The world of no-bake desserts is vast and wonderful. Try icebox cakes and pies, mousses, puddings or sherbet.
On cold or rainy days, baking beckons. But when you have a sweet tooth and it’s 90-something degrees outside, it’s time to dive into the cooling waters of no-bake desserts. During the recent heat wave I found myself unprepared, vigorously frothing ice, coffee and milk in a cocktail shaker to make a shakerato like I’ve enjoyed on sweltering days under the Umbrian sun, and whirling yogurt with crunchy sugar and ice for a plain lassi , which I learned to love during my travels in India.
As refreshing as those are, we can do better! The world of no-bake desserts is really as wide as you want it to be. There are mousses and puddings; milkshakes and malteds; sundaes and semifreddos; ice creams and sherbets; layered desserts, such as tiramisu and Nilla Wafer Banana Pudding; icebox cakes; and, with this clever no-bake cookie crumb pie crust, we even have access to the heavenly, homey indulgence that is icebox pie. Necessity being the mother of invention, no-bake oatmeal cookies were a favorite of mine growing up. I was a latchkey kid and my parents wouldn’t let me bake unless they were home , so though these may not compare to warm, gooey chocolate chip cookies, they’re fun to make, and they satisfied my young yearnings to bake — and my sweet tooth. If I were growing up today, I’d probably trade them in for the more sophisticated chocolate salami, a tube of dark chocolate ganache dotted with crumbled butter cookies, frozen and sliced. Whichever of these cool and cooling treats you choose, the next time a heat dome overcomes us, you’ll be winning. Eating out this week? Sign up for Tasting Notes to get our restaurant experts' insights and off-the-cuff takes on where they’re dining right now. The great thing about this recipe is that you’re likely to have all the ingredients on hand. And that it takes 12 minutes to make. Not to mention: It’s sherbet! of dairy. Sorbet has none. Ice cream has a lot.) OK. So there are many great things about this recipe. And we haven’t even begun to talk about how refreshing and delicious it is. Thanks, Lucques restaurant. We miss you. Get the recipe. Cook time: 12 minutes plus chilling time. Serves 4 to 6. Tart, early-season strawberries replace cherries in this creamy and cold “Black Forest” pie from former Cooking columnist Ben Mims. Jammy berries are fruity and bright, complementing the rich chocolate pudding, topped with a cool and creamy layer that's a refreshing contrast. This pie uses gelatin and cornstarch to set the cream layer so that it slices cleanly and evenly with each serving. Use the No-Bake Cookie Crumb Pie Crust recipe below in lieu of a baked crust. Serve this pie chilled with extra fresh strawberries on the side, if you like. Get the recipe. Cook time: 45 minutes plus chilling time. Serves 8. Lemon chiffon pie is almost unknown these days. The refrigerated pie consists of lemon curd with whipped egg whites and whipped cream folded in. It’s like a cool, refreshing lemony cloud that deserves a comeback. Get the recipe. Cook time: 45 minutes plus chilling time. Serves 8. We all know a graham cracker crust, which is traditionally baked for about 10 minutes to set it. This crust is similar, consisting of crumbled cookies, butter and a tad of sugar — only it’s not baked. The cookies in this recipe are amaretti cookies, shortbread or butter cookies, all of which are crunchier than commercial graham crackers. If you want to make it with graham crackers , use quality crunchy graham crackers, like those sold in plastic clamshells at Trader Joe’s. Get the recipe. Cook time: 5 minutes plus 30 minutes chilling time. Serves 8. Strawberry ice cream that doesn’t contain egg yolks really lets the flavor of the berries shine. This recipe, in which the berries are macerated with balsamic vinegar goes a step further and doesn’t require you to churn it. You do need a food processor. And frozen berries. Use quality store-bought berries or your own frozen berries. Pro tip: When your farmers market haul is looking like it might go bad before you can finish it, spread the pieces on a baking sheet to freeze, then transfer to a sealed container to enjoy in desserts such as this. Get the recipe. Cook time: 15 minutes. Makes 1 quart. Traditional chocolate mousse is the little black slip dress of desserts: It’s almost outdated. The classic French dessert has been replaced by denser, thicker nostalgic chocolate pudding and a two-ingredient Tik-Tok sensation that calls itself mousse. As Deputy Food Editor Betty Hallock asks in her 2024 newsletter on the subject: “Is it airy, foamy, creamy, bouncy, soft, melting, rich and light all at once?” The answer is, unless it’s classic chocolate mousse: no. Authentic, multi-ingredient chocolate mousse is a bit fussy to make and requires a candy thermometer to get the custard temperature just so. But when you put a spoonful of this airy, foamy, creamy, bouncy, soft, melting, rich and light creation into your mouth, it’s like getting off a long and bumpy flight to Paris. In an instant, you forget the trouble it took to get there. It’s all just so worth it. Get the recipe. Cook time: 50 minutes plus 2 to 3 hours chilling time. Serves 6 to 8. So this is fun: Buy a box of chocolate cookies, whip mascarpone with whipping cream, layer that cream concoction with the cookies in a springform pan, chill and decorate according to your heart’s desire. It’s like making pottery in one of those mall places where the ceramics and glazes are all set up and all you have to do is play. It’s the ideal project for kids — or the kid in you. But unlike the mall pottery place, you’ll probably be the one cleaning up. Get the recipe. Cook time: 30 minutes, plus overnight to chill. Serves 8 to 10. This is a traditional, milky, cinnamon-y, Mexican-style rice pudding, right down to the fact that it’s made with sweetened condensed milk. At the Lazy Ox Canteen, chef Josef Centeno served the pudding with warm caramel and crunchy almond brittle. But you can keep it homey, and serve the rice pudding by itself. Get the recipe. Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes, plus chilling time. Serves 10 to 12.
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