Dessert recipe collection

This 4th of July make-ahead dessert features multiple layers of sponge cake and strawberry and vanilla ice cream. Perfect to wow a crown this Independence day.

Flambed ice cream sauce of buttered green grapes, hot chiles, rum, honey, and warm spices. A sweet-heat dessert topping that takes 20 minutes and shocks the palate awake.

Classic French silk chocolate pie with a rich, mousse-like filling of creamed butter, sugar, melted chocolate, and eggs beaten to silky perfection. No baking required for the filling.

French silk chocolate pie with whipped butter-sugar-chocolate filling and a buttery Oreo cookie crust. Classic no-bake filling that sets into a silky mousse-like slice in the fridge.

Fresh fruit ambrosia with a blended banana and orange juice dressing, spiced with nutmeg and cardamom, topped with coconut. No mayo, no marshmallows.

Fresh fruit platter with strawberries, bananas, pineapple, and kiwi served with a cinnamon yogurt dipping sauce. A light, no-cook dessert or brunch spread.

Fresh bananas and Bartlett pears drizzled with melted vanilla ice cream as a ready-made custard sauce, topped with chopped pecans. No cooking, no custard-making. The ice cream is the sauce.

Fresh peach cobbler with four variations: classic Southern cobbler with batter underneath and hot syrupy peaches poured over top. Swap peaches for blueberries, strawberries, apples, or blackberries.

Sugar-free fresh strawberry spread made with ripe berries, lemon juice, and unflavored gelatin. Low-calorie, no pectin needed, and ready in 15 minutes. Tastes like real fruit, not jam.

Fried bread crumbs: dry crumbs sauteed in melted butter until deeply golden and crisp. A two-ingredient finishing topping for pasta, vegetables, casseroles and gratins.

Friendship starter applesauce cake spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. A sourdough-style cake with deep apple flavor and optional nuts or raisins.

Friendship cake starter made with pineapple, cherries, and peaches layered with sugar and brandy over six weeks. A fermented fruit base for holiday fruitcakes.

Simple cookie frosting made with powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, and cream that pipes smoothly for decorating sugar cookies and cut-out cookies.

Jalapeño, raspberry and pecans blend beautifully in this thumbprint cookie from Anna Marie Bleich of California, Mo.

Two-ingredient frozen fruit swirl made from pureed frozen bananas and mixed berries. A dairy-free, low-fat soft serve alternative with no added sugar.

No-bake frozen strawberry yogurt pie with vanilla yogurt, sweetened berries, and whipped topping in a graham cracker crust. Cool summer dessert that takes 10 minutes to assemble.