Peanut Butter-Chocolate Squares
The layers of this peanut butter and chocolate pairing create a beautiful dessert. The combination of flavors will make guests swoon.
Editor's Tip: If you're not sure how much food and drink you'll need for your party, get our free Appetizer and Beverage Quantity guides, available below, to help you plan exactly the right
Makes: 24 servings
Prep: 30 mins
Bake: 8 mins to 10 mins 325°F
Chill: 5 hrs
Peach Melba Pie Pops
Party guests will feel like kids at a candy store when they spy pie pops on the dessert table. These show-off desserts hide a delicious peach-and-raspberry filling that will have guests buzzing.
Makes: 20 servings
Yield: 20 pops
Prep: 50 mins
Bake: 14 mins to 16 mins 400°F
Easy Berry Cheesecakes
These little cupcakes hide a flavor secret. The surprise is how easy the pretty desserts are to create with white cupcakes, cream cheese frosting, and fresh fruit.
Makes: 12 servings
Start to Finish: 1 hr
Party Cake Pops
Guests may have trouble choosing from this pretty assortment of cake pops. Easy to make, the pops feature party-pleasing toppings covering flavorful cake centers.
Makes: 34 servings
Prep: 1 hr 45 mins
Bake: according to the package
Freeze: 1 hr to 1 hr 30 mins
Greek Baklava Bars
Bursting with honey, nuts, and spices, this Greek classic is a surprisingly easy way to impress party guests with a beautiful, bite-size dessert.
Yield: 32 to 48 bars
Prep: 30 mins
Bake: 28 mins 350°F
Strawberry Cheesecake Tartlets
Perfect for a party buffet, tiny tartlets pack rich flavor into a bite-size package. A topping of yummy strawberry preserves crowns each cheesecake, giving the dessert party-pleasing color and taste.
Makes: 24 servings
Prep: 25 mins
Bake: 15 mins 350°F
Chill: 3 hrs to 24 hrs
Chocolate, Hazelnut, and Caramel Thumbprint Cookies
Delightful thumbprint cookies are stacked with gooey caramel, smooth chocolate, and crunchy nuts for a fun party dessert with sophisticated flavor pairings.
Yield: about 36 cookies
Prep: 40 mins
Chill: 1 hr
Bake: 10 mins 350°F per batch
Browned Butter Toffee Tartlets
The browned butter in this custard-style filling has a delightful nutty flavor, adding warm richness to the toffee-topped mini tarts.
Makes: 24 servings
Yield: 24 tartlets
Prep: 30 mins
Bake: 15 mins 350°F
Cool: 5 mins
Bourbon-Brownie Petits Fours
When you want a one-bite dessert to star at your party, turn to these petits fours. Infused with bourbon and coffee, the flavors are as impressive as the presentation.
Yield: about 64 petits fours
Prep: 35 mins
Bake: 30 mins 350°F
Browned Butter-Glazed Macadamia Moons
The charming crescent shape of these nut-filled cookies adds sophisticated character to your party dessert table.
Yield: about 48 cookies
Prep: 50 mins
Bake: 10 mins 350°F per batch
Cook: 6 mins to 9 mins
Black Forest Cupcakes
Every party needs a dessert that puts the cherry on top of the festivities. Chocolate and cherries are a classic flavor combination that make cupcakes a party delight.
Makes: 25 servings
Prep: 1 hr 45 mins
Stand: 30 mins
Bake: 18 mins to 22 mins 350°F
Fudge Ripple Turtle Brownies
Brownies drenched in chocolate, caramel, and nuts will delight party guests with their rich flavor.
Yield: 16 brownies
Prep: 30 mins
Bake: 30 mins 350°F
Stand: 2 hrs
Strawberry-Lemon Bars
Classic lemon bars don party attire when glazed and dressed with lovely red strawberries.
Yield: 20 bars
Prep: 20 mins
Bake: 35 mins 350°
Chill: 1 hr
Homemade Chocolate Cannoli
Show off with these Italian sweets. The filling and shells can be made well ahead of the party. It takes only minutes to fill the shells with pretty swirls of rich ricotta filling.
Editor's Tip: If you don't have time to make your own cannoli shells, purchase premade shells online or at specialty shops and some supermarkets. To keep the shells crisp, chill the finished dessert no more than one hour. Impress your guests with the simple homemade filling and your pretty presentation.
Makes: 10 servings
Prep: 1 hr 30 mins
Chill: 1 hr 30 mins
Cook: 1 min per batch
Triple Shortbread Bites
With one easy recipe you can serve three scrumptious party desserts. Dress a five-ingredient shortbread recipe for the party in three ways: lemon-raspberry, chocolate-cashew, and simple spritz.
Yield: 80 bites total
Prep: 45 mins
Bake: 20 mins 350°F
Chocolate Chip-Cookie Dough Truffles
Filled with all the sweet pleasure of cookie dough, these truffles show party-perfect style. The no-fuss dessert will make guests think you slaved over preparation, but they come together in 30 minutes.
Yield: about 20 truffles
Prep: 30 mins
Freeze: 30 mins
Stand: 30 mins
Chocolate-Dipped Bacon
Bacon for dessert? You bet. Create a party sensation with crisp bacon strips dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled with pistachios, almonds, or cashews.
Makes: 36 servings
Prep: 20 mins
Bake: 20 mins
Oven: 375°F
Mocha Chewies
Coffee fans will adore these no-bake wonders. You'll adore the easy preparation and party-worthy appeal.
Yield: 32 bars
Prep: 25 mins
Chill: 1 hr
Chocolate-Rum Petits Fours
The deep chocolate color of these mini cakes displays nicely against glassware or other shiny serving pieces. Their rich, rum-infused flavor adds to the party feel.
Makes: 48 servings
Prep: 45 mins
Bake: 12 mins 350°F
Cool: 45 mins
Classic Truffles
These sweet truffles will be the talk of any dessert table. While guests moon over their luscious flavor and lovely presentation, you'll be secretly pleased to know how easy it was to make all three variations.
Yield: 25 to 30 truffles
Prep: 1 hr
Chill: 1 hr 30 mins
Cherry Crumble Pie Bars
Pack all the