They don’t call it the dog days of summer for nothing. It’s been hot and sultry near me. The oven is not being turned on much … but I’m not giving up my sweets. At this time of the year, satisfying no-bake desserts are what I’m making. They put a smile on my face and I wanted to share a few of my favorite Blue Ribbon recipes.
Since I’m not easily able to dine at my local Italian restaurant, I’m making my favorite dessert at home – tiramisu. “My husband loves this and it’s better than what you get at Italian restaurants,” thinks Michelle Jackson (Atlanta, TX).
If you’re not familiar with tiramisu it’s a very popular Italian dessert made by layering cake-like ladyfingers, strong coffee, and a whipped cream/mascarpone cheese filling. Traditionally it also has Marsala wine drizzled on the layers, but Michelle’s Tiramisu version omits the alcohol. This easy dessert has a wonderful coffee flavor.
As a child, one of my favorite movie theater treats was malted milk balls. They’re chocolaty, crunchy, and kind of nutty. Diane Schmidt (Comstock Park, MI) shared her recipe for Malted Milk Pie that reminds me of the candy.
“My kids never ask me to make it but they beg their grandma to make that ice cream thing,” shares Diane. “This is even yummier if you use chocolate-flavored malted milk powder.”
The more malt powder in this one the better in my mind. A graham cracker crumb crust is the base. Crushed malted milk balls are folded into softened vanilla ice cream and then spread on top of the chilled crust. Next, marshmallow creme, malted milk powder, and heavy cream are whipped together to form the tastiest final layer. Once chilled, cut a square, take a bite, and you’ll be in malted milk heaven.
If you love cheesecake but don’t like the work of baking one, then Joelle Johnson’s (Burton, MI) No-Bake Cheesecake recipe is for you.
“This is easy and yummy,” says Joelle. “I have, instead of pie filling, drizzled chocolate syrup over top and onto the plate to decorate pie… delicious as well.”
Mixing in whipped topping and cheesecake pudding makes the most fluffy, creamy, and flavorful filling. It’s poured into store-bought graham cracker crust which makes prep a breeze. When testing, we opted to pour blueberry pie filling on top and it was delicious. Use any pie filling your family likes (cherry would be great too).
“I was making the usual dirt dessert for some company and opened the cabinet to get out the boring vanilla pudding, however, a box of this new strawberry cream pudding fell out of the cabinet so I thought I would try it,” explains Dana Moore (Alvaton, KY) about how she came up with her Neapolitan Dirt recipe. “The result was amazing!”
This layered dessert mimics the flavors of Neapolitan ice cream in one creamy dish. An Oreo crumb crust layer acts as a nice platform for the rest of the yumminess. The cream cheese layer is light and fluffy; it kind of reminded us of no-bake cheesecake. Finally, the pudding layer is full of strawberry flavor and makes this easy dessert special. Oreos on top adds a bit of crunch. Let’s be honest, Oreos sprinkled on top of almost anything is seriously delicious.
Lori Zimmer’s (Camp Hill, PA) Dreamy Creamy Peanut Butter Pie is truly a dreamy creamy pie for peanut butter lovers.
“I have a mad love affair with peanut butter pie, but some varieties are just too dense and I prefer mine a bit on the creamy side,” reveals Lori. “A somewhat unassuming local bar/restaurant (which nevertheless had awesome food!) used to get the most fantastic pies made for them by a woman who lived nearby – light, fluffy, pure heaven! It was that heavenly pie that I was attempting to duplicate when I came up with this recipe.”
The pie filling is cool, fluffy, and full of peanut flavor. It pairs perfectly with the chocolate crust and mimics the flavors of a peanut butter candy cup. This no-bake dessert is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser. Lori leaves the toppings vague so I went with whipped topping, mini peanut butter cups, and a chocolate drizzle. The sky is the limit so have fun with the decorating.
If you’re craving dessert these days and don’t want to turn on the oven, give one of these no-bake recipes a try. They’re easy to make, full of flavor, and super satisfying. Happy Pinching!