Holidays & Occasions Labor Day 42 Labor Day Desserts So Tasty That Everyone Will Forget Summer Is Ending By Kaitlyn Yarborough Kaitlyn Yarborough Part of the Southern Living team since 2017, Kaitlyn Yarborough is a Georgia native living in Austin, Texas, who covers a wide variety of topics for both the magazine and website, focusing on culture and lifestyle content, as well as travel in the South.She earned a B.A. in Journalism at the University of Georgia. She hopes to inspire your travel bucket list with her features on road trips through Texas Hill Country, bourbon tours in Kentucky, and the best beach getaways on the Gulf Coast. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on July 15, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely 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, because while our days wearing white pants this year may have come to an end, our dessert desires have not. 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. 01 of 42 S'mores Pie Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Melissa Gray 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—no fire pit or oven necessary. 02 of 42 Peach-and-Blackberry Crisp Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Katelyn Hardwick 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. 03 of 42 Blueberry-Cheesecake Ice-Cream Pie Hector Sanchez Recipe: Blueberry-Cheesecake Ice-Cream Pie Creamy and bursting with blueberries, this ice cream-cheesecake-fruit pie hybrid is a home-run hit every summer. Even better for you, there's no cooking required! 04 of 42 Red Velvet-Berry Cobbler Jennifer Davick 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. 05 of 42 Strawberry-Banana Pudding Icebox Cake Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Hadas Smirnoff 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. 06 of 42 Peach-Bourbon Upside-Down Bundt Cake Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Lindsey Lower; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall 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. 07 of 42 No-Bake Peanut Butter-Fudge Ice-Cream Pie Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely 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. 08 of 42 Lemon Bar Cheesecake Photo: Jennifer Davick 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. 09 of 42 Grilled Peach Cobbler Greg Dupree 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! 10 of 42 Cherry-Nectarine Pandowdy Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones 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. 11 of 42 The Ultimate Chocolate Pie Photo: Hector Sanchez 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 this pie to its full chocolatey, decadent potential, top it with chocolate whipped cream. 12 of 42 Strawberry-Pretzel Icebox Pie Jennifer Davick 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. 13 of 42 Plum-Berry Cornmeal Sheet Cake Alison Miksch 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 this dessert cool and fresh. 14 of 42 Peach Icebox Cake Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox 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 prepare and serve. 15 of 42 Texas Skillet Cake Stephen DeVries, Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox 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 of Texas Skillet Cake with vanilla ice cream. 16 of 42 Key Lime Slab Pie with Strawberry Whipped Cream Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen Recipe: Key Lime Slab Pie with Strawberry Whipped Cream One of our editors loved this tart and sweet pie so much, she went ahead and made it twice in a row. Skip the food coloring in the whipped cream topping if you'd rather go au naturale. 17 of 42 Triple Berry Sonker with Dip Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Recipe: Triple 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. 18 of 42 Key Lime Icebox Cake Photo: Hector M Sanchez; Prop Stylist: Heather Chadduck; Food Stylist: Vanessa Rocchio 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 (even at its close). 19 of 42 Lemon-Orange Pound Cake Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Ana Kelly 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—vanilla and lemon-orange—because it obviously means double the deliciousness. 20 of 42 Hummingbird Bundt Cake Jennifer Davick 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. 21 of 42 Peach Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox 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. Leave out the bourbon for a family-friendly spin. 22 of 42 Lemon Meringue Ice-Cream Pie Jennifer Davick 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 prepare this pie up to two weeks in advance, making it a no-brainer for the Labor Day long weekend. 23 of 42 Stone Fruit Lattice Slab Pie Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen 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. 