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Bread puddings

Making desserts isn't my thing, but when I really have to, I tend to make Marcella Hazan's Balsamic Strawberries which I use to top a really creamy, premium vanilla icecream. It's ridiculously delicious. recipe link

I go light on the sugar and slice the berries in half. I also use the best balsamic I can get my hands on. I keep a bottle of 25 year old for just this kind of thing.

I'd much rather end a meal with a cheese plate and a bit of fruit.

Microwave cream pie. Easy and delicious!

For my family - Texas Sheet Cake.

For company - Amanda Hesser's Almond Cake (takes a tad longer than an hour to prep but well worth it and always a reliable result.)

Brownies. Quick, easy and pretty much fool proof. They can get thrown together in no time, especially if you use a cocoa powder version, vs. a melted-chocolate version.

Also love any of the Fruit (peach, apple) Cakes Cockaigne from the Joy of cooking. Beautiful fruit laid on top of just enough cake to make it official. Great for in-season fruit usage, like when you buy far too many peaches at the farmer's market.

I third brownies! Ghirardelli's recipe, of course (and their cocoa too). Make it a little different by mixing in a can of cherry pie filling--you'll have to cut back on some of the liquid called for in the recipe. Yoom yoom yooooom de chocolat!!

I recommend a chocolate or mocha pudding cake - you know, the kind where you mix some dry ingredients, then pour a wet mixture on top, bake it off in the oven, and what comes out is basically a brownie-esque cake with its own hot pudding-like sauce on top. Scoop out a portion of the brownie, top with ice cream (which will immediately begin to melt), and spoon additional hot pudding-sauce on top. It's the ultimate ice cream brownie, basically.

Many fruit desserts are simple, quick, and delicious especially if you use in-season fruit. You don't need to make a whole pie, but a crisp/cobbler/brown betty/shortcake can easily be made in less than an hour. Try apples, pears, and cranberries in the fall or winter, and fresh berries and stone fruits in the summer. Top with ice cream, whipped cream, or even just a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

@buffy - Oooooh, those chocolate cherry brownies are speaking to me!

I forgot, sometimes I add a handful of dried cherries (sometimes soaked in kirsch or cherry brandy!) and chocolate chunks to my basic brownie recipe. I always do cappucino brownies to have on hand over the holidays for quick desserts. Add some espresso powder and cinnamon to the batter; walnuts and choc chunks, if you dare. Just heat one in the micro, top with ice cream and a splash of Kahlua. A consistantly reliable and impressive "quick dessert".

I love this topic! Thank you!!! (now I have to go eat something chocolate...)

Home made ice cream. It takes a little more forethought than a half-hour before dinner, but it's not a lot of effort. Day before, I make the base and let it sit in the fridge for several hours/overnight. Then it goes into the Kitchenaid freezer bowl and churns away. Into a container, into the freezer, and I don't need to worry about it until serving time. And I can made it days in advance, if need be.

If I'm not sure about add-ins and ingredients, I can make vanilla and just supply sauces, nuts, etc. And in the summer, I usually have 2 or 3 flavors on hand, anyway.

Fruit cobbler. I can use fresh or frozen fruit, whatever nuts are sitting around the house, some flour, milke, eggs, butter, cinammon, and it's done.

I agree with redhead on the fruit cobbler. A friend of mine gave me a super easy recipe for it a few years back. I don't have it with me at the moment, but I think it only has about 5 ingredients tops.

I've made it several times when I've had friends over and it's a huge hit every time! Some have even started requesting it regularly.

Sara

In a pinch, I'll make banana-chocolate bread pudding. It's cheap, the bananas make the pudding stay moist, and hey, it's got chocolate.

Smitten Kitchen's apple cake is also incredible, and not very hard, if you don't mind cutting apples.

Has to be chocolate chip cookies, the first dessert I learned and who doesn't love that dessert?

i like to make pannacotta - it's so simple and very light after a big nite of appetizers and dinner & cocktails and wine.

or crank up my small cuisinart ice cream machine which i love, and make either a fruit sorbet (usually frozen fruits from summer, plum is a good one with a shot of black cherry concentrate) .

if i make homemade vanilla ice cream, i'll usually make a trifle type dessert with stashed brownies or cookies that i save in the freezer.
it all comes in handy. throw a couple of strawberries around and drizzle some homemade chocolate sauce? a splash of amaretto? easy.

i've really cut down on the baking. i guess i baked like crazy in years past... now i go for the lighter, easier stuff.

I agree that pound cake is a great fall back dessert. I keep some in my freezer at all times because it freezes so well. Besides lemon curd, I also like to serve it with a fruit sauce--usually huckleberry or blackberry and whipped cream.
I also fall back on pie a lot. It's always received well and I'm good at it.

Excuse me but microwave cream pie????? I'll bite also.

Wow thanks for all the response - I never expected so much!
Tonight I made strawberry oatmeal bars, so simple - just butter oats flour and brown sugar for the base and then strawberry jelly in the middle then sprinkle with the rest of the oat mixture. Mmmm delicious! And 7 minutes prep.

So yeah, I'll bite with the microwave cream pie - care to elaborate?
So if brownies are the way to go, whats the best recipe ever? I tried the highest rated ones on recipezaar:
http://www.recipezaar.com/-Whatever-Floats-Your-Boat-Brownies-32204
and was underwhelmed.

Thanks again!

Just made them this week - - cream puffs (with real whipped cream, of course).

Oooh.
I really want the wholegrain pudding recipe HappyMuncher!!!

Also would love to see brownie recipes.....I love new ones.

For me fallback recipes for dessert are never as simple as they should be...I'll skimp on dinner to make a fancier dessert. :)

I think it's technically called "Icebox Cake" but all it is is Nabisco's "Famous Chocolate Wafers" (find them by the ice cream in the grocery store or by the cookies) layered with homemade whipped cream. It's sort of like an oreo cake, but so much better. Cover with more whipped cream, chill and slice on a diagonal. Easy and delicious!

Homemade cream puffs, so easy.It's my St. Patty's dessert for my gang, I use pistachio pudding folded into fresh whip cream- amazing and green!!!!