These Super Easy Homemade Desserts will have your neighbors knocking at your door! Seriously, they are that good. The sweet aroma of your homemade baked goods is the heart of the home. Vanilla wafting in the air as the kids arrive from school, especially on a cold winter’s day. You love feeling like a hero because you made it from scratch, it was super easy and is super yummy
Enter these delish recipes to the rescue…
The following four recipes are my go-to favorites nearly year-round. Heck, I make one of them at least once a week! For some reason, baking calms me. Let me clarify, not cooking, necessarily, but baking. A good friend of mine, who is an excellent cook, mused that one is either usually a good cook or a good baker, but typically not both. I fall into that good baker category, while I am upgrading my cooking skills all the time, especially with my new favorite small appliance, the InstantPot.
Super Easy and Homemade Dessert #1: Good Old-Fashioned Sweet Potato Pie
TOTAL TIME: Prep: 20 min. Cook: 45 min.
MAKES: 8 servings
Photo courtesy of The Food Network & Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen
The first super easy, kid-tested and family approved dessert is this Old-Fashioned Sweet Potato Pie. This recipe is courtesy of Paula Dean on the Food Network. If you are from the South, then you know one must have a crowd-pleasing Sweet Potato Pie on the ready (as in a spare one waiting in the freezer for unexpected or expected drop-in company). This recipe is so good, that even my husband’s Aunt has paid me $25 per pie to make these for Thanksgiving! Oh yes, it is that good!
Ingredients
- 2 cups peeled, cooked sweet potatoes
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1/2 stick melted butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 to 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 cup milk
- 9-inch unbaked pie crust
- 3 egg whites
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the filling, using an electric hand mixer, combine the potatoes, 1 cup of the sugar, the butter, eggs, vanilla, salt, and spices. Mix thoroughly. Add the milk and continue to mix. Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Place the pie on a rack and cool to room temperature before covering with meringue.
Note: While this whipped meringue topping is super yummy, to save time, you can just forgo making the topping. Simply serve with your favorite whipped cream or even as-is works fine.
For the meringue, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form; beat in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is glossy and stiff, but not dry. With a rubber spatula, spoon the meringue onto the pie, forming peaks. Make sure the meringue touches the crust all around. Sprinkle with a pinch of granulated sugar. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until delicately browned. Cool and serve.
Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen
Photo courtesy of The Food Network
Super Easy and Homemade Dessert #2: Simply Superb Peach Cobbler
TOTAL TIME: Prep: 10 min. Cook: 50 min.
MAKES: 4-6 servings
Peach cobbler with melted vanilla ice cream served in a pretty green bowl.
This next ah-mazing dessert is my personal second, all-time favorite dessert to bake is another Southern favorite: Peach Cobbler. It should be renamed as Peach Gobbler, because my family tears this up, well, gobbles it up at the ready. This is even a favorite served at Sunday Coffee Hour after Mass. It is super-duper easy and delish.
Ingredients
- 1 cup self-rising flour
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, divided and melted separately
- 1 (28-ounce) can sliced peaches in heavy syrup
Cook’s Notes: “Be sure to use self-rising flour, not all-purpose. For fresh, peel and slice 4 large peaches, and sprinkle with an additional 1/2 cup sugar; refrigerate 2-3 hours before baking. Double for a 9×13-inch dish. (Great served with a scoop of ice cream on top.)”
Holly’s Notes: I always double this recipe + add an extra can of peaches, and sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar onto the peaches before adding the last layer of crumb mixture.
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8×8-inch baking dish; set aside. Whisk flour with 1/2 cup sugar and a pinch of salt. Add 1/2 stick butter that has been melted; mix with fork until crumbs form.
Sprinkle 1/3 crumb mixture into bottom of prepared baking dish. Evenly distribute peaches on top, and pour syrup over. If juices do not nearly cover peaches, add a bit of water to cover. Top peaches ith remaining crumb flour mixture. Sprinkle top with remaining tablespoon sugar, and remaining 1/2 stick melted butter. Bake about 50-60 minutes, or until bubbly, batter is cooked through and the top is lightly browned.
