Food and Recipes Desserts 41 Easy Dessert Recipes You Can Make in One Bowl By Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon is a Digital Associate Editor and has been on the Southern Living team since 2017. She helps run the brand's social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and TikTok, where she's happily behind the scenes. When she's not ruffling feathers with an etiquette poll via Instagram Stories, she's writing content for the website and assisting in various print projects like gift guides and home stories.She grew up in Mobile, Alabama, which she insists is home to the country's first Mardi Gras (not New Orleans) and now lives in Birmingham with her husband and rescue pup Rocky, whose name is unrelated to The University of Tennessee (Roll Tide). Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on July 17, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: OXMOOR HOUSE Baking can be complicated. Whether you're trying to get those cake layers perfectly flat, figure out the science behind baking soda versus baking powder, or guess how high to fill that Bundt pan so it doesn't overflow, preparing dessert can get confusing. Luckily, you now have some of the easiest dessert recipes up your sleeve. From no-bake cookies to summer cobblers and decadent pound cakes, these easy recipes are totally doable for chefs of any level. There's our Our Easiest Pumpkin Pie Ever, which lives up to its name. There are our 4-ingredient Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies and our Easy Skillet Apple Pie. And you better believe that we have a few tricks up our sleeve (Two-Ingredient Pineapple Angel Food Cake? Yes, please). If you need a recipe in a hurry, these favorites won't let you down. Quick cleanup, foolproof methods, and simple ingredient lists—these recipes are the answer to all your baking woes. 01 of 41 Two-Step Pound Cake Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Two-Step Pound Cake This pound cake really is as easy as mixing the ingredients together and baking them. 02 of 41 Peach Cobbler Jennifer Davick; Food Styling: Vanessa Rocchio; Prop Styling: Missie Crawford Recipe: Peach Cobbler With this easy recipe, the slow cooker has dessert handled. 03 of 41 Ultimate Dark Chocolate Brownies Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Ultimate Dark Chocolate Brownies Rich dark chocolate mixed with bourbon and espresso make this recipe our favorite grown-up brownie ever. 04 of 41 Rum Balls Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Rum Balls Originally published in 1993, we haven't spent a holiday season without making these since. 05 of 41 Nutter Butter®-Banana Pudding Trifle Jennifer Davick Recipe: Nutter Butter®-Banana Pudding Trifle This easy trifle is delicious with a hint of peanut putter from the cookies. 06 of 41 Two-Ingredient Pineapple Angel Food Cake Jessica Furniss/Southern Living Recipe: Two-Ingredient Pineapple Angel Food Cake Not only is this cake made in just one bowl, it requires just two ingredients: angel food cake mix and a can of crushed pineapple. It really couldn't be easier. For extra flavor and presentation points, frost it with whipped topping and decorate with fruit or sprinkles. 07 of 41 Chewy Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Chewy Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars You don't even have to turn the oven on to whip up this delicious treat with just one bowl! 08 of 41 Blueberry-Cheesecake Ice-Cream Pie Hector Sanchez Recipe: Blueberry-Cheesecake Ice-Cream Pie This cool treat is perfect for a hot summer afternoon. 09 of 41 Spiced Pecan Pie Bars Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Spiced Pecan Pie Bars Ground cinnamon and ginger give classic pecan pie a welcome twist—in big-batch bar form! 10 of 41 No-Bake Chocolate-Peppermint Cookies Romulo Yanes Recipe: No-Bake Chocolate-Peppermint Cookies Waste no time preheating the oven with this festive treat. 11 of 41 Mini Chocolate Chess Tarts Photo: Alison Miksch Recipe: Mini Chocolate Chess Tarts These mini delights are great for cocktail parties or luncheons with serve-yourself dessert tables, and they're so easy to make. 12 of 41 Easy Blackberry Cobbler John O'Hagan Recipe: Easy Blackberry Cobbler When we say easy, we mean easy! Make use of fresh blackberries this summer with this quick treat. 13 of 41 Classic Southern Buttermilk Pie Iain Bagwell Recipe: Classic Southern Buttermilk Pie This old-school favorite came around in the era of desperation pies, and we're still making it today. 14 of 41 Coconut Pudding Photo: Hector Sanchez Recipe: Coconut Pudding Top these coconut pudding cups with whatever festive toppings you have on hand for pretty presentation. 15 of 41 Turtle Trifle John O'Hagan; Styling: Lisa Powell Bailey Recipe: Turtle Trifle This recipe uses store-bought ingredients like frozen pie and caramel topping to cut down on prep time. 16 of 41 Fudgy Pecan Bourbon Balls Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Karin Olsen; Food Styling: Kellie Gerber Kelley Recipe: Fudgy Pecan Bourbon Balls During the holidays, these are the best bite-sized treats to give as hostess gifts. 