Food and Recipes Desserts 43 Church Picnic Desserts That'll Be The Talk Of The Town By Zoe Denenberg Updated on February 27, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner When we think of perfect picnic recipes, a few criteria come to mind. First, it has to be portable. Chances are we're packing these desserts into wicker baskets and piling into the car with our families, so elaborate layer cakes aren't the best option for easy transportation. Bars, cookies, pies, and cupcakes top our list of the best picnic desserts. Next, it's important to consider the theme of the church picnic. We love to opt for classic recipes you're sure to find at a church potluck—think pound cake and buttermilk pie—or something more seasonally inspired. Whether you're picnicking in the spring, summer, or fall, we have recipes to carry you through all the seasons. Celebrate Easter with our Carrot Cake Cupcakes. Tailgate season? Get in the spirit with Salted Caramel-Apple Hand Pies. No matter the occasion, we have a picnic recipe sure to wow the al fresco dining crowd. With these all-star recipes, your sweet treats will be the talk of the town. 01 of 43 Peach Fried Pies Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox No summertime picnic is complete without some Southern peaches, and these Peach Fried Pies will win rave reviews from the after-church crowd. These handheld delights start with canned biscuits. 02 of 43 Pecan Pie Brownies Micah A. Leal We combined two Southern-favorite desserts—pecan pie and brownies—to create the ultimate decadent treat. These gooey bars are moist and rich, satisfying both pecan pie enthusiasts and chocolate lovers. 03 of 43 Hummingbird Cupcakes with Candied Pineapple Wedges Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Love the flavor of a hummingbird cake, but don't want to mess around with stacking and assembling cake layers? Meet Hummingbird Cupcakes. Crushed, canned pineapple in its juice is the secret to these moist, classic cakes. 04 of 43 Freezer Peach Pie Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Make use of that bag of frozen peaches in this Freezer Peach Pie. It tastes as fresh as you can get. 05 of 43 Raspberry Crumble Bars Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer When you're on the go, you need a dessert that's easy to serve and mess-free. That's why these sliceable Raspberry Crumble Bars are the ideal picnic food. 06 of 43 Blackberry-Peach Cobbler Bars Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck No summertime church get-together is complete without fresh peach cobbler, but a gooey casserole isn't necessarily the ideal portable picnic food. These Blackberry-Peach Cobbler Bars are the perfect alternative. 07 of 43 Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Buttermilk-Cream Cheese Frosting Antonis Achilleos Bake everybody's favorite layer cake into easily portable, personal-sized cupcakes. Invest only 30 minutes of hands-on time to yield two dozen of these delicious desserts. 08 of 43 Chocolate Peanut Butter-Fudge Bars Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Kids and adults alike will fall for these fudge bars, which combine chocolate and peanut butter in beautifully stacked layers. Packaged brownie mix helps these come together quickly. 09 of 43 Buttermilk Pound Cake Southern Living Serve this pound cake with berries and fresh cream or ice cream to make a lovely warm-weather dessert. Try the tangy Buttermilk Custard Sauce to impress your crowd. 10 of 43 Toasted Oatmeal Cookies Hector Manuel Sanchez Oatmeal-raisin may get a reputation for being boring, but these cookies are anything but. The recipe calls to toast the oats, which brings a nutty depth of flavor to the dough. 11 of 43 Cheesecake Cookies Caitlin Bensel Pack all the flavor of Mama's famous cheesecake into shareable cookies that will leave an impression on the dessert table. Topped with maraschino cherries and powdered sugar, these cheesecake bites are sure to go fast. 12 of 43 Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Jennifer Causey Ramp up the flavors of a classic, yet often bland chocolate chip cookie with the addition of nutty brown butter. Plan ahead—you’ll need to make the brown butter ahead of time. 13 of 43 Classic Chocolate Pound Cake Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck; Food Styling: Erin Merhar Transform Nana's classic pound cake into a chocolate lover's dream with this decadent recipe. Simple and rich, this classic is sure to be a hit. 14 of 43 Apple Pie Cookies Micah A. Leal A cross between a hand pie and a cookie, these Apple Pie Cookies tuck luscious apple pie filling between layers of short cookie dough to accomplish a completely creative dessert. Cinnamon icing takes these desserts over the top. 15 of 43 Mini Red Velvet Cakes Southern Living Bake red velvet cupcakes, then cut them sandwich-style and pipe the frosting in the middle for a whimsical way to enjoy this dessert classic. Cream cheese and mascarpone cheese combine for the creamy frosting. 16 of 43 Caramel-Frosted Pound Cake Southern Living This indulgent pound cake, complete with delicate swoops of caramel frosting, is one of our all-time favorites. After just one bite, you'll understand why. 17 of 43 Lane Cupcakes Southern Living The storied Lane Cake has been a Southern staple for decades, and we've just made it portable with these Lane Cupcakes. Topped with frosting and cake filling, these miniatures have all the flavor of the original vintage cake. 18 of 43 Coconut Cheesecake Squares Southern Living Bring a bit of tropical flair to the church picnic with these easily sliceable, perfectly bite-sized coconut cheesecake squares. There'll be plenty to go around. 19 of 43 Cherry Flag Pie Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox You might need a trusted pie carrier to get this patriotic dessert to the picnic, but it will no doubt become the day's starring confection. The flag decoration looks complicated, but it starts with cutting designs on a simple piecrust semicircle. 