Summer break is in full swing here and I’m craving fun desserts. As the temp goes up my desire to be heating up the house for a batch of cookies or cupcakes goes way down. I still do make those during the summer, but usually only on the cooler, stormy days. During the summer I want ice cream, no bake items, and other desserts that are super easy to throw together.
I haven’t made all of these but I have made a good portion of them. If you try one, let me know what you think! I plan on trying a few of the recipes that are new to me so I’ll try and let you know what I think. As with all of my round-ups, these are not my pictures or recipes. Click on the title or the picture to be taken to the original recipe.
(Note: This post contains affiliate links. Possibly several of them. Check out the disclosure policy to find out more.)
No Bake Desserts
These desserts only require a microwave, mixer, or stove top. Easy and fun on those days you don’t want to use the oven!
Such a classic twist on a summer favorite. I remember making these as a kid and I love making them now. I think adding in some of the tiny marshmallows that are found in the ice cream toppings or baking section would be fun as well.
I feel as though this doesn’t even need an explanation – just see photo 😉 I’m a fan of all things puppy chow/muddy buddies. Different flavors? I’m in! I think I might make this for vacation this summer. It seems like the perfect road trip food 😀 At least for me… the kids might [will] make a huge mess with it in the car.
Cookie dough I don’t feel even slightly guilty about eating? Woohoo! And the kids will have a blast rolling these in sprinkles or dipping them in chocolate. Maybe make some peanut butter or white chocolate dips as well?
4. No Bake Individual Cake Batter Cheesecakes
5. Razzleberry Crisp {Slow Cooker}
Okay, so you still have to use your slow cooker for this but that doesn’t heat up the house anywhere near the amount the oven does so I still stuck it under the “no bake” section. This technically uses a can of pie filling but with the abundance of berries in the summer I bet you can make your own pie filling and take it from there. This looks so amazing and I can’t wait to try it!
Frozen Treats
I’ve got the Kitchen-Aid Ice cream maker attachment for my stand mixer that makes ice cream making a breeze. Don’t have an ice cream maker? I’ve included a couple “no churn” recipes as well!
This is the ice cream I made for my Mother’s Day ice cream sundaes. It’s full of coffee flavor without being bitter. And oh so very creamy! Add in some chocolate and caramel syrup and it’s like a frozen caramel mocha!
7. Cookie Monster Ice Cream (no churn!)
Here’s a no churn ice cream if you don’t have an ice cream maker to use! I’m pretty sure my kids would devour this in one sitting if I let them. I’ve got this on the “make this summer” list but I’m thinking of swapping the chocolate chip cookies for eggless cookie dough… because I can.
I’m such a kid at heart because I love all things cake batter/birthday cake/funfetti flavored. I still get it on occasion at Cold Stone or the various frozen yogurt shops. I’m just a kid in a grown up body. I think my blood might be part sprinkles. This ice cream is full of cake flavor without being too over the top sweet. Feel free to add extra sprinkles 😉
I’m really tempted to make this RIGHT NOW since I have watermelon in the fridge along with all the other ingredients. I love making ice cream but remembering to buy heavy cream isn’t my strong suit – but sorbet? I almost always have all the ingredients so there is no excuse! Maybe I should surprise Micah with this little treat…
10. Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream
I can’t have a list of desserts without at least one peanut butter item! I can’t believe I haven’t made this yet but our freezer has lots of store bought ice cream right now so I haven’t needed to bust out the ice cream maker in a while. This will probably be the first flavor I make though. How can I resist such a perfect combo?
11. Homemade Ice Cream in a Baggie (no churn!)
We made this ice cream a few summers ago and the boys had a blast shaking their bags. They didn’t shake them quite long enough to get the ice cream firm enough but the flavor was spot on and they didn’t really care! It’s a fun experiment to do with the kids since they can do the hard work. I remember doing something similar in kindergarten where we put our bags of ice cream mix in coffee cans filled with salted ice and kicked them around to make the ice cream. The key is in the movement!
Baked Desserts
Sometimes I still need a baked item and there is just no way around it. But these are summery and perfect for bringing to a picnic, the beach, or just for an afternoon treat.
All the flavors of an ice cream sundae packed in a cookie? These cookies are packed with white chocolate chips, m&m’s, and chopped waffle cones then drizzled with chocolate syrup. No worries about these sundaes melting!
Not only does this cake look like a watermelon it also TASTES like watermelon! It uses a combo of watermelon puree and watermelon flavored gelatin to give it that signature flavor. Add in the red and green frosting with mini chocolate chips and it’s a cake that couldn’t get any more summery.
Key lime pie is the ultimate summer dessert in my mind. The tart and sweet combo with fresh whipped cream is one of my favorites. However making enough pie to feed a crowd isn’t that easy so in come these bars. Much easier for bringing to a picnic or gathering of friends. Or just devouring in your own kitchen.
Another key lime recipe! White cake topped with what is really a key lime flavored no bake cheesecake plus whipped cream? YOM! I’m thinking this is perfect for a summer potluck. I might need to bring it to a group picnic I’m going to soon.
Don’t these look amazing? This is another recipe that calls for canned pie filling but I found THIS RECIPE for homemade pie filling and I think it would be just the thing for these bars. Perfect for this summer when the cherries are no longer $5.99/pound!
17. Brown Butter Frosted Lemon Squares
These look so incredibly soft and chewy! I’m a huge fan of underbaking my bars and cookies and that’s exactly what I’d say these bars are like. And lemon screams warm weather to me plus pairing it with the fantastic flavor of browned butter? I need a pan of these in my life like yesterday.
I love that peaches and nectarines drop so dramatically in price during the summer. Last year I was picking them up for less than $0.50/pound! Maybe you can get them cheaper in your area but I was thrilled with that price. We are huge apple crisp fans but we’ve never made peach crisp. This needs to be remedied! I really enjoy grilled peaches when all those natural sugars caramelize and then topping them with ice cream so this is right up my alley.
Now that I’ve rounded all those up and spent the last I don’t even know how long staring at dessert pictures I think I need to park myself in the kitchen and get to creating something yummy for the weekend! Or maybe I should find my workout clothes first…