53 Easy Dessert Recipes You Can Whip Up at a Moment’s Notice

We love making a weekend project out of an elaborate cake or pasty, but having a few easy dessert recipes ready to fire is crucial for satisfying sudden sugar cravings or for when you realize—eep!—you forgot the final course while your dinner party guests are en route. For situations like these, we turn to something semi-homemade (shortcuts are key) or otherwise no-fuss: ice cream made in a resealable plastic bag, apples simply halved and baked until soft and warm, or pastries that make the most out of our favorite freezer staple (spoiler: It’s frozen puff pastry).

In this collection of easy dessert recipes, we’re asking the important questions: Why fuss over flaky pastry when you can make a press-in cookie crust in a fraction of the time? Why use more than one bowl to mix cake batter? Why churn ice cream from scratch when you could make cool, calm, collected semifreddo? Scroll on for your new favorite quick, easy, and delicious desserts.