20 of 43 Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Kathleen Varner If peanut butter cups make your list of favorite candy, these chocolate delights will quickly become a must-have dessert at any gathering. The salty-sweet combination is sure to win praise. 21 of 43 Salted Butter-Pecan Shortbread Cookies Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall No fall picnic is complete without a toasty butter pecan dessert, and these homemade shortbread cookies are the ideal vehicle for the crowning pecan. These slice-and-bake cookies can be rolled in turbinado sugar for extra crunch. 22 of 43 Mini Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cakes Alison Miksch When it comes to pound cake, we don't want to share, and with these mini pound cakes, we don't have to. This recipe makes two dozen little cakes, perfect for picnics. 23 of 43 Pecan-Peach Cobbler Beth Dreiling Hontzas Two Southern favorites, pecans and peaches, collide in this sweet and nutty cobbler. Pecans are baked directly in the crust for a tasty twist. 24 of 43 Classic Chess Pie Jessica Colyer Chess pie is one of those staples that we'll never stop making, and it's sure to satisfy the church crowd. Pull this together quickly thanks to a refrigerated pie crust. 25 of 43 Salted Caramel-Apple Hand Pies Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Katie Jacobs If you're having a fall picnic, these Salted Caramel-Apple Hand Pies are the ideal on-the-go sweet snack. These are delicious straight from the oven or at room temperature. 26 of 43 Ultimate Dark Chocolate Brownies Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer These are not your ordinary boxed brownies. Made with rich dark chocolate and finished with flaky sea salt, this recipe celebrates brownies in their best form. 27 of 43 Sweet Tea-and-Lemonade Cake Hector Sanchez Sheet cake is our favorite hack for feeding a crowd, and this Sweet Tea-and-Lemonade cake hits all the right notes. The lemony cream cheese frosting will brighten even the sunniest picnic. 28 of 43 Luscious Lemon Bars Southern Living Tart and sharp, the flavor of these lemon bars is offset by a silky-smooth texture that makes this dessert utterly addictive. No picnic is complete without these classic squares. 29 of 43 Hello Dolly Bars Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lydia DeGaris Pursell With coconut, pecans, chocolate, and butterscotch, these bars pack all of our favorite flavors into one portable package. Whip up a batch in a flash, and let them cool on the way to the picnic. 30 of 43 Southern Buttermilk Pie Iain Bagwell This recipe takes a page right out of the church potluck cookbook—it's a tried-and-true classic that's sure to please. Top with berries, fresh mint, and whipped cream. 31 of 43 Cherry Pie Bars Greg Dupree Do you mean to tell us that we can have cherry pie without the finger-staining mess? Now that we've seen it, we certainly believe it. 32 of 43 Petite Blueberry Cheesecakes Jennifer Davick Don't worry about slicing this cheesecake—it's already split into perfect personal portions. Use any berry or preserves to switch up the flavors in this dessert. 33 of 43 Cheerwine Cherry Cupcakes with Cherry-Swirl Frosting Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner Complement the picnic soda offerings with these Cheerwine Cupcakes and their stunning pink-and-white cherry swirl frosting. These are sure to quench sweet cravings. 34 of 43 Coconut-Citrus Bars Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Giulietta Pinna; Food Styling: Ali Ramee These handheld treats pay tribute to a Southern holiday staple: ambrosia. Serve the classic year-round with these two-bite bars. 35 of 43 Strawberries-and-Cream Sheet Cake Hector Sanchez If your church picnic is scheduled during the height of strawberry season, this 9x13 dessert is practically required baking. The pink delight gets a boost from strawberry-flavored gelatin. 36 of 43 Mississippi Mud Cake Beth Dreiling Hontzas This marshmallow-topped classic will please every sweet tooth with its fudgy base and a chocolate frosting poured over the top. This sheet cake recipe includes a shortcut and a cupcake variation. 37 of 43 Cappuccino Swirl Bars Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Store-bought wafer cookies make a chocolatey crust for these caffeinated bars. The sweetened cream cheese filling has a hit of espresso and cocoa. 38 of 43 Death by Chocolate Micah A. Leal Chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, and chocolate crumbles make this creamy dessert a dream. Layered with whipped cream, guests will scoop up servings of this dish quickly. 39 of 43 No-Bake Fudgy Toffee Bars Iain Bagwell Layer graham crackers with chocolate and gooey caramel to create this tempting no-bake dessert. Sprinkle chopped toffee bars over the top. Serve chilled for a less messy treat. 40 of 43 Plum-Berry Cornmeal Sheet Cake Alison Miksch Add fresh summer berries to a cornmeal base for an undeniably easy and delectable dessert. Finish the vanilla-flavored cake with fresh whipped cream. 41 of 43 Blond Texas Sheet Cake Beth Dreiling; Styling: Rose Nguyen Give Texas Sheet Cake a twist with this blond version, featuring Caramel-Pecan Frosting. A white cake mix provides the base. Cut the cake into triangles for an easy and striking presentation. 42 of 43 Classic Birthday Cake Micah A. Leal This cake isn’t limited to birthdays—any celebration will do. A picnic is a perfect reason to share this classic sheet cake with a crowd. Sprinkles make it fun. 43 of 43 Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies Micah A. Leal Perfect for a patriotic summer picnic or a holiday potluck, no one will know these cookies are made with only five ingredients. A box of cake mix makes them chewy, while still achieving a crisp cookie texture. Was this page helpful? 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