Recipe and photo courtesy of Mary Foreman’s cookbook, Deep Dish South, page 194. Be sure to check out Mary’s yummy website: http://www.deepsouthdish.com/
Holly’s Notes: Be sure to allow the cobble to stand for about 10 minutes for the filling to thicken and gel, otherwise the filling will be runny, especially if you have doubled this recipe. Enjoy!
Super Easy and Homemade Dessert #3: Crockpot Berry Cobbler
TOTAL TIME: Prep: 15 min. Cook: 1-3/4 hours
MAKES: 8 servings
Slow Cooker Berry Cobbler Recipe photo by Taste of Home.
Speaking of easy, you will enjoy this third easy dessert, the Crockpot Berry Cobbler. This culinary cuisine, by Taste of Home, receives third place ribbon in my kitchen. The Crockpot is such a versatile appliance is a kitchen favorite of busy moms everywhere. You simply add the ingredients, turn it on and be on your way. This dessert is ready in just a few hours.
Ingredients
- 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 cup sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup fat-free milk
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries, thawed
- 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed
- Low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt, optional
Directions
Whisk together 1 cup flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder and cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk together egg, milk and oil; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened (batter will be thick). Spread onto bottom of a 5-qt. slow cooker coated with cooking spray.
Mix salt and the remaining flour and sugar; toss with berries. Spoon over batter. Cook, covered, on high until berry mixture is bubbly, 1-3/4 to 2 hours. If desired, serve with frozen yogurt. Yield: 8 servings.
Originally published as Slow-Cooker Berry Cobbler in Light & Tasty August/September 2002, p19
Super Easy and Homemade Dessert #4: Pineapple Delight Dessert
TOTAL TIME: Prep: 20 min. Cook: 15 min.
MAKES: 8 servings
Photo & Recipe courtesy of Patti Brown’s Facebook page.
The fourth item is a new family favorite that I eyed on Facebook, is the Pineapple Dream Dessert. Wow! The creator of this recipe, really CRUSHED IT, in a delightful way! I would gladly be the recipient of a Pie Smashing contest if someone smeared this all over my face, I would sit back and relax and ask for a spoon.
Ingredients
- 1 14oz. can crushed pineapple
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 cups whipped cream (prepared from a small carton of whipping cream, Cool Whip, or Dream Whip)
- 1 and 1/2 cups icing sugar
Directions
Preheat the oven
to 325 degrees F and place rack in the center of the oven.
In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and 1/2 cup melted
butter/margarine. Press the mixture into an 8×8″ or 9×9″ baking pan. Bake for
10 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack.
In a separate bowl, mix together the 1/2 cup softened butter/margarine, icing sugar, egg, and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth. Spread this mixture over the crust once it has completely cooled. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.
Prepare your
whipped cream of choice. If using a carton of whipping cream, beat the cream in
a medium bowl until it is thick and stiff. You may want to add 2 Tbsp. of white
sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla extract for sweetness and flavour. Drain the juice
from the canned crushed pineapple. Mix the whipped cream and pineapple together
and spread evenly over top of the cooled butter filling.
Garnish the dessert with a sprinkle of graham cracker crumbs. Keep chilled and
serve cold.
Recipe and photo courtesy of Patti Brown’s Facebook page.
BONUS, Two “Semi-Homemade” Dessert Ideas
As a Bonus, here are two easy “semi-homemade” items, inspired by kitchen and home expert Sandra Lee:
Box store-bought Fudge Brownie mix (Generic or Brand name). Yes, I do realize that brownies can be made from scratch more frugally, but honestly, it is worth it to me to just buy the box, dump, mix and bake! Serve on a pretty platter.
Refrigerated Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (TollHouse Brand in a Tub container at Costco). This is so easy and my kids love the Pillsbury taste. I buy this from Costco and the container lasts me about five weeks, baking about 20 cookies at a time, once a week.
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