Dessert/4 recipes

Slow cooker cherry pound cake bakes a flour-tossed maraschino-studded cake mix batter inside the crockpot for an unbelievably moist crumb. A no-oven dessert for hot summer days.

Fresh berry tarts: a pair of giant 10x15 inch sheet tarts with vanilla cream over sweet pie crust, one tart piled with glazed cherries, the other with glossy blueberries.

Giant chocolate chip cookies made with hand-chopped milk chocolate bars instead of chips. Flattened to saucer size and baked until barely set for a chewy, gooey center.

Hunter's buns made with pastry dough kneaded with currants and brushed with milk before baking. A simple British-style tea bun that can be filled with jam for a sweeter treat.

Frozen coffee ice cream pie with a Girl Scout Thin Mint cookie crust and chocolate ganache topping. A no-bake freezer dessert with only four ingredients.

Chilled strawberry soup blended from fresh strawberries, yogurt, orange juice, and honey. A no-cook, 5-minute cold fruit soup that doubles as dessert or a refreshing starter.

Gold medal caramel bars layer a chocolate cake mix base with caramel topping and chocolate chips, then crumbled cake mix streusel. Four-ingredient potluck bars for the cookie swap.

No-fuss chocolate cake mixed right in the baking pan with a fork. Chocolate cake mix, instant pudding, and chocolate chips create an ultra-moist, triple-chocolate cake with zero bowls to wash.

No-bake stained glass cookies made with melted chocolate chips, marshmallows, and chopped nuts rolled in coconut. Slice from frozen for a colorful, fudgy treat.

May use fresh or frozen strawberries, or may substitute other fruit of choice such as blackberries, peaches, etc.

Fruity chews are homemade fruit gummies made with just 2 ingredients: fruit juice and unflavored gelatin. A healthy, low-fat, sugar-free alternative to store-bought gummy snacks.

A delicious pie made with vanilla ice cream, candy corn and black licorice. Perfect for the kids to enjoy before going off on their hunt for candy!

English trifle with sherry-soaked angel food cake, raspberry jam, raspberry jello, and creamy vanilla pudding. A festive, make-ahead holiday dessert layered in a glass bowl.

Apple nut cake built on applesauce and olive oil with overlapping apple slices and a toasted cinnamon-sugar nut topping. A dairy-free, butter-free autumn cake that bakes into something moist, rustic and crowd-ready.

Heart cake without a special pan, made by cutting a round layer in half and setting both halves against a square layer to form a heart, then frosting it pink with strawberry frosting. A clever Valentine's trick.

Easter basket cake built from stacked round layers with green-tinted coconut grass, a foil-ribbon handle, and candy-studded sides. A showstopping family Easter dessert kids help decorate.