While there are certainly plenty of times when we'll spend a couple of hours in the kitchen to bake an elegant layer cake or impressive pie , there are also times where we want a sweet treat that's a little easier to pull together. Weeknight sugar cravings are real, and that pint of ages-old ice cream in your freezer just won't cut it. These are the times when we'll rely on our favorite 5-ingredient dessert recipes. Aside from pantry and refrigerator staples, these simple dessert recipes need just 5 ingredients (or less!) to pull together.
We have homemade ice creams, like Homemade Cookies-and-Cream Ice Cream and Blueberry Ripple No-Churn Ice Cream. We've got cookies, like our Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies, and cakes (it doesn't get much easier than Two-Step Pound Cake). No holiday cookie tin would be complete without our Fudgy Pecan Bourbon Balls. From cakes to pies to cookies, let one of our simply satisfying dessert recipes provide the sweet finishing touch to your meal.
Egg Custard Pie
Recipe: Egg Custard Pie
You can use homemade or refrigerated pie crust as the base for this classic custard pie. Once done, the creamy custard (made with half-and-half and eggs) and the crispy crust make for one tasty combo.
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Browning the butter for these chocolate chip cookies takes a little more time, but we promise the extra effort is worth it.
Pineapple Cherry Dump Cake
Recipe: Pineapple Cherry Dump Cake
As the name implies, this cake just requires dumping the ingredients into a casserole dish. No extra mixing bowls required.
Fudge Cake
Recipe: Fudge Cake
Reviewers describe this cake as the perfect mix of cake and brownies in one pan. It only takes butter, eggs, semisweet chocolate, and flour to make—but powdered sugar and pecans sure do look pretty on top.
Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies
Recipe: Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies
Boxed cake mix is the not-so-secret ingredient to pulling homemade cookies together with just a few ingredients and 10 minutes of prep time.
Two-Step Pound Cake
Recipe: Two-Step Pound Cake
Pound cakes are delicious, easy to make, and can also double as a sweet breakfast treat. Honestly, with just five ingredients and 15 minutes of prep time, we'd be happy to whip up this dish any time of day.
Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies
Recipe: Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies
Just four ingredients (which you probably have on hand) are needed to whip up our easiest peanut butter cookies of all time.
Lemon Chess Pie
Recipe: Lemon Chess Pie
Lemon juice and zest add a bright citrus flavor to chess pie.
Homemade Cookies-and-Cream Ice Cream
Recipe: Homemade Cookies-and-Cream Ice Cream
For warm summer days when you may not want to turn on your oven, this five-ingredient homemade ice cream is the treat to try.
Easy Sugar Cookies
Recipes: Easy Sugar Cookies
No matter the occasion or holiday, sugar cookies are a great basic recipe to rely on.
Fudgy Pecan Bourbon Balls
Recipe: Fudgy Pecan Bourbon Balls
If you're looking for an easy dessert, this one can't get any simple. These bourbon balls require just four ingredients, don't have to be baked, and transport beautifully.
Old Fashioned Tea Cake
Recipe: Old Fashioned Tea Cake
Tea cakes were originally created at a time when ingredients were scarce, but they've stuck around as an everyday treat.
Homemade Yellow Cake
Recipe: Homemade Yellow Cake
Using this easy recipe, making homemade yellow cake is almost as uncomplicated as using a boxed mix.
Meyer Lemon Sponge Pudding
Recipe: Meyer Lemon Sponge Pudding
Egg whites give this citrus pudding a light and airy texture.
Homemade Pralines
Recipe: Homemade Pralines
While you'll only need a handful of ingredients, you will need a candy thermometer to produce perfect homemade pralines.
Mamie Eisenhower's Chocolate Fudge
Recipe: Mamie Eisenhower's Chocolate Fudge
Whether you serve it chilled or at room temperature, you can't go wrong with this fudge recipe that any cook can conquer.
Sea Salt Ice Cream
Recipe: Sea Salt Ice Cream
This ice cream is the perfect combination of salty and sweet.
Coconut Pound Cake
Recipe: Coconut Pound Cake
Coconut, pecans, and a splash of bourbon add some extra flavor to classic pound cake.
Apple Bread Pudding
Recipe: Apple Bread Pudding
Transform a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread into a decadent dessert by combining it with fresh Honeycrisp apples and a few pantry staples.
Easy Blackberry Cobbler
Recipe: Easy Blackberry Cobbler
Blackberries are the true star of this cobbler, which doesn't require any extra effort to make a crust or pretty lattice top.
Blueberry Ripple No-Churn Ice Cream
Recipe: Blueberry Ripple No-Churn Ice Cream
Evaporated milk and heavy cream form the base of this easy-as-can-be no-churn ice cream.
Ultimate Dark Chocolate Brownies
Recipe: Ultimate Dark Chocolate Brownies
While these aren't your run-of-the-mill brownies, they're still just as easy to whip up. Simply add bourbon and espresso to your typical ingredient list.
Two-Ingredient Pineapple Angel Food Cake
Recipe: Two-Ingredient Pineapple Angel Food Cake
As easy as it sounds, just combine angel food cake mix and a can of crushed pineapple for a foolproof treat when you're in a pinch.
Southern Buttermilk Pie
Recipe: Southern Buttermilk Pie
Store-bought pie crust means this old-fashioned Southern dessert only requires 15 minutes of hands-on time.
Pecan Pie Bars
Recipe: Pecan Pie Bars
We turned your favorite Thanksgiving pie into an easy-to-serve bar made for year-round enjoyment.
Chocolate Parfait
Recipe: Chocolate Parfait
This chocolate dessert uses pudding mix for an ideal make-ahead, light and fluffy post-dinner sweet.
Quick & Tasty Banana Pudding
Recipe: Quick & Tasty Banana Pudding
This layered dessert only calls for four ingredients and is best pre-served to make entertaining a breeze.
No-Bake Chocolate-Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Recipe: No-Bake Chocolate-Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
No time to preheat the oven? No problem. Satisfy your sweet craving with these soft, chocolatey cookies sprinkled with peanuts for a nice crunch.
Cookie Dough Fudge
Recipe: Cookie Dough Fudge
Not your typical fudge, this cookie dough delight uses white chocolate as the base. Best of all, you can easily switch up the flavor or topping if you're feeling creative.
Apple Pie Cookies
Recipe: Apple Pie Cookies
Looking for the flavor of apple pie but in individual format? Look no further. These hand-pie-like cookies will do the trick.
Luscious Lemon Bars
Recipe: Luscious Lemon Bars
With a handful of pantry staples and a few lemons, you can stock your freezer up to a month in advance with these lemon bars, making you host-ready for any occasion.
Rum Balls
Recipe: Rum Balls
Though they aren't bourbon balls, they're just as delicious. This five-ingredient boozy confection made its debut in our 1993 issue and has rightfully stood the test of time.
Ice Cream Sandwich Cake
Recipe: Ice Cream Sandwich Cake
Use store-bought ice cream sandwiches to create this crowd-favorite layered summertime sweet.
Chocolate Cobbler
Recipe: Chocolate Cobbler
While we love a peach cobbler in the summer, a heaping scoop of this rich and gooey pudding-like delight topped with vanilla ice cream is hard to beat.