Memorial Day celebrations with family and friends should be all fun and no stress. Don’t sweat it if you’ve waited until the last minute to bake a dessert for a backyard barbecue or lakeside gathering. These quick and easy recipes come together in a breeze on the day of your patriotic celebration. From fruity pies to chocolaty bars, these summery desserts are sure to be crowd-pleasers. Looking for more inspiration? Check out this collection of no-bake desserts you’ll want to make all season long.
Easy Blackberry Cobbler
Recipe: Easy Blackberry Cobbler
This delicious summer dessert comes together in less than hour and only calls for six ingredients. Watch the step-by-step how-to.
Grilled Banana Splits with Chocolate Sauce
Recipe: Grilled Banana Splits with Chocolate Sauce
If the grill is already fired up for dinner, you might as well use it for cooking this classic dessert too. Tip: Smaller ripe bananas will maintain their shape on the grill.
Strawberry-Blueberry Shortcake Ice Cream Sandwiches
Recipe: Combine 1 lb. fresh strawberries, sliced, with 2 cups fresh blueberries; sprinkle with 3 Tbsp. sugar, and toss. Let stand 10 minutes. Spoon evenly over 10 vanilla or chocolate miniature ice-cream sandwiches; dollop with 1⁄2 (8-oz.) container thawed whipped topping.
Outdoor celebrations call for cool, kid-friendly desserts. Even better, these ice-cream sandwiches come together in 15 minutes.
Peach-Blackberry-Yogurt Fruit Cups
Recipe: Peach-Blackberry-Yogurt Fruit Cups
Swap the ice cream for Greek yogurt in this healthier dessert that’s packed with fresh summer produce. You can also enjoy it as a snack.
Berries with Tequila Cream
Recipe: Berries with Tequila Cream
Top sweet summer berries with a rich-and-smoky tequila cream sauce.
Icebox Cheesecake
Recipe: Icebox Cheesecake
Prep this classic cheesecake in the morning, let it chill all day, and pull it out after dinner for a refreshingly sweet treat.
Strawberries-and-Cream Sheet Cake
Recipe: Strawberries-and-Cream Sheet Cake
This easy-to-make sheet cake delivers not only a pretty presentation but also enough servings to feed for a larger crowd.
Blackberry-Peach Cobbler Bars
Recipe: Blackberry-Peach Cobbler Bars
Two of our favorite summer flavors come together in a grab-and-go version of a classic dessert.
Chewy Peanut Bars
Recipe: Chewy Peanut Bars
All you need is a microwave to whip up these quick-fix chocolate-peanut butter bars.
Mississippi Mud Brownies
Recipe: Mississippi Mud Brownies
Give traditional brownies an upgrade by adding chopped pecans and mini marshmallows.
Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe: Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies
You can’t go wrong with a classic. Easily alter this original recipe to make Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies or Oatmeal-Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Peach Berry Crumble
Recipe: Peach Berry Crumble
Serve this colorful Southern cobbler with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.
Fried Blueberry-Ginger Hand Pies
Recipe: Fried Blueberry Ginger Hand Pies
Make these easy-to-eat hand pies a day in advance. Wrap them in wax paper, and bring them along to your Memorial Day party.
Buttermilk Ice Cream
Recipe: Buttermilk Ice Cream
Looking for a fun activity the kids can enjoy? Make an old-fashioned batch of Buttermilk Ice Cream. You can make variations to the recipe for new flavors like Avocado-Key Lime Pie or Strawberry-Pretzel. Pick up soft-baked sugar cookies from you local bakery to make ice-cream sandwiches.