24 of 42 Mexican Chocolate Pound Cake Jim Franco 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 is the Mexican chocolate sauce heartily drizzled over the top. 25 of 42 No-Bake Lemon Icebox Pie Photography: Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hilegas 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. 26 of 42 Slow-Cooker Berry Cobbler Recipe: Slow-Cooker Berry Cobbler Got dessert duty for the Labor Day cookout? Slap these deliciously fresh ingredients into your slow cooker, and impress with an easy cobbler packed with four different types of berries. 27 of 42 Oatmeal-Caramel Cream Pies Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Oatmeal-Caramel Cream Pies This old-fashioned childhood favorite will always please a crowd, and our newest take incorporates a surprising salty-sweet caramel filling. Pro tip: Refrigerate the pies before packing them away to keep the filling firm during transport. 28 of 42 Cherry Pie Bars Greg Dupree 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. 29 of 42 Mixed Berry Slab Pie Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen 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. 30 of 42 Peach Crumble Pie Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall 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. Serve with a hardy scoop of vanilla ice cream to combine refreshing and warming flavors. 31 of 42 No-Bake Banana Split Pie Photographer and props: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: No-Bake Banana Split Pie There's no use in 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 that kids (and your inner child) won't be able to get enough of. 32 of 42 Peanut Butter Pie Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Torie Cox Prop Stylist: Prissy Lee 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. 33 of 42 Blueberry-Orange Blossom Honey Slab Pie Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen 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. Use cutouts to make this slab pie as pretty as it is tasty. 34 of 42 Sweet Tea-and-Lemonade Cake Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Sweet Tea-and-Lemonade Cake If you thought there was no such thing as a perfect slice, you clearly haven't tried this Arnold Palmer-inspired cake. Using every Southerner's favorite summer sipper (sweet tea, of course), is the best way to impress at the Labor Day cookout. 35 of 42 Brown Sugar Layer Cake with Peach Buttercream Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Brown Sugar Layer Cake with Peach Buttercream This recipe is worthy of your last fresh summer peaches. Adding brown sugar to the mix makes for a rich layer cake with deep flavor that everyone at the cookout will be fantasizing about until next year's summer potlucks. 36 of 42 Banana Pudding Poke Cake Greg DuPree Recipe: Banana Pudding Poke Cake If you're a fan of classic banana pudding, you won't be able to get enough of this inspired poke cake. With fresh flavors of banana, cinnamon, and vanilla bean, this cake is worth the time and effort—especially when served chilled right from the fridge. If you're in a pinch but still want to impress, substitute instant banana pudding. 37 of 42 Chocolate Cobbler Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Chocolate Cobbler Tender cake mixed with warm pudding-like fudge, this dessert will drive chocolate-lovers wild. Though it's not a conventional Southern fruit cobbler, this party dessert is a delicious alternative for once the summer bounty has been devoured. 38 of 42 Florida Orange Grove Pie Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Ana Kelly Recipe: Florida Orange Grove Pie Rather than a pastry pie, this dessert delights with a crust made of baked meringue. This sweet pie only gets brighter with lots of citrus. 39 of 42 Old-Fashioned Apple Pie Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Old-Fashioned Apple Pie Give fall the warmest welcome with an apple pie fresh from the oven. This classic double-crusted dessert is a no-fail crowd-pleaser and perfect transition from summer peaches to autumn apples. 40 of 42 Lemon-Lime Poke Cake Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Prop Stylist: Audrey Davis Recipe: Lemon-Lime Poke Cake Poking holes throughout your baked cake is a useful technique to amp up your dessert's moisture levels. Spike your cake with citrus-infused sweetened condensed milk reminiscent of Key lime pie, but with both lemon and lime flavors. 41 of 42 Spiced Rum-Peach Dumplings Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller Recipe: Spiced Rum-Peach Dumplings Break out the autumnal spices alongside summer fruit for a decadent dessert perfectly suited for the occasion. Crescent rolls, spiced rum, and Mountain Dew are also on the ingredient list. 42 of 42 Buttery Pineapple Crumble Bars Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Buttery Pineapple Crumble Bars Lemon bars get a tropical twist in this recipe. They're rich, gooey, and oh-so delicious. Plus, pineapple bars are perfect for a cookout because guests can grab-and-go while the festivities continue. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit