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5 deliciously easy no-bake dessert recipes

There's no need to heat up the house when the sweet tooth calls on a hot summer day

Lindsay Parrill
By
Anna Shepulova/Shutterstock

Summertime is upon us, which means warm and spicy desserts are out, and cool, refreshing, easy desserts are in. The last thing anyone wants to do when the thermostat rises above 80 is turn on the oven, but does that mean we should neglect our sweet treat cravings? Absolutely not.

With a little creativity, there’s no need to heat up the house by turning on the oven just because that sweet tooth comes a-knockin’, and that’s just what we’re here to discuss. These are our favorite no-bake, warm-weather, quick, no-bake dessert recipes.

Raspberry and Pistachio Semifreddo recipe

(From Country Living)

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Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup cold sour cream
  • 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 cup cold heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup pistachios, chopped
  • 2 pints raspberries, divided
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon pure honey
  • 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves

Method:

  1. Line an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving an overhang on all four sides.
  2. Beat sour cream with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, 1 minute. Add sugar and beat to combine. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually beat in heavy cream. Increase speed to medium and beat until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes.
  3. Fold in pistachios and 1 pint raspberries; transfer to prepared pan. Freeze until set, at least 4 hours or up to 1 week.
  4. Whisk together lemon juice and honey in a bowl until dissolved. Add remaining raspberries and toss to combine. Let sit, tossing occasionally, 18 to 20 minutes. Invert semifreddo onto a platter; discard plastic. Top with raspberries and mint leaves.

Easy lemon mousse recipe

(From I am Baker)

Ingredients:

  • 12 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup confectioners sugar
  • 1 lemon, juiced (about 1/4 cup)
  • Pinch kosher salt
  • 1 cup whipped topping, plus more for garnish
  • Lemon wedges, for garnish
  • 1 cup finely crushed shortbread cookies, plus more for garnish (optional)

Method:

  1. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until it is light and fluffy.
  2. Add powdered sugar, lemon juice, and salt and beat until everything is combined.
  3. Gently fold in the whipped topping.
  4. If you’d like to do an optional shortbread crust: Divide crushed shortbread cookies between 4 dessert cups.
  5. Divide lemon mousse into cups and refrigerate uncovered until thickened, (about 1 hour, and up to 24 hours).
  6. When ready to serve, top with remaining whipped topping and lemon wedges.

Chocolate pudding pie

(From Spaceships and Laser Beams)

Ingredients:

  • 1 box (5.85 ounces) chocolate instant pudding
  • 1 pre-made 9-inch graham cracker crust
  • 1 8-ounce tub of whipped cream
  • 2% milk
  • 1 regular sized Hershey’s chocolate bar (optional for garnish)

Method:

  1. In a medium bowl, prepare instant chocolate pudding mix by following the directions on the package.
  2. Pour a little less than half of your chocolate pudding into the bottom of graham cracker pie crust.
  3. In the mixing bowl, mix the remaining half of chocolate pudding with half of the whipped cream, stirring to combine. Add pudding filling as the next layer of the pie.
  4. Add the last half of the remaining un-mixed whipped cream to the top of the pie, and smooth out the top with a spatula.
  5. Using a potato peeler, make chocolate shavings from the Hershey’s chocolate bar and add to the top of your pie.
  6. Refrigerate the chocolate pudding pie for at least 1 hour before serving.

Peanut butter cheesecake

(From Julie Blanner)

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
  • 1/2 pint heavy cream
  • 1 premade oreo cookie crust or chocolate graham cracker crust

Method:

  1. In a mixing bowl, beat whipping cream, gradually increasing speed. Once it is stiff and forming soft peaks, blend in powdered sugar, a half cup at a time.
  2. Add peanut butter, mix to combine.
  3. Add cream cheese, mix to combine.
  4. Scoop batter into your crust, smooth, garnish and refrigerate 2 hours before serving.

Watermelon granita recipe

(From Live Eat Learn)

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 medium seedless watermelon
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1/4 cup sugar

Method:

  1. Scoop the fruit out of the watermelon from the rind.
  2. In a blender or food processor, puree watermelon until it reaches a thin, even consistency. This should make about 6 cups of watermelon juice. If there are seeds, strain them out with a mesh colander. Stir in lime juice and sugar.
  3. Pour mixture into a large baking dish and freeze for about 2 hours.
  4. Remove from freezer and scrape at frozen sides and top. Place back in freezer. Repeat this process of freezing and scraping, every few hours, until mixture is completely frozen and scraped.

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Lindsay Parrill
Lindsay Parrill
Contributor

Lindsay is a graduate of California Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu, San Francisco, from where she holds a degree in Culinary Arts. Her favorite passions are food and creative writing, and loves to combine these two pursuits by writing about everything food and drink. She has over a decade of food writing experience, including several articles and restaurant reviews in the San Francisco Chronicle’s Food and Wine section. She is also trained in the art of food styling and photography, which she has mingled with her part-time job as a photographer.

When Lindsay isn’t developing new recipes, devouring the latest cookbooks, and writing about all things culinary arts, she is busy trying to coax her children into eating anything but macaroni and cheese.

Send all editorial inquiries HERE.

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