Cheesecakes | Scones | Muffins A delicious, cinnamon-spiced hearty dessert, our recipe for Slow Cooker Apple Pudding Cake is the perfect dessert for chilly winter evenings. You can toss the ingredients in the slow cooker when you get home from work and by the time the …

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Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe

All Deserts | Pies | Cookies | Cakes | Cheesecakes | Scones | Muffins While ice cream is a favorite treat for warm, sunny days, sometimes commercially produced ice creams can include strange unpronounceable ingredients. Often, things like high fructose corn syrups are included along with preservatives and artificial flavors and colors. Many people are …

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Easiest Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe

All Deserts | Pies | Cookies | Cakes | Cheesecakes | Scones | Muffins In fact, the average American consumes about 20 pounds of ice cream every year. This works out to about 4 gallons of ice cream per person, per year! Unfortunately, many commercially made brands of ice cream feature a long list of unpronounceable …

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Pineapple Dream Cheesecake Recipe

All Deserts | Pies | Cookies | Cakes | Cheesecakes | Scones | Muffins Do you need a delicious, creamy, tropical tasting dessert for your next family dinner? This recipe for Pineapple Dream Cheesecake is all of the above. Featuring layers of cream cheese, whipped topping, and coconut all encased in a crunchy graham cracker …

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27 Best Poached Pear Recipes (All Types)

All Deserts | Pies | Cookies | Cakes | Cheesecakes | Scones | Muffins Are you looking for a fancy and delicious dessert that will impress all your friends? Poached pears are the way to go. This underrated confection has all the qualities of a beloved fruity dessert. It also proves incredibly versatile. There are …

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Spiced Red Wine Poached Pears & Creamy Ricotta Recipe

All Deserts | Pies | Cookies | Cakes | Cheesecakes | Scones | Muffins The cheese adds an extra layer of warming fat (love handles) beneath your skin. It’s loaded with Fall/Winter flavors of warm cinnamon, fresh lemon, and luscious red wine. Because let’s be sure: Red wine is, in fact, a Winter weather flavor. …

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French Madeleines Earl Grey Lemon + Almond Dark Chocolate Recipe

All Deserts | Pies | Cookies | Cakes | Cheesecakes | Scones | Muffins Classic Madeleines. Are they cake? Are they cookies? Who cares? They’re fucking delicious. And they’re my chosen recipe for the 5th annual Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, hosted by Lindsay at Love and Olive Oil and Julie of The Little Kitchen. …

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Vanilla Pudding with Bourbon Macerated Strawberries Recipe

All Deserts | Pies | Cookies | Cakes | Cheesecakes | Scones | Muffins This recipe for Vanilla Pudding with Bourbon Macerated Strawberries & Cornbread Crumble is inspired by a dish we served in the restaurant I worked at last summer – it brought me such joy, and by the simplicity of the change in seasons, and the …

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Spring Cherry Blossom Lemon Cake Recipe

All Deserts | Pies | Cookies | Cakes | Cheesecakes | Scones | Muffins Enter lemons. Limes. Key limes. Oranges. Blood oranges. Tangelos. Mandarins. Satsumas. Kumquats. Clementines. Pomelos. Yuzu. And even, eek, grapefruit. The idea of citrus flavoured anything once made me cringe something awful. Homemade salad dressing? No thanks. Lemon bars? Um, no. Lemon …

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22 of the Tastiest Peanut Butter Pie Recipes (All Types)

All Deserts | Pies | Cookies | Cakes | Cheesecakes | Scones | Muffins As a 95 percent vegetarian and 110 percent Georgian, I love some peanuts. Boiled, deep fried, salty, Spanish style with skins on…however you have them, peanuts are the best protein source on the planet. Now, if you want to go a …

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20 Scrumptious Cereal and Marshmallow Bar Recipes (All Types)

All Deserts | Pies | Cookies | Cakes | Cheesecakes | Scones | Muffins While researching this recipe, I immediately made a batch of peanut butter and marshmallow squares. I mean, how can you not? This is the easiest, cheapest, and fastest–not to mention surprisingly low mess–treat you can make for any time of the …

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Boozy Bourbon Blueberry and Peach Cobbler Recipe

All Deserts | Pies | Cookies | Cakes | Cheesecakes | Scones | Muffins  I’ve made a recipe that is one of those perfect matches – boozy bourbon blueberry peach cobbler. Holla! The flavors fit better together than whiskey in a rocks glass. Or any glass, for that matter. In fact, the addition of whiskey …

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10 Incredible Strawberry Cheesecake Recipes (All Types)

All Deserts | Pies | Cookies | Cakes | Cheesecakes | Scones | Muffins Cheesecake proves so popular as a dessert that restaurants around the world serve this delicious dairy treat. Many recipes use cream cheese plus other cheese or dairy ingredients to create a hearty, creamy cake that offers a decadent, rich taste bursting …

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20 of the Best Skillet Dessert Recipes (All Types)

All Deserts | Pies | Cookies | Cakes | Cheesecakes | Scones | Muffins Did somebody mention dessert? If you love delicious desserts but do not necessarily enjoy using cookie sheets and baking trays, the skillet is your best friend. If you’ve been looking forward to a quick and tasty dessert with fresh ingredients, these …

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13 Fabulous Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipes (All Types)

All Deserts | Pies | Cookies | Cakes | Cheesecakes | Scones | Muffins Chocolate cake is a popular dessert and it is quite easy to make and bake. A flourless chocolate cake is one of the best desserts that you can serve to your guests or family members. The cake can be served as …

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25 Delicious Dessert Bar Recipes (Many Types)

All Deserts | Pies | Cookies | Cakes | Cheesecakes | Scones | Muffins There are always new innovations happening in baking, and the latest invention is often a reimagining of a classic dessert. Many dessert bars, for example, take all the luscious flavors of desserts you know and put them in a more compact …

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Blueberry Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing Recipe

All Deserts | Pies | Cookies | Cakes | Cheesecakes | Scones | Muffins Have you given up on making cakes from scratch? It can sometimes seem that making a cake from scratch is impossible. Often, homemade cakes are heavy, dry, and the texture is coarse. Repeated failures can have you reaching for a box …

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20 Delish Dessert Recipes with Sour Cream (All Types)

All Deserts | Pies | Cookies | Cakes | Cheesecakes | Scones | Muffins Are you looking to get more creative with your cooking? Look no further. When starting to cook, it’s always surprising just how many unlikely ingredients are involved in the simplest-seeming recipes. To many people’s surprise, sour cream is a key ingredient in …

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20 of the Best Chocolate Buttermilk Cake Recipes

All Deserts | Pies | Cookies | Cakes | Cheesecakes | Scones | Muffins Who would have thought that buttermilk would be the secret weapon when it came to making the ultimate chocolate cake? When combined with vegetable oil and sometimes even hot water, buttermilk ensures the cake will be soft and moist and virtually …

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21 Best Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake Recipes (All Types)

All Deserts | Pies | Cookies | Cakes | Cheesecakes | Scones | Muffins As a grandmother, there are few things I love more in this world than my grandchildren and baking delicious food. There is one recipe, in particular, I have been indulging in most recently. I have started baking Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake …

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Chocolate Buttermilk Cake Recipe

All Deserts | Pies | Cookies | Cakes | Cheesecakes | Scones | Muffins Recipes like this Chocolate Buttermilk Cake have been popular for well over 100 years. However, did you know that up until the twentieth century, chocolate was an expensive treat that only the wealthy could afford?  At that time, cocoa prices lowered enough, so …

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All Deserts | Pies | Cookies | Cakes | Cheesecakes | Scones | Muffins

6 Different Types of Desserts

Desserts are the best part of any meal. From chocolate to vanilla cupcakes, desserts make us feel good. They not only signal the end of the meal, but they leave us satisfied in a way that other foods can’t.

Technically, a dessert is a dish that is served at the end of a meal. However, it’s not unheard of to eat dessert first.

Cakes

A slice of homemade chocolate cake.

Cakes are ubiquitous with desserts. We serve them on special occasions, from birthdays to weddings. We turn them into cupcakes and share them with our loved ones.

Butter Cake

This is probably what comes to mind when you think of cake. This is what’s typically used for birthday cakes and simple homemade cakes. It’s called a butter cake because it’s made with butter. Alternatively, margarine or oil can be used.

Butter cakes also contain a rising agent. This is usually baking soda or baking powder.

We often refer to cakes by their flavor. For example, a chocolate cake is mostly a chocolate-flavored butter cake or a yellow butter cake with chocolate frosting.

Sponge Cakes

Sponge cakes are very light and airy. It derived its name from its ability to soak up syrups and teas, like a sponge.

A traditional sponge cake only has three ingredients. These are flour, eggs, and sugar. The eggs are beaten, which allows the cake to rise. If butter and baking powder is used, it’s technically a chiffon cake. A chiffon cake is a mix of butter and sponge cakes.

The simple ingredient list of a true sponge cake gives it a very light flavor as well. This makes it a perfect complement for strong toppings or syrups.

Pound Cake

Pound cake is a cousin of butter cake. It’s made with a pound of butter, sugar, flour, and eggs. It’s an exceedingly easy recipe to remember because you simply add a pound of everything.

