RecipesWhipped Up

Sweet tooth

Desserts

Cookies, brownie bites, crisps, and cups that do not need a pastry degree.

These sweets use supermarket staples: butter, sugar, flour, chocolate, fruit, and cream cheese. Oven temperatures are written for a standard home oven.

Bake times are a range because pans and ovens differ. The visual cue in the step, set edges, a few moist crumbs, a bubbling fruit edge, matters more than the first number on the timer.

Time

Difficulty

Meal

Cooking method

Dietary

High protein means the estimate is about 30g or more per serving. Vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, and lower-carb are applied only when the recipe is written to meet them.

Budget

36 recipes

Slice of red velvet layer cake with white cream cheese frosting and a deep red crumb

Red Velvet Cake

A cocoa-kissed red velvet layer cake with a tangy cream cheese frosting. The layers bake until the centers are fully set before they are stacked.

1 hr 2 min · Medium

Square of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and a moist crumb full of shredded carrot

Carrot Cake

A spiced sheet cake loaded with grated carrots and finished with cream cheese frosting. It bakes until the center is set, then cools fully before the frosting goes on.

1 hr · Medium

Slice of lemon pound cake with a pale crumb and a thin lemon glaze on a plate

Lemon Pound Cake

A buttery loaf scented with lemon zest and juice, finished with a thin tart glaze. It bakes until the center reaches a fully set crumb.

1 hr 18 min · Easy

Dark chocolate mousse in a glass cup with a spoonful of whipped cream on top

Chocolate Mousse

A cooked custard base melts into chocolate, then folds into whipped cream for a light set mousse. The eggs are heated to 160°F before the mousse is chilled.

37 min · Medium

Slice of key lime pie with a graham crust, pale yellow filling, and a cloud of whipped cream

Key Lime Pie

A graham crust holds a tangy key lime custard that bakes until the center is set. Whipped cream goes on after the pie is cold.

48 min · Medium

Slice of pecan pie with a flaky crust and a glossy top packed with pecan halves

Classic Pecan Pie

A single crust pie with a glossy pecan filling that bakes until the center is set, not runny. Corn syrup, brown sugar, and butter are the classic base.

1 hr 15 min · Medium

Chocolate lava cake on a plate with a molten chocolate center flowing from the middle

Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes

Small chocolate cakes bake around a frozen ganache center that melts in the oven. The cake batter itself is baked until the eggs are set.

39 min · Medium

Square of tres leches cake soaked with milk and topped with whipped cream in a baking dish

Tres Leches Cake

A light sponge bakes until fully set, then soaks up evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and whole milk. Cold whipped cream covers the top.

1 hr · Medium

Round golden sugar cookies with crackled sugar tops on a cooling rack

Sugar Cookies

Rolled sugar cookies bake until the edges are set and the centers look matte. The dough is for baking only, because it contains raw flour and egg.

47 min · Medium

Square blondies with a shiny crinkled top and a dense golden-brown crumb

Classic Blondies

Brown sugar bars bake into a chewy middle with a shiny top. The center is set, with a few moist crumbs on a toothpick, not a wet batter.

41 min · Easy

Square brookie with a dark brownie top and a golden cookie layer along the bottom edge

Brookies

A chocolate chip cookie layer and a brownie layer bake in one pan until both are set. The middle is fudgy, not a pool of raw batter.

57 min · Medium

Scoops of pale vanilla ice cream in a bowl with a spoon

No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream

Cold heavy cream whips into sweetened condensed milk and vanilla, then freezes until scoopable. There are no eggs and no ice cream maker.

20 min · Easy

Smooth dark chocolate pudding in a glass cup with a soft set surface

Chocolate Pudding

A stovetop cocoa pudding thickens with cornstarch and finishes with chopped chocolate and butter. It is cooked through, then chilled until it holds a spoon.

22 min · Easy

Slice of cherry pie with a golden lattice crust and thick red cherry filling

Cherry Pie

A double-crust pie filled with tart cherries thickened until the center bubbles. The filling has to boil in the oven so the starch cooks and the slice holds.

1 hr 35 min · Medium

Slice of banana cream pie with a graham crust, banana slices in pale pudding, and whipped cream on top

Banana Cream Pie

A baked graham crust holds sliced bananas and a cooked vanilla custard. The yolks and cornstarch are boiled until thick, then the pie is chilled.

55 min · Medium

Square of vanilla cake studded with colorful sprinkles and covered in white frosting

Funfetti Cake

A vanilla sheet cake is folded with rainbow sprinkles and covered in buttercream. It bakes until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

57 min · Easy

Two-layer chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and a slice cut out

Chocolate Layer Cake

A two-layer cocoa cake mixed with hot coffee, then filled and covered with chocolate buttercream. The coffee does not make it taste like coffee. It makes the chocolate louder.

1 hr · Medium

Pan of frosted cinnamon rolls with a visible cinnamon swirl

Classic Cinnamon Rolls

Soft yeast rolls with a brown-sugar cinnamon swirl and a cream cheese icing. Plan on about 90 minutes of rising before the bake.

55 min · Medium

Apple pie with a golden double crust and a slice pulled out

Classic Apple Pie

A double butter crust filled with tart and sweet apples, sugar, and cinnamon. Bake it until the filling bubbles in the center, then let it cool so the slice holds.

1 hr 30 min · Medium

Whole strawberry cheesecake with a glossy strawberry topping

Strawberry Cheesecake

A graham crust, a baked cream-cheese filling, and a fresh strawberry topping. Pull the cake when the center reads 160°F and still jiggles, then chill it.

1 hr 30 min · Medium

wedge of flourless chocolate espresso cake with glossy top

Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake

A dense, fudgy chocolate cake lifted with espresso powder and no wheat flour. It slices cleanly once chilled and tastes rich in small wedges.

50 min · Medium

slow cooker bread pudding scooped into a bowl

Slow Cooker Bread Pudding

Cubed bread soaked in a cinnamon custard and cooked low until set and golden on top. Raisins and vanilla make it a classic warm dessert.

3 hr 15 min · Easy

Golden peach blackberry cobbler in a baking dish with bubbling fruit edges

Peach Blackberry Cobbler

Juicy peaches and blackberries bake under a simple biscuit topping until bubbly and golden. Serve warm with a spoon of plain yogurt or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

55 min · Easy

Bowl of creamy coconut rice pudding topped with cinnamon and toasted coconut

Creamy Coconut Rice Pudding

Short-grain rice simmers slowly in coconut milk until thick and silky. A pinch of cinnamon and a drizzle of honey finish each bowl.

40 min · Easy

Pile of golden air-fried cinnamon sugar donut holes on a plate

Air Fryer Cinnamon Donut Holes

Soft yeast-raised dough balls cook in a single layer until golden, then roll in cinnamon sugar while warm. They taste like bakery donut holes without deep frying.

32 min · Medium

Stack of crackled ginger molasses cookies on a cooling rack

Ginger Molasses Cookies

Chewy cookies spiced with ginger, cinnamon, and cloves get their deep color from molasses. A roll in sugar before baking gives a crackled top.

27 min · Easy

Baking dish of apple crisp with a browned oat topping and bubbling edges.

Apple Crisp

Sliced apples, lemon, cinnamon, and sugar bake under an oat, flour, and butter topping. The fruit should be tender and the edges bubbling before the pan comes out.

1 hr · Easy

Cinnamon-sugar bites made from biscuit dough, piled on a plate.

Cinnamon Churro Bites

Refrigerated biscuit dough is cut into pieces, baked or air-fried, and tossed in cinnamon sugar while still hot. The dough is a shortcut, and the sugar coat is what makes them read as churro bites.

22 min · Easy

No-bake chocolate oat cups in paper liners, set firm from the fridge.

Chocolate Oat Cups

Oats, peanut butter, honey, cocoa, and coconut oil are stirred together and chilled in cups, with no oven time. They set in the refrigerator, and that is where they should be stored.

15 min · Easy

Baked mini cheesecake cups with graham crusts in paper liners.

Cheesecake Cups

Cream cheese, sugar, and egg bake in a muffin tin over a graham crust until the edges are set and the centers still wobble slightly. They need a chill after the oven so the texture settles.

40 min · Easy

Vanilla cupcakes with a swirl of butter frosting on a cooling rack.

Vanilla Cupcakes

Butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, flour, baking powder, and milk make a plain vanilla cupcake, finished with a simple butter frosting. Cool the cakes completely before you frost them or the frosting will slide off.

43 min · Easy

Peanut butter cookies with a fork crisscross pattern on a cooling rack.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and a little flour bake into cookies that get a fork crisscross before the oven. The cross gives them an even thickness so the centers set at the same time as the edges.

25 min · Easy

Chocolate chip cookies on a baking sheet with golden edges and soft centers.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This batch makes 24 cookies, and the nutrition and servings are written for 12 servings of 2 cookies each. Butter, both sugars, and chocolate chips bake at 350°F until the edges are set and the centers still look soft.

32 min · Easy

Cut berry crumble bars with an oat topping and a jammy fruit center.

Berry Crumble Bars

Fresh berries sit between an oat crumble made with butter, flour, and sugar. The bars need to cool in the pan so the fruit layer sets before you cut them.

1 hr · Easy

Mini brownie bites in a muffin tin with shiny, fudgy tops.

Brownie Bites

These brownie bites stay fudgy because the batter uses less flour than a cake and comes out of the oven before the centers dry out. A toothpick should show moist crumbs, not wet batter and not a clean stick.

29 min · Easy

Sliced banana bread loaf with a browned crust and moist crumb.

Banana Bread

Ripe bananas, butter, sugar, egg, and baking soda bake into one loaf. It is done when a toothpick in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter.

1 hr 15 min · Easy

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