17 of 41 So Good Brownies Jennifer Davick Recipe: So Good Brownies If you're in need of a go-to easy brownie recipe, save this one. 18 of 41 Shaker Lemon Pie Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Ana Kelly Recipe: Shaker Lemon Pie You can thank the Junior League of Charleston, West Virginia, for this old-school pie that uses every bit of the lemon—peels, too. 19 of 41 Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies Southern Living Recipe: Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies These peanut butter cookies only require four ingredients and a few minutes to throw together, so you can satisfy your sweet tooth as quickly and easily as possible. 20 of 41 Crunchy Pecan Pie Bites Jennifer Davick Recipe: Crunchy Pecan Pie Bites How fun are these mini pecan pie bites for a cocktail party? 21 of 41 Million Dollar Pound Cake Southern Living Recipe: Million Dollar Pound Cake With just seven pantry staple ingredients, you can make one of our all-time favorite pound cake recipes. 22 of 41 Easy Skillet Apple Pie Luca Trovato Recipe: Easy Skillet Apple Pie Fresh apple pie, made in your cast-iron skillet from start to finish. It just doesn't get better than that! 23 of 41 Best-Ever Brownies Photo: Jennifer Davick Recipe: Best-Ever Brownies These fudgy brownies truly are the best ever, and the recipe makes 2 ½ dozen so everyone can experience them. 24 of 41 Seven-Layer Cookies Southern Living Recipe: Seven-Layer Cookies This sweet recipe was the first-ever bar cookie featured in Southern Living. It's so easy, that you basically just stack the ingredients up and bake it! 25 of 41 Pumpkin Fudge Pumpkin Fudge Recipe: Pumpkin Fudge Enjoy fall flavor with an easy as (pumpkin) pie fudge recipe. 26 of 41 Classic Chess Pie Jessica Colyer Recipe: Classic Chess Pie A Southern staple, chess pie is simple and sweet, which is all we need in a dessert. 27 of 41 Pecan Pie Bars Lee Harrelson Recipe: Pecan Pie Bars If you love pecan pie but need a recipe that feeds a crowd, here you go! 28 of 41 Cornflake Wreath Christmas Cookies Southern Living Recipe: Cornflake Wreath Christmas Cookies During the holiday season, these cute cookies are so much fun to make with the kids to give to classmates. 29 of 41 Freezer Peach Pie Photo: Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Freezer Peach Pie You can keep this fresh peach pie filling in your freezer for up to six months for when you need a last-minute dessert or have a serious craving. 30 of 41 Our Easiest Pumpkin Pie Ever Photo: Greg Dupree Recipe: Our Easiest Pumpkin Pie Ever We named this recipe "easiest ever," and it holds up to it—trust us. 31 of 41 Toasted Oatmeal Cookies Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Toasted Oatmeal Cookies Toasted oats elevated your usual oatmeal cookie in this favorite recipe from our November 1992 issue. 32 of 41 Pecan-Peach Cobbler Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Pecan-Peach Cobbler Although we prefer this recipe with fresh summer peaches, you can make it with frozen if you have a major craving in the off-season. 33 of 41 Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake Jennifer Davick Recipe: Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake You can enjoy this beautiful pound cake with your morning coffee or as a pretty luncheon dessert. 34 of 41 Chocolate Parfaits Southern Living Recipe: Chocolate Parfaits The kids will love this quick dessert. 35 of 41 Fudge Pie Iain Bagwell Recipe: Fudge Pie Every chocolate lover has to have a good fudge pie recipe in their collection. 36 of 41 Mini Pecan Pies Lee Harrelson; Styling: Jan Gautro, Laura Zapalowski Recipe: Mini Pecan Pies Instead of standing at the dessert table to slice, make these mini pecan pies for easy serving. 37 of 41 Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie Jennifer Davick Recipe: Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie You can have decadent pecan pie right from your cast-iron skillet. 38 of 41 Mamie Eisenhower's Chocolate Fudge Southern Living Recipe: Mamie Eisenhower's Chocolate Fudge This first-lady-approved dessert has had our hearts for years. 39 of 41 Quick & Tasty Banana Pudding Van Chaplin, Charles Walton IV Recipe: Quick & Tasty Banana Pudding Seriously quick, seriously tasty! This banana pudding recipe isn't from scratch, but it's perfect if you're short on time. 40 of 41 Chocolate-Bourbon Pecan Pie Hector Sanchez Recipe: Chocolate-Bourbon Pecan Pie How could pecan pie get any better? Add chocolate and bourbon and then see. 41 of 41 Mocha Pudding Cake Recipe: Mocha Pudding Cake For this pudding cake, simply put all the ingredients in your slow cooker and let it do the baking. We recommend serving it warm with a cold scoop of ice cream. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit