6 Big-Batch Desserts for Any Summer Party
Save the cookies for another day and make these treats, which can be sliced as large or small as you need. (These recipes can serve as many as 100!).
By Lynn Andriani
The Easiest, Biggest Pie You'll Ever Make
The slab pie may have a clunky name, but it's a godsend for anyone who loves pie but knows baking one for a big party just isn't practical. The slab addresses many classic round-pie hang-ups: too oozy, too hard to cut into neat wedges or too small for a big group. The shape is the main thing that's different; you bake it in a square or rectangular pan, instead of a circular one. You can swap in any fruit you'd like from cherry to strawberry to peach, and the finished dessert serves 24 (so, depending on the size of your gathering, there may even be enough for seconds).
Get the recipe: Slab Pie
The Last-Minute Chocolate-Hazelnut Squares
The active work time required to make the filling for these squares—made of chocolate, Nutella and cereal flakes—is about three minutes. That makes them the perfect eleventh-hour lifeline for when you remember you need a dessert for tomorrow's potluck. Bonus: The recipe makes about 100 one-inch squares.
Get the recipe: Hip-to-Be Squares
The Amazing Oat-and-Fruit Bar
These decadent layered bars consist of a base made from oats, coconut and cashews; a filling of softened, lemon-scented apricots; and, a topping of more coconut and cashews. A final drizzle of caramel pretty much ensures these will be one of the first desserts on the buffet table to go. (And if by some miracle there are leftovers, they're great for breakfast).
Get the recipe: Apricot, Cashew and Coconut Bars
The Chocolaty, Buttery Throwback
It's worth it to splurge on high-quality butter for this Heath bar-like creation, since the dessert's center solely consists of butter, sugar and salt (the chopped walnuts and milk chocolate on the outside are just gravy). The recipe makes about four pounds, which is enough for 16 people. It's delicious on its own, or crumbled over ice cream.
Get the recipe: Roni-Sue's Best Buttercrunch Ever
Brownies with a "What Is That?" Twist
Box-mix brownies may have their fans, but we all but guarantee raves for this rendition on the classic, which has a few tweaks that take it from fine to fantastic. The recipe has you stir nutty brown butter into the chocolate-walnut batter for deeper flavor. You'll wind up with 25 soft, velvety squares with slightly crusty tops.
Get the recipe: Cocoa Brownies with Walnuts and Brown Butter
The Can't-Screw-Up Confection
Supersimple to make, impressive to look at not to mention delicious, this chocolaty matzo-based treat strikes a nice salty-sweet balance. You can use any kind of matzo (salted or not) or even saltines, then add your favorite toppings, such as coconut, slivered almonds or chopped dried cherries.
Get the recipe: Chocolate Toffee Matzo Crunch
Published 06/08/2017
