Parents are submitting their all-time favorite easy dessert recipes for kids to our growing list!

Cookies, brownies, frozen treats...you'll find all of these and more on this delicious roundup. Easy to make desserts are a fun way to encourage kids to help out in the kitchen, where they'll pick up some important life skills while whipping up a tasty treat for the family.

Come back to leave a comment with your review if your family tries any of these, and submit your family's favorite kid-friendly easy dessert recipes to the list below!


 
    No Bake Nutella Fudge

    Shila:  This Nutella fudge calls for 6 simple ingredients - and no baking is required! It's an easy dessert recipe for kids to make with minimal help. Just mix up a quick batter and wait for the chocolate to set in the fridge. From Tastes of Lizzy T

    Banana Bread

    Alexandra F.:  Simple is often best and that is so true for this super easy banana bread recipe - the only one you will ever need to use up those too-ripe bananas. It is consistently delicious, even with various substitutions for food allergies, and I especially love that it only uses one bowl for a super-fast cleanup. I don’t even need to use a mixer! I have successfully substituted the egg for a 1/4 cup of applesauce + 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, and butter for vegetable oil to make it egg and dairy-free. Still delicious! Mix chocolate chips into the batter for an extra special splurge. From Key Ingredient

    Chocolate Mug Cake

    Shila:  Mug cakes are easy desserts for kids, especially when you just need to serve one or two and don't want lots of leftovers! These little quick-fix chocolate cakes are microwaved in a coffee mug for about 1-2 minutes and come out looking and tasting great. From Table For Two

    Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Alexandra F.:  I have tried a lot of chocolate chip cookie recipes over the years. A LOT. But, I only discovered the best chocolate chip cookies EVER a few years ago when my sister introduced me to this easy dessert recipe. I’m sure the rich Irish butter is key, but I’ve made this recipe using regular butter, too, and it is still the best. Don’t skip the step where you chill the dough in the fridge - your cookies will go flat in the oven rather than holding their perfect shape. Younger kids will need help browning the butter over the stovetop, but everyone can help roll the dough before baking! From Kerrygold

    Texas Cowboy Cookies

    Vanessa M.:  These cookies are crispy on the edges, chewy in the middle, and stuffed full of sweet mix-ins that give them a taste as big as Texas! Kids love to help with this easy dessert recipe (lots of measuring, pouring and stirring), and it comes together quickly in one bowl for less clean-up! Drop cookies require no rolling or extra work. If you have nut allergies, skip the pecans and replace peanut butter chips with butterscotch chips. Also, I skip the chill time with no problem, and make the cookies smaller for kids. From The Food Charlatan

    Rainbow Fruit Kabobs

    Lisa R:  Want to get your kids excited to have fruit for dessert? Have them help prepare these fun rainbow fruit skewers! Depending on the fruit you choose, you can also freeze them as a healthy summer treat. Kids love that this feels like a craft activity, and the colorful result! Parents love this as a way to keep kids busy while working on the rest of the meal, and it's an opportunity to help younger children learn their colors and practice sorting. From To Simply Inspire

    DIY Mexican Hot Cocoa Mix

    Vanessa M.:  My kids beg to make this recipe together every time the weather gets chilly. DIY Mexican Hot Cocoa Mix makes a large batch of dry mix that keeps very well in a sealed container, so it is ready to mix with hot milk or water to make a delicious mug of Mexican hot chocolate anytime you need some warming up. My kids love all the measuring, pouring, and stirring that is involved! From Foodista

    Lemon Bars

    Alexandra F.:  Lemon bars are such easy desserts to make. Really! Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line the bottom and sides of a 9x13 pan with tin foil. Stir 1 cup melted butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 tsp. salt and 2 cups of flour. Press the mixture into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Combine two cups of sugar, 6 T. of flour, 6 eggs and 1 cup fresh lemon juice. Pour the mixture over the crust and bake for 25 minutes. Then, chill in the refrigerator overnight. To serve, lift the foil out of the pan and dust with confectioners' sugar and cut into squares.

    Banana Swirl

    Alexandra F.:  I'm not gonna lie, I got this idea from an episode of Daniel Tiger. After watching it about a gazillion times my toddler insisted we try it, and lo and behold, it was amazing! All you need to do for this easy dessert recipe is freeze bananas, then blend them. The result is a frozen treat with a consistency that is surprisingly like soft serve. The flavor is mild enough to be tasty even if you aren’t huge on banana, and for an extra special treat, mix in (or serve with) peanut butter, Oreo crumbles, chocolate sauce or M&Ms. Two bananas will make enough for 3-4 small servings. Break them up into chunks before freezing for easier blending.

    Rainbow Fruit Pizza

    Lisa R:  This rainbow fruit pizza is made using crescent roll dough, Greek yogurt and fruit. What a great summer treat for cookouts! This impressive yet easy dessert recipe is also relatively low in refined sugars. Kids love the colorful rainbow pattern. Parents love that it's a relatively healthy dessert, creates little mess, and can be used to teach kids about colors, patterns, and sorting. From Well Plated by Erin

    Easy Milkshakes

    Shila:  If you have milk and ice cream, you can make milkshakes! And with a few creative mix-ins, you can blend up an endless variety of customized easy dessert recipes for kids. From adding in fresh fruit to toasting up marshmallows to topping them off with sweetened cereal (such as Cap’n Crunch or Cocoa Puffs), enjoy these very cool treats. From Food Network

    Rodelle Gooey Fudge Brownies

    Alexandra F.:  I almost hate to recommend this recipe, as it has earned me so many accolades from friends that I am loathe to give away the secret. But alas, here it is, the best brownie recipe ever! These brownies are a perfect example of high quality ingredients making all the difference. I love this Rodelle cocoa powder and am sure it’s the main reason these brownies are so delicious. My kids make them all the time when friends come over and they always turn out great, even subbing in gluten free flour. You do need to melt butter and sugar over a stovetop so younger kids will need supervision. From Rodelle

    Easy Fruit Sorbet

    Shila:  For a colorful, delicious and secretly healthy recipe for kids, encourage them to make a fruit sorbet. All it takes is your choice of summer fruit (frozen or fresh), a simple syrup like honey or agave, and a small food processor to blend up a variety of easy dessert recipes that kids will love. From The Flavor Bender

    Monster Cookies

    Alexandra F.:  Gooey peanut butter, crunchy oats, and chocolate...yes, please! And, since this recipe doesn't use any flour, these cookies are super easy to make into a tasty gluten-free treat (though my kids and friends will tell you that they are amazing whether or not you are avoiding gluten). Best of all, the ingredients all go into a single bowl to make it both an easy dessert recipe for kids to make AND an easy cleanup. A stand or electric mixer will make your life easier since you will be mixing together some thick ingredients. From My Gluten-Free Kitchen

    Frozen Chocolate Bananas

    Laila Talley:  One of our favorite easy dessert recipes for summer, these frozen chocolate bananas are a fun play date activity! Waiting 30 minutes for the chocolate to set is a good exercise in patience. Use wax paper or parchment paper to cover the freezer tray and work surface for easy clean-up. Make sure bananas are firm with only a few brown spots. From Epicurious

    Cream Cheese Pound Cake

    Alexandra F.:  This is the recipe that convinced us to buy a stand mixer. It's so easy to make, with just a few common ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, but man is it a lot of butter to mix by hand! My husband had raved about this pound cake for years before we were married, and it quickly became a staple in our family and one of the favorite easy dessert recipes for our kids to help make because it is so simple and delicious. Top with fresh strawberries and whipped cream for a melt-in-your-mouth strawberry shortcake. From Allrecipes

    Carmelitas

    Alexandra F.:  Oh. My. Goodness. This caramelly, chocolatey, gooey treat is a magical thing. Super easy to make, with just a few ingredients, and yet it all comes together to make the most delicious, decadent dessert. The recipe calls for melting caramel squares with heavy cream in a saucepan over low heat, but you could also skip this step and use caramel sauce to make the recipe extra easy and kid-friendly! Just be sure to have an adult take it out of the oven when it's done as the gooey deliciousness is very runny and hot when it comes out. From Lulu the Baker

    Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

    Shila:  Prepare a batch of freshly baked cookies using either a boxed cookie mix or one of your go-to easy baking recipes for kids (chocolate chip, oatmeal, etc). Once cooled, gently press two cookies together with a scoop of ice cream in between. Kids especially love to dab the outside of the ice cream into sprinkles or miniature chocolate chips! From Betty Crocker

    Indoor S'mores

    Shila:  It is so easy to make s'mores indoors, without a campfire. Just arrange graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate (or other creative s'mores ingredients) on a sheet pan. Melt together in an oven to enjoy an ooey gooey treat. From Like Mother Like Daughter

    Easy Sticky Buns

    Alexandra F.:  These sticky buns are so good you wouldn’t believe how quickly they come together. The key is using a prepared pastry sheet from the freezer section of the grocery store. Then it’s just a bunch of mixing and sprinkling of brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, raisins and pecans. The end result - a sticky, heavenly bun worthy of breakfast or dessert. From Barefoot Contessa

    Homemade Popsicles

    Kristy Pepping:  Homemade popsicles are such an easy dessert, and they have less processed sugar than the store-bought kind. We like to blend fresh or frozen fruit with a cup of coconut water in a food processor or blender until smooth. Then, using a popsicle mold, alternate spoonfuls of fruit with spoonfuls of vanilla yogurt. Place in the freezer and enjoy the next day!

    Jam Thumbprint Cookies

    Alexandra F.:  These cookies are so easy and fun to make! Kids will especially love pressing their thumb into the cookie to make an indentation for the jam before it goes into the oven. Aside from that it’s pretty much a butter cookie rolled in coconut flakes, but the end result is sooo tasty. If your kids don’t like coconut flakes you can leave them out, but they add nice flavor and texture if they are willing to give them a try! From Food Network

    Lollipops

    Kristy Pepping:  A fun project to do with kids is making homemade suckers. Use a sucker mold and spray with cooking spray wiping away all but a thin layer. Insert sucker sticks. Next combine 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup light corn syrup and 1/4 cup of water. Heat and stir in a saucepan until sugar dissolves. Insert a candy thermometer until it boils and reaches 300 degrees. Remove from heat, wait for bubbles to stop and stir in 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of a flavored extract of your choice and a few drops of food coloring. Pour into the mold and wait until it hardens.

    Caramel Apple Dip

    Kelly R.:  We brought this dip to a potluck recently and one of the adults said it is the second best thing he has ever eaten. Ever!! It is so ridiculously easy to make, this is going to be my new go-to. From Dinner at the Zoo

    Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

    Kelly R.:  Most of my go-to easy dessert recipes for kids are cookie bars, because they bake all at once in the same pan. There's less cleanup, the process is faster than rolling out and baking individual cookies, and they can be stored right in the dish. These are my family's favorites, with oats, peanut butter and chocolate chips! Leftovers are great warmed up in the microwave. From Mel's Kitchen Cafe

    Homemade Ice Cream

    Alexandra F.:  For a simple ice cream recipe that you (and the kids!) can make at home without any special equipment, mix 1 cup heavy cream, 1.5 tbsp granulated sugar, 1.5 tsp vanilla extract and a pinch of salt in a 16 oz Mason jar. Close the jar well and then start shaking! The cream will start to thicken and after a few minutes should double in size. Once it does, put it in the freezer, and after a few hours...voila! Homemade ice cream!!

    Once you get the hang of it, this is an easy dessert recipe for kids to customize with mix-ins like fresh fruit, chocolate, or candy pieces!

    Campfire S'mores Cones

    Kristy Pepping:  This tasty campfire recipe is just as fun to make at home! Basically you use an ice cream cone instead of the classic graham crackers to build s'mores. Stuff your cone with whatever ingredients you would like such as candies besides the marshmallows and the chocolate. Then you wrap it in heavy-duty foil and let the heat bake your creation over a campfire. Or you can simply bake in the oven at 400 degrees for five minutes.

    Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie

    Shila:  Personally, I think that pumpkin pie is one of the easiest dessert recipes for kids to make using just a can of pumpkin puree, another can of evaporated milk, and a few other simple ingredients. There's nothing heavy to beat, just mix it by hand and pour it into a crust to bake in the oven! Because it's their staple, the full recipe is listed on the back label of every Libby's pumpkin puree can. From Very Best Baking by Nestle

    Healthy Blueberry Muffins

    Sarah Calamita:  I love this website for all of her desserts! But these muffins are to die for. Plus they are low in sugar. Win-win. From Cookie and Kate

Primary photo:   Elina Fairytale from Pexels

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