As summer begins its final hurrah, it’s time to plan the perfect Labor Day cookout. And what’s a cookout without a delicious dessert to cap off the festivities? Whether you’re looking for something quick and easy or a showstopper, any of these 12 recipes will be the perfect finale to your Labor Day celebration.
We’ve upped the game for hummingbird cake. Traditional cake layers baked with ripe mashed banana, crushed pineapple, and toasted pecans are filled with vanilla bean pudding and sliced ripe bananas, creating a mind-blowing marriage of two dessert favorites: all the classic flavors of hummingbird cake with a rich banana pudding vibe. Enrobed in Vanilla Italian Buttercream, this cake wouldn’t be complete without crumbly vanilla wafer cookies and more fresh banana slices.
These Chocolate-Covered Crisp Rice Cookies are as simple as they are delicious and are sure to serve up a healthy dose of nostalgia. A childhood favorite of our editor-in-chief, Brian Hart Hoffman, these soft, chewy cookies are full of nutty, sweet caramel and toasted crisp rice cereal, all of which is then covered by a fudgy layer of melted milk chocolate. These crisp rice cookies are truly out of this world!
Inverting the muffin pan to bake this tart dough on the outside of the muffin cups gives the golden shells defined shape and flaky texture. Top your tartlets with whichever berries or sliced fruit you like.
Filled with a velvety Lemon Curd and topped with torched Meringue Kisses, these Lemon Meringue Thumbprint Cookies are bite-size versions of a lemon meringue pie.
We’re paying homage the classic American chocolate chip cookie with our mouthwatering Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake with Vanilla Glaze. This beautiful Bundt captures all the beloved flavors of a traditional cookie in a moist, buttery cake with a rich and creamy glaze.
This Maine Blueberry Pie is made with the freshest blueberries—and not much else! We’d happily eat this one morning, noon, and night.
Why choose between brownies and blondies when you can have both? These blondie-topped brownies are packed with island flavor.
When temperatures spike, nothing beats the heat like an Ice Cream Sandwich. Build your own with these mix-and-match cookies and creams, and you’ll be the neighborhood hero this summer.
This Strawberry Sheet Cake is the trusty Old Reliable in our recipe box. With fresh strawberries and a light and fluffy frosting, this moist confection is quick to throw together and disappears even quicker.
Classic Key lime pie gets a spicy upgrade with our Gingersnap Crust flecked with crystallized ginger. The filling gets extra volume and its whipped consistency from a trio of creamy ingredients: coconut cream, crème fraîche, and whipped cream. True to the original, this icebox pie is bursting with tangy, sweet-tart Key lime flavor.
Fresh lemon juice, warm cardamom, and rich vanilla enhance the sweet flavors of fragrant, ripe fresh peaches. Apricots, nectarines, and plums all work well in these bars, too!
“Picture this: chocolate, raspberry, and vanilla cookie dough baked together to form a buttery, soft, and chewy cookie! You’ve got the richness of chocolate, the zing of raspberries, and the smoothness of vanilla. When they mingle together, it forms a beautiful dance of sweetness and tartness. Trust me—once you take a bite, you’ll be hooked.” —Britney Brown-Chamberlain
