Food Recipe Collections & Favorites Desserts 21 Easy Desserts You Can Make in Under an Hour Because homemade treats are the best treats! By Phoebe Fry Updated on May 27, 2024 When you’re already making a full meal, dessert is likely the last thing on your mind. Fair enough! It’s nice to have something sweet after dinner, however, and homemade treats are the best kind. Luckily, we have plenty of dessert recipes that take less than an hour to prepare, and won’t result in a million dirty dishes. Strawberries dipped in chocolate totally count, and so does a tower of pre-made cider doughnuts with layers of whipped maple cream cheese. CAITLIN BENSEL If you feel like baking, try a biscuit cobbler bursting with berries, or a batch of warmly spiced pumpkin muffins. There’s a treat for everyone in this recipe round-up, so keep reading to find your new favorite easy dessert. 01 of 21 Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls Betty Gold Use pre-made puff pastry to make these flaky treats; they aren’t your classic squishy brioche cinnamon rolls, but they are definitely delicious. get the recipe 02 of 21 Salty-Sweet Chunkers Caitlin Bensel These cookies are full of salty-sweet mix-ins like pretzels and marshmallows, but you can swap them with pretty much anything that sounds good in a cookie. M&M’s? Sure! Crushed potato chips? Why not! get the recipe 03 of 21 Peach Cobbler Trifle Greg DuPree This recipe is more about assembling than cooking, thanks to a store-bought pound cake. Layers of peaches, whipped cream, and pound cake get chilled in the refrigerator before serving for a refreshing, festive, summery dessert. get the recipe 04 of 21 Honeydew and Blackberry Ice Cream Sundaes Fruit fiends will love this sundae recipe, which combines blackberry ice cream with fresh honeydew. Add an easy sesame-almond brittle for a sweet, crunchy component. get the recipe 05 of 21 Cinnamon Spiced Pumpkin Muffins Grace Elkus These tender, cakey muffins include a cup of pure canned pumpkin and plenty of warming spices. Ready in just 35 minutes, they are the perfect fall treat. get the recipe 06 of 21 Vegan Blueberry Cookies Justine Eats The vibrant hue of these vegan cookies is completely natural thanks to a generous amount of blueberries. Opt for vegan butter and white chocolate chips so that everyone, including plant-based eaters, can enjoy them. get the recipe 07 of 21 Mixed Berry Biscuit Cobbler Kelsey Hansen You can use fresh or frozen berries for this recipe, and switch up the berry varieties depending on what you have on hand. The juicy berries are topped with buttery, fluffy biscuits with golden, sugar-sprinkled tops. get the recipe 08 of 21 Honey Whole Wheat-Strawberry Clafoutis Kelsey Hansen A clafoutis sounds and looks extremely elegant, but shhh, it couldn’t be easier to make. This rendition includes fresh strawberries, whole wheat flour, and honey, for a just-sweet-enough clafoutis that could be served for breakfast or dessert. get the recipe 40 Easy Fall Desserts That Aren't Apple Pie 09 of 21 Summer Berry Trifle With Elderflower Cream Greg DuPree Berries and whipped cream are a summer classic, and this recipe takes that pairing to another level with crushed cookies for texture, and a splash of elderflower liqueur to flavor the cream. get the recipe 10 of 21 White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Scones Victor Protasio Studded with white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts, and drizzled with a caramel glaze, these scones are decadent and delicious. The best part? They’re ready in 30 minutes. get the recipe 11 of 21 Cinnamon Sugar Cookies Jennifer Causey These five-ingredient cookies are a breeze to make thanks to their base of store-bought puff pastry. Sprinkle the puff pastry with a mixture of cinnamon, pecans, and sugar, roll it, slice it, and bake! get the recipe 12 of 21 Pumpkin Bread Trifle With Pepita Streusel Antonis Achilleos A trifle is the perfect dessert for when you don’t have much time and want to make something special; there’s no baking involved, and you can adapt it for whatever flavors you love most. This rendition embraces all things pumpkin, with pumpkin seeds, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin bread. get the recipe 13 of 21 Summer Ambrosia Jennifer Causey Fruit salad with marshmallows? Yes, please! You heard it here first: This fruity old-school dessert is back in style, and it’s ridiculously easy to make. get the recipe 14 of 21 Chocolate-Covered Strawberries Getty Images Chocolate-covered strawberries aren’t just for Valentine’s Day. These healthy two-ingredient treats are easy to assemble and a total crowd-pleaser no matter what month it is. get the recipe 15 of 21 Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Dump Cake Caitlin Bensel This cake celebrates the pairing of melty dark chocolate and custardy pumpkin. The best part is that the recipe only dirties a few dishes. get the recipe 16 of 21 Salty Coffee Toffee Bars These crunchy, chewy toffee bars are a perfect housewarming or holiday gift. Once the bars have hardened and set, you can break them into big shards and store them in glass jars. get the recipe 17 of 21 Pluot Crumble Heami Lee If you’re not familiar, pluots are in the stone fruit family—a juicy, sweet cross between apricots and plums. Pistachios give the streusel topping an unexpected twist, and pair beautifully with the pluots. get the recipe The 17 Healthiest Fruits to Eat, According to the Nutrition Pros 18 of 21 Easy Chocolate Mousse With Croissant Crumbs Caitlin Bensel Chocolate mousse is a dinner party hero; it makes everyone happy and can be made in advance. Here, each serving of chocolate mousse gets sprinkled with toasted croissant crumbs, because why not? get the recipe 19 of 21 Sweet Tahini and Date Truffles Victor Protasio You just need 45 minutes to make these scrumptious chocolate and date truffles. The almond flour gives them a marzipan-like texture, and the fruitiness of the dates pairs well with the slight bitterness of the chocolate and tahini. Quick and indulgent, these truffles might just become your new best friend. Get The Recipe 20 of 21 Lemon Pudding Cake If you have an hour, you have enough time to put together this beautiful, fluffy lemon pudding cake. A bulk of the time is spent with the cake in the oven, and you only need about 15 minutes to put the ingredients together beforehand. Get the Recipe 21 of 21 Peanut Ice Cream Sandwiches Christopher Baker This dessert recipe is sort of cheating, since you don't really need to make anything (unless you want to make the cookies or ice cream from scratch, which could put you over an hour). All you need to do is grab some peanut butter cookies to sandwich some peanut-sprinkled vanilla ice cream, and voilà. You have ice cream sandwiches for a bite-sized treat. GET THE RECIPE Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit