Beat the Heat Frozen Dessert Pizza

Photo: Angela Liddon

The New Classic We Wish We'd See on Ice Cream Trucks
Like the choco taco, the frozen dessert pizza is a brilliant mash-up of comfort food and ice-cold treat. The recipe, from Angela Liddon's The Oh She Glows Cookbook, begins with a Rice Krispies Treat-like crust made from crisped rice cereal, sweetener and cocoa powder. The "sauce" is a frozen banana, pureed and spread almost to the edges. The toppings are up to you, but Liddon suggests an almond butter-chocolate-maple drizzle, sliced almonds, cacao nibs and coconut. (And it's kind of hard to argue with that.)

Get the recipe: Beat the Heat Frozen Dessert Pizza
Gluten-Free Cappuccino Ice Cream Cupcakes

Photo: Stephen Gross

The No-Oven Cupcakes
Turning ice cream cones into edible cups is a simple trick that lets you transform a basic dessert into a sophisticated treat. You start by grounding the cones into crumbs, stirring in melted butter and pressing the mixture into a muffin pan. Then, you pour a bit of melted chocolate into each cup, freeze until the chocolate is set and add a layer of softened coffee ice cream with chopped espresso beans over it. Freeze the cups again, and when you're ready to eat, pop each one out of the pan, top with whipped cream and dig in, wondering if you'll ever eat a cone the usual way again.

Get the recipe: Gluten-Free Cappuccino Ice Cream Cupcakes
The Nani

Photo: Grand Central Publishing

A Sweet Makeover for an Unassuming Cracker
If you've got a thing for salty sweets, this Saltine-Nutella combo from Cristina Suarez Krumsick's new book, No Bake Makery, will definitely speak to you. Frankly, even if you aren't obsessed with savory-sweet desserts, it's irresistible: a triple-decker sandwich made from crackers and hazelnut spread, bound together around the edges with chocolates and sprinkles.

Get the recipe: The Nani
Sweechies

Photo: Grand Central Publishing

The Retro Confection
Where is it written that chocolate bark must only be served at Christmas time? Krumsick's white chocolate bark, which contains rainbow-colored cereal and coconut flakes, deserves to be eaten any time of year. It’s light, bright, and has an old-school finishing touch: sprinkles on top.

Get the recipe: Sweechies
CinniMinnis

Photo: Grand Central Publishing

Cinnamon Rolls' Baby Sisters
Aside from the fact that making cinnamon rolls usually requires making dough, in all its kneading/rising/resting time-consuming glory, there's another reason we shy away from making these heavenly treats: they're often gut-bustingly huge. Not Krumsick's tiny candies, though. They still deliver a cinnamon-y, vanilla-y, sugary punch, but are only about the size of a ping-pong ball. Whip up a batch, chill for 30 minutes, and enjoy.

Get the recipe: CinniMinni
Wafer Icebox Cake

Photo: Kirsten Strecker

A Make-Ahead Icebox Cake
Magnolia Bakery's Allysa Torey grew up making this round version of Nabisco's famous chocolate refrigerator roll. All you need is heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, chocolate wafer cookies and unsweetened cocoa powder; the magic happens when you let the cake sit in the fridge overnight and the crisp cookies soak up the cream and soften.

Get the recipe: Wafer Icebox Cake
Peanut butter cup

Photo: Thinkstock

A Classic Candy-Turned-Healthy Treat
Before she began following a vegan diet, Alicia Silverstone was crazy for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Now she makes this good-for-you version and loves it even more than the original. Her special additions: graham cracker crumbs, maple sugar and chopped nuts.

Get the recipe: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Milk shake

Photo: Thinkstock

The Campfire-Inspired Milk Shake
Okay, so you may have to turn on the broiler for two minutes to toast the marshmallows (though you could also use the stovetop or grill). But the slightly burnt, cooled confections add an unexpected depth of flavor to a plain old vanilla milk shake.

Get the recipe: Toasted Marshmallow Shake
Grilled Apricots with Brioche and Vanilla Ice Cream

Photo: Marcus Nilsson

A Reason to Keep the Grill On
Ripe apricots drizzled with melted butter and sprinkled with sugar are delicious enough; caramelize them over the grill, and they become sublime. Add toasted brioche slices, a spoonful of honey and some vanilla ice cream for a dessert you'll want to make every night of the summer.

Get the recipe: Grilled Apricots with Brioche and Vanilla Ice Cream
Buttermilk Brown Sugar Panna Cotta with Balsamic Strawberries

Photo: Gentl & Hyers

The Perfect Follow-Up to a Mediterranean Meal
Panna cotta, a not-too-sweet dessert made from cream, buttermilk, sugar and gelatin, is popular all over Italy, served with berries, caramel or chocolate. Our recipe has you marinate strawberries in balsamic vinegar; the syrupy fruit juices add a zippy, tangy edge to the smooth custard.

Get the recipe: Buttermilk Brown Sugar Panna Cotta with Balsamic Strawberries
Wooden spoon stirring chocolate

Photo: Thinkstock

The Dessert Whose Name Will Get Everyone's Attention
Why call them ice cream balls when you can use a word like "bonbon"? These Ping-Pong-ball-size spheres of raspberry or strawberry ice cream in a hard chocolate shell are surprisingly easy to make.

Get the recipe: Raspberry-Chocolate Bonbons
Hibiscus-Pomegranate-Papaya Pop

Photo: Jamie Chung

A Popsicle That's As Hip As You Are
Wow the crowd with homemade pops—they're so much more interesting than most store-bought versions. Case in point: Create these multicolored ices by layering a hibiscus tea-pomegranate juice mixture and papaya agua fresca.

Get the recipe: Hibiscus-Pomegranate-Papaya Pops

Next: Summer potluck "we want you at every party" dishes