Labor Day Desserts So Tasty That Everyone Will Forget Summer Is Ending
Just as Labor Day weekend caps off the summer season, a delicious dessert gives a bittersweet finishing touch to the Southern cookout. If the good times have to come to a close, we want it to be while taking our last bite of gooey fruit cobbler or chilled icebox pie. During summertime, we're gunning for easy cookout desserts that keep us cool in the scorching heat and make the most of seasonal favorites like peaches, berries, watermelons, and nectarines. Our Labor Day dessert recipes do just that, from our easy Peach Icebox Cake to our classic Cherry-Nectarine Pandowdy. Chocolate lovers shouldn't fear, though. We've thrown in easy-to-make and easy-to-take options, including our new favorite: the No-Bake Peanut Butter-Fudge Ice-Cream Pie. Whatever your cookout calls for, these Labor Day desserts are sure to wow the crowd.
S'mores Pie
Recipe: S'mores Pie
How about one more s'mores night? This time, we're fixing up the summertime favorite in a pie dish and crowning it with a marshmallow-whipped cream topping.
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Peach-and-Blackberry Crisp
Recipe: Peach-and-Blackberry Crisp
Nothing says summer quite like a fresh fruit crisp. It's easy to make, packed with our favorite fruits, and perfect with homemade vanilla ice cream. This no-fuss crisp features some seasonal standouts: peaches and blackberries.
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Blueberry-Cheesecake Ice-Cream Pie
Recipe: Blueberry-Cheesecake Ice-Cream Pie
Creamy and bursting with blueberries, this ice-cream pie is a home-run hit every summer. Even better for you, there's no cooking required!
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Red Velvet-Berry Cobbler
Recipe: Red Velvet-Berry Cobbler
This festive dessert will make saying goodbye to the season a little bit brighter. A combo of blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries offers the tartness we crave, while topping or layering the dish with homemade cream cheese ice cream finishes it with decadent sweetness.
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Strawberry-Banana Pudding Icebox Cake
Recipe: Strawberry-Banana Pudding Icebox Cake
We made banana pudding even more refreshing for summer by turning it into a cool icebox cake and throwing in some fresh strawberries. Using graham crackers instead of vanilla wafers will help it hold up better during the Labor Day barbecue.
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Peach-Bourbon Upside-Down Bundt Cake
Recipe: Peach-Bourbon Upside-Down Bundt Cake
Don't get us started on how amazingly sticky and sweet our fresh summer peaches get once baked into this genius creation that's part pound cake, part upside-down cake. It only has a touch of bourbon, making it party-approved.
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No-Bake Peanut Butter-Fudge Ice-Cream Pie
Recipe: No-Bake Peanut Butter-Fudge Ice-Cream Pie
With a creamy filling and crispy crust, this frozen peanut butter pie is next-level good. Using ingredients like chocolate crisp rice cereal, roasted peanuts, peanut butter, and hot fudge topping, it's bound to be a success.
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Lemon Bar Cheesecake
Recipe: Lemon Bar Cheesecake
If you want to end the summer with a wow factor, this citrus-inspired cheesecake will do the trick. It serves up the best of both a lemon bar and cheesecake, making it cool, creamy, and deliciously tart.
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Grilled Peach Cobbler
Recipe: Grilled Peach Cobbler
You're already firing up the grill, so why not just keep it going all the way through dessert? Cap off summer with this charred twist on classic peach cobbler. Just add ice cream!
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Cherry-Nectarine Pandowdy
Recipe: Cherry-Nectarine Pandowdy
This gooey dessert is like a fresh take on a summer cobbler. In this new favorite version, plump nectarines and cherries are cooked and topped with a pretty patchwork-style crust.
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Strawberry-Pretzel Icebox Pie
Recipe: Strawberry-Pretzel Icebox Pie
Chilled and creamy, this strawberry pie gets a slightly salty touch from its pretzel-studded crust. Not to mention, it looks pretty as a picture on the cookout table.
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The Ultimate Chocolate Pie
Recipe: The Ultimate Chocolate Pie
It's hard not to love this three-layered chocolate-packed pie that starts with a chocolate wafer cookie crust, follows with a creamy chocolate filling, and ends with a light and fluffy mousse. If you want to take it all the way, top with chocolate whipped cream.
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Plum-Berry Cornmeal Sheet Cake
Recipe: Plum-Berry Cornmeal Sheet Cake
When we're absolutely stuffed from the barbecue spread, this vanilla-flavored cornmeal cake gives the perfect not-too-sweet finishing bite. A topping of fresh berries and plums, along with freshly whipped cream, makes it feel cool and fresh.
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Peach Icebox Cake
Recipe: Peach Icebox Cake
More often than not, Labor Day is hotter than hot. This no-bake icebox cake is sure to be a welcome treat, while serving it up trifle-style makes it easy-to-make and easy-to-take.
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Texas Skillet Cake
Recipe: Texas Skillet Cake
Up the ante on your dessert game with this Lone Star favorite. The dense, fudgy treat is traditionally made in a sheet pan, but this skillet version makes it even more ooey and gooey for your barbecue guests. Top warm slices with vanilla ice cream.
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Key Lime Slab Pie
Recipe: Key Lime Slab Pie
One of our editors loved this pie so much, she went ahead and made it twice. Skip the food coloring in the whipped cream topping if you'd rather go au naturale.
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Berry Sonker with Dip
Recipe: Berry Sonker with Dip
Skip the freshly whipped cream, and serve this cobbler-esque dessert up with our "dip." It's basically just warm, sweetened half-and-half that perfectly complements the tartness of the berry-filled sonker.
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Key Lime Icebox Cake
Recipe: Key Lime Icebox Cake
Want a cake that's so pretty and tasty that no one will have any idea it's a no-bake? Enter: This tangy dream. When in doubt, an old-school icebox cake always wins in the summertime.
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Whiskey Pie with Tipsy Berries
Recipe: Whiskey Pie with Tipsy Berries
This slightly boozy pie with tipsy berries is the dessert you need at your Labor Day cookout. (Adults only!) The fresh berry topping is basically a light and summery spin on ambrosia.
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Lemon-Orange Pound Cake
Recipe: Lemon-Orange Pound Cake
This citrus pound cake is simple and sublime, and the zesty flavor serves up major summer vibes. We finished it with two kinds of icing—because it obviously means double the deliciousness.
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Hummingbird Bundt Cake
Recipe: Hummingbird Bundt Cake
What makes this spin on a classic Southern cake perfect for a party? It packs all of the amazing flavor of the crushed pineapple, bananas, cinnamon, and pecans into an easy Bundt form with a tangy cream cheese glaze. Portable and delicious.
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Peach Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel
Recipe: Peach Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel
Filled with fresh peaches and topped with a boozy caramel sauce, this recipe makes a case for bread pudding in the summertime. It's a fresh and indulgent finishing touch for your end-of-summer feast. Tip: Leave out the bourbon for a family-friendly spin.
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Lemon Meringue Ice-Cream Pie
Recipe: Lemon Meringue Ice-Cream Pie
A vanilla wafer crust, homemade lemon curd, and fluffy meringue topping? We'll take two slices, please. You can make this pie up to two weeks in advance, making it a no-brainer for the long Labor Day weekend.
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Stone Fruit Lattice Slab Pie
Recipe: Stone Fruit Lattice Slab Pie
Gorgeous ripe peaches, fresh Bing cherries, and nectarines are a welcome sight peeking the through the lattice crust of this crowd-pleasing pie. A dusting of turbinado sugar across the pastry is optional but makes for a pretty finish.
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Mexican Chocolate Pound Cake
Recipe: Mexican Chocolate Pound Cake
Spice up the potluck table with this ultra-moist pound cake that's infused with chocolate and cinnamon. The real kicker: A Mexican chocolate sauce that we heartily drizzle over the top.
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No-Bake Lemon Icebox Pie
Recipe: No-Bake Lemon Icebox Pie
No oven is needed for this pie. Just 15 minutes of hands-on time and a few hours stay in the freezer. A gingersnap crust and fresh and zingy lemon filling create quite the pair.
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Berry Cobbler
Recipe: Berry Cobbler
Got dessert duty for the Labor Day cookout? Slap these deliciously fresh ingredients into your slow cooker, and show up with an easy cobbler packed with four different types of berries.
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Oatmeal-Caramel Cream Pies
Recipe: Oatmeal-Caramel Cream Pies
This old-fashioned childhood favorite will always please a crowd, and our newest take incorporates a surprisingly salty-sweet caramel filling. Pro tip: Refrigerate the pies before packing away to keep the filling firm during transport.
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Cherry Pie Bars
Recipe: Cherry Pie Bars
This grabbable, cherry-speckled bar is not only super portable, but it makes a huge batch that'll feed (and please!) the whole crowd. These bars will help you end the summer on a bright, cherry-red note.
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Mixed Berry Slab Pie
Recipe: Mixed Berry Slab Pie
Raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries create a patriotic trio in this pie fit for a crowd. We used our Slab Pastry Crust to create a braided design across the top, but feel free to opt for simple strips or a lattice instead.
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Blackberry Gelato
Recipe: Blackberry Gelato
This luscious gelato is made with vanilla gelato and swirls of homemade blackberry puree. It's a great summer treat, when berries are at their best and a cold, creamy confection is most appreciated.
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Watermelon-Lime Pops with Chile Dipping Salt
Recipe: Watermelon-Lime Pops with Chile Dipping Salt
We can all agree that watermelon is the most refreshing thing to eat on a hot summer day, and this zingy watermelon pop is a real refresher. Tip: You can even make these treats boozy for an adults-only cookout.
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Peach Crumble Pie
Recipe: Peach Crumble Pie
Summer's finest fruit comes together with a few warm and spicy ingredients (like cinnamon and ginger), providing the perfect signal for the changing seasons.
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No-Bake Banana Split Pie
Recipe: No-Bake Banana Split Pie
No use whipping up banana splits one after another, this pie takes the cake by creating one big treat that you can slice and serve in a minute. Don't worry—we didn't skimp on any of the toppings.
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Peanut Butter Pie
Recipe: Peanut Butter Pie
A little sweet, a little salty, this peanut butter pie combines the best of both worlds. You can serve it as is or plate it up with a scoop of ice cream.
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Blueberry-Orange Blossom Honey Slab Pie
Recipe: Blueberry-Orange Blossom Honey Slab Pie
This pie truly needs no additions, but we can't help but think a hefty scoop of vanilla bean ice cream might be the perfect way to cut the sweetness.