20 Favorite Childhood Desserts (with Adult Twists)
Give the kid inside you a sweet treat. Take yourself back to the good old days with these classic childhood favorites.
Recipe created by Alice Medrich
Nibby Napoleons with Chocolate Sauce
This dessert is sure to dazzle! Make it all look easy by preparing each element in advance, then reheat the sauce and assemble.
Get the recipe for Nibby Napoleons with Chocolate Sauce
Recipe created by Michelle Myer
Michelle Myer's Grown-up Milk and Cookies
Michelle Myer, co-owner and pastry chef of Sona in Los Angeles, shares her recipe for cookies and milk. "Whether the children's or the adults' version, I'll always be transported to a time when I didn't have a care in the world and it felt great to be a little bit rebellious," she says.
Get the recipe for Michelle Myer's Grown-up Milk and Cookies
Recipe created by Rebecca Rather
Rebecca Rather's Surprise-Inside Ice Cream Balls
Rebecca Rather, chef and owner of Rather Sweet Bakery & Café in Fredericksburg, Texas, and author of
The Pastry Queen, shares one of her all-time favorite childhood desserts. For a faster treat, you can prepare ice cream balls without the mousse.
Get the recipe for Rebecca Rather's Surprise-Inside Ice Cream Balls
Brown Sugar Apple Pie
In this version of our national dessert, a dash of brown sugar gives the apples an extra kick.
Get the recipe for Brown Sugar Apple Pie
This recipe is part of
O's comfort food menu.
Recipe created by Cristina Ferrare
Berry Crisp with Streusel Topping
Cristina Ferrare's mouthwatering Berry Crisp with Streusel Topping is a down-home way to sweeten up most any meal.
Get the recipe for Berry Crisp with Streusel Topping
Recipe created by Cathal Armstrong
Bread and Butter Pudding with Whisky Crème Anglaise
Bread and butter pudding with whiskey crème anglaise is made with buttered slices of brioche and spiked custard sauce.
Get the recipe for Bread and Butter Pudding with Whiskey Crème Anglaise
This dish is part of our
pub fare menu.
Recipe created by Candace Nelson
Sprinkles Cupcakes' Strawberry Cupcakes
Recipe from Now Eat This! by Rocco DiSpirito
Rocco DiSpirito's Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies
This recipe took Rocco DiSpirito almost three weeks of trial and error to perfect. "With three kinds of chocolate for flavor—cocoa powder, cacao nibs and chocolate chips—you won't miss the fat and sugar in the standard version of this most beloved cookie."
Get the recipe for Rocco DiSpirito's Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies
More Mouthwatering Cookie Recipes
Chocolate Chip Cookies (made with Grape-Nuts!)
Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cream Cheese–Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe created by Matt Lewis
Classic Chocolate Layer Cake
Matt Lewis, co-owner of Chocolate Bar and Baked in New York City and co-author of
Chocolate Bar, shares, "When I was a kid, I ate chocolate for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In the mornings, I'd eat Mom's Duncan Hines cake; she would say that most cereals contained just as much sugar. Then she'd send me off with a brown bag containing lunch and a brownie. For dinner, we'd make a token attempt to eat a pork chop and vegetable before pulling out that morning's chocolate cake and topping it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream." So you know this has to be good!
Get the recipe for Classic Chocolate Layer Cake
More Delectable Chocolate Cake Recipes
Three-Layer Chocolate Cake with Blackout Filling
Uncle Abe's Favorite Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Cake (with Beets)
Bill Yosses' Black Forest Cake
Auntie's Chocolate Cake with Chocolate–Pecan Frosting
Recipe courtesy of Cristina Ferrare
Chocolate Fudge Brownies
There is no richer treat than Chocolate Fudge Brownies from Cristina Ferrare.
Get the recipe for Chocolate Fudge Brownies
Tastes great with: Heavenly Fresh Mint Ice Cream
Recipe created by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito
Strawberry Whoopie Pies
Baked's signature whoopie pies—two delicious strawberry cookies sandwiching strawberry-meringue filling—are sure to warm any heart.
Get the recipe for Strawberry Whoopie Pies
This recipe is one of
the most decadent (retro) desserts we found in
a tiny Brooklyn bakery.
Recipe created by Jen King and Liz Gutman
Honey Caramel Corn Balls
Cracker Jacks have nothing on these caramel corn balls. Salty peanuts (protein!) are mixed throughout, so you can almost convince yourself that these count as dinner.
Get the recipe for Honey Caramel Corn Balls
This recipe is one of
O's
DIY candy recipes.
Recipe created by Sylvia Weinstock
Angel Food Cake with Lime, Coconut and Blood Orange Buttercreams
Sylvia Weinstock, dubbed "the Leonardo da Vinci of wedding cakes" by
Bon Appétit magazine, iced the layers of this masterpiece with lime, coconut and blood orange buttercreams—"flavors that sing out to you," she says.
Get the recipe for Sylvia Weinstock's Angel Food Cake with Lime, Coconut and Blood Orange Buttercreams
This cake is one of
10 sweet creations in celebration of
O's 10th birthday.
Gingered Creamy Fudge
Sherry Yard, executive pastry chef of Spago Beverly Hills and author of
The Secrets of Baking, shares a recipe that reminds her of childhood.
Get the recipe for Gingered Creamy Fudge
Recipe created by Allysa Torey
Allysa Torey's Wafer Icebox Cake
The one dessert Allysa Torey, co-author of
The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook, has great memories of making with her mom is the chocolate wafer icebox cake—the same one they serve at Magnolia Bakery today. "Apparently, while the rest of the country was slaving away shaping Nabisco chocolate wafers into the log that was pictured on the side of the box, we were using chocolate snap cookies to make a really simple yet really delicious round icebox cake."
Get the recipe for Allysa Torey's Wafer Icebox Cake
Recipe created by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito
Mini Dark Chocolate Bundts with Crème Anglaise
Anytime is a good time to indulge in these rich, dark chocolate Bundt cakes with white chocolate frosting...and just a touch of brandy.
Get the recipe for Mini Dark Chocolate Bundts with Crème Anglaise
This recipe is one of
the most decadent (retro) desserts we found in
a tiny Brooklyn bakery.
Recipe created by Vitaly Paley
Cinnamon–Cherry Ice Cream
Fresh, ripe cherries and a hint of cinnamon make this sophisticated ice cream pop; its flavors are even more pronounced when served with our warm Pear–Cherry Crisp.
Get the recipe for Cinnamon–Cherry Ice Cream
Tastes great with: Pear–Cherry Crisp
Created by Chef Humphrey Morbeck
Vanilla Bean Gelato
No need to trick up this homemade vanilla gelato with fancy toppings. It's best savored with nothing more than a paper-thin cookie.
Get the recipe for Vanilla Bean Gelato
Recipe from The Good Stuff Cookbook by Spike Mendelsohn
Soursop Hop Strawberry Shake
A popular tropical fruit native to Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America, soursop tastes a little like creamy strawberries with a hint of pineapple and maybe coconut. "I love the clash of sour and sweet, but more than anything, I love how this name rolls up your tongue. Try saying it 10 times in a row," says chef Spike Mendelsohn.
Get the recipe for a Soursop Hop Strawberry Shake
More from Spike Mendelsohn's classic menu
Other Great Shake Recipes
Milky Way Malt Shake
Creamsicle Shake
Toasted Marshmallow Shake
Lemon–Strawberry Shake
Avocado Shake
Crème Brûlée
Who doesn't love the satisfaction of breaking the sweet shell and dipping into the luscious custard? A long-time favorite at the Silver Palate, this is a dessert can be both a comforting and an elegant end to your dinner party.
Get the recipe for Crème Brûlée
Other Delicious Crème Brûlée Recipes
Low-Fat Crème Brûlée with Raspberries
Lavender Crème Brûlée
Chocolate Pots de Crème
Sweet Potato Brûlée
Published 03/21/2011