The recipe has evolved a bit since its inception, but there’s still charm in making an old-fashioned pound cake with four pounds of ingredients.

Upside Down Cake

I have to be honest, I’m not the greatest at decorating cakes. Somehow, it never comes out quite the way I picture it in my head, or the way it looks on recipe websites.

However, I have found upside down cakes to be basically no-fail when it comes to aesthetics. Pineapple upside-down cake is the most popular, but you can make this cake with nearly any fruit you have on hand.

When making an upside-down cake, you start with the topping. Place the topping in your pan, being sure to arrange it the way you want it to appear on top of the cake. You’ll also add sugar to the fruit.

Then, you pour the cake batter into the pan, on top of the fruit. Once the cake has cooked, you flip the pan over. The cake slides out with a beautiful topping and a great flavor.

Flourless Cake

Flourless cakes are, as the name implies, flourless. It’s usually made as a chocolate cake. It’s gluten-free. It may seem complex, but it’s actually a simple cake to make.

It’s made with eggs, butter, sugar, and chocolate. Unsweetened cocoa powder, espresso powder, and vanilla extract bring more flavor to the cake.

The cake is relatively flat. You can add a bit of baking powder, which will give it a slight rise.

Once the cake has been cooked and cooled, you have lots of topping options. My favorite is sugared raspberries and shaved chocolate pieces.

Cupcakes

Colorful cupcakes with sprinkles.

Cupcakes are essentially mini cakes. They are typically made from butter cake. They are baked in a cupcake or muffin pan, which provides 12 cupcakes per pan.

Once they are baked, they can be iced in fun or creative ways. They are a favorite for kids because they are easy to eat, but they can be designed for adults as well.

Instead of simple vanilla cupcakes with sprinkles, cupcakes aimed at adults contain complex flavors and look elegant.

Cheesecakes

Cheesecakes are one of the most popular desserts around the world. They are so rich and indulgent, that no one can resist them. In addition to different types of cheesecakes, they can be topped in many different ways.

Traditional Cheesecake

Cheesecake with caramel sauce.

A traditional cheesecake is a baked cheesecake with only three ingredients, cream cheese, sugar, and eggs. Sour cream can be added if desired. It’s then baked in the oven.

This type of cheesecake is lighter than a New York-style cheesecake. However, there is little difference between the two.

Toppings range from fruits to chocolate. Turtle cheesecake, for example, has caramel, pecans, and chocolate toppings. A strawberry cheesecake would have strawberries or strawberry syrup as a topping.

New York Style Cheesecake

The ingredients are essentially the same as traditional cheesecake. However, New York cheesecake is denser and richer. This is because it contains more cream cheese. It also has heavy cream to provide more richness. Some recipes replace heavy cream with sour cream.

No-Bake Cheesecake

Baked cheesecakes require baking to set, but a no-bake cheesecake doesn’t require baking. These cheesecakes are velvety, smooth, and have a uniform texture throughout the dessert.

Eggs are not used in no-bake cheesecakes for safety reasons. Instead, gelatin, condensed milk, sour cream, or whipped cream can be used. The cake simply needs to be mixed and allowed to be set in the fridge.

Frozen

Ice cream with different flavors.

Nothing beats the summer heat like a frozen dessert. Of course, these sweet treats can be enjoyed at any time of year.

Ice Cream

When you think of ice cream, perhaps you think of the classic vanilla bean you buy from the local supermarket. Perhaps you think of homemade ice cream from your childhood.

In addition to regular ice cream, there are a few other types. Gelato is an Italian ice cream that’s made with milk instead of cream. It’s creamier and richer than American ice cream.

Sherbert could also be considered ice cream since it contains milk. It also contains fruit juice, which gives it its fruity taste and color.

Frozen Pies

Frozen pies, also known as icebox pies, typically make their magic in the freezer. Some require a short baking time, and others never go near the oven.

What they have in common is that the pie sits and comes together in the freezer. When it’s time to serve, simply remove the pie from the freezer. It’s a great way to beat the summer heat. However, its simplicity makes them popular all year round.

Ice-Based Desserts

Ice-based desserts have ice as the main ingredient. These include shaved ice, slushies, Italian ice, and snow cones. These desserts may have the same basic ingredients, but they do have their differences.

With Italian ice, the ingredients are mixed and then frozen. Shaved ice, on the other hand, takes plain ice and adds ingredients or flavorings.  Snow cones are similar to shaved ice, but they are served in a cone, similar to ice cream.

Slushies are a drink made with crushed ice and flavorings or added ingredients. These can be artificial or natural.

Pies

Homemade apple pie

Pies are famous the world over, although the type of pie can vary greatly by country or even region. For example, the Northeast is famous for blueberry pie, while the south is well known for its sugar pies.

Cream

Cream pies are a favorite type of pie, particularly during the hot summer months. Most pies are baked and then served hot. Cream pies, on the other hand, are meant to be enjoyed chilled.

They are made from a custard or pudding filling, and often topped with whipped cream. Peanut butter, chocolate, and key lime are a few of the most popular types of cream pie.

Fruit

When you hear the word pie, does apple pie come to mind? Apple pie has become synonymous with Americana. However, it’s not the only type of fruit pie you should enjoy.

Peach pie, strawberry rhubarb pie, and cherry pie are a few options. These pies typically have a pie crust and a fruit filling. They are topped with a flat pie crust or a latticework crust.

Custard

Custard pies are surprisingly similar to cream pies. They are both made with a custard of pudding filling. However, custard pies are designed to be baked and contain eggs as an ingredient.

Custard pies are often topped with a meringue, which is baked on top of the pie, rather than whipped cream.

Another difference is that custard pies are typically simple. Instead of loads of flavors and ingredients, they are meant to showcase the custard itself.

Sugar

Sugar pie originated in Eastern Europe. The main ingredients in the pie are butter, sugar, and cream. In the U.S., the most popular type of sugar pie is pecan pie.

It has the same basic sugar pie base, but also includes pecans. This dish originated in the American South, where it’s still popular today.

Puddings and Custards

Fruit

Berry Cobbler with ice cream

Fruit is often a component of dessert. However, some dishes have fruit as the main ingredient, making them fruit-based desserts. These include cobblers, compotes, and caramelized fruits.

Cobblers

Cobblers are made with fruit and batter. This batter creates a rich filling combined with the fruit and other ingredients. At the top, the batter browns, creating a crust for the dessert.

The batter is typically made with butter, milk, and flour, but there are a few variations on this basic recipe.

Peach cobbler is a classic favorite, but many types of fruit can be used. Blackberry, blueberry, or strawberry are also great choices.

A cobbler is typically served fresh from the oven and can be topped with ice cream for an even more decadent dessert.

Compote

Fruit compote is surprisingly simple to make. It uses fresh fruit and sugar to create a fruit-based sauce. You can use fresh or frozen fruit. In place of sugar, you can use honey or maple syrup.

Some recipes call for things like orange juice to create more flavor, but compote also works well in its simplest form.

Once the compote is created, it can be served over ice cream, yogurt, or a simple mouse.

Caramelized Fruit

Caramelized fruit in a skillet.

Caramelized fruit is made by caramelizing sugar and butter, and then adding fruit. It’s best when made with fresh fruit. Like most fruit desserts, many types of fruit can be used.

Stone fruit is a great choice. You can also make bananas foster, which is a slightly fancier take on caramelized fruit. Caramelized fruit can be served as is, or added to ice cream.

Fried Pies

Another awesome fruit-based dessert is fried pies. Despite the name, they are quite different from actual pies. They are made by creating dough. Then, the fruit is added and the dough is folded. This seals the fruit inside the dough.

Then, the pies are fried. Once they are cooked, they can be served warm as is, or with a side of ice cream. They are best served fresh, but they can be reheated as well.

Apricot, apple, and peach are popular fruits for fried pies.

Dessert Drinks and Wines

Chocolate martini with mint

Dessert drinks and wines are important considerations. When you serve a beautiful meal, why not serve a beautiful drink as well? Dessert drinks and wines can be served alongside dessert, or in place of it.

Their sweet rich flavors will ensure that everyone ends up satisfied, no cake or pie required.

Dessert Mixed Drinks

One of the most well-known dessert cocktails is the mudslide. It’s traditionally made with coffee liquor and Irish cream. It’s elegant, tasty, and satisfying.

Brandy Alexander is another option. Think of a grown-up version of the white Russian. It’s made with cognac and cocoa liquor, for a creamy chocolatey flavor you’ll love.

Dessert Martinis

When it comes to dessert martinis, the lemon drop martini is extremely popular. It’s also very easy to create at home. To make it, you’ll need Triple Sec, vodka, and lemon juice.

Another popular favorite is the chocolate martini. It’s truly like enjoying a chocolate pie, in a glass.

Dessert Wines

Dessert wines are sweet wines that are designed to be served alongside your favorite dessert. They are sweeter than other types of wines, but their level of sweetness ranges from light to very sweet.

Looking for higher alcohol content? Fortified wines are fortified with grape brandy, which gives them an alcohol content of 17-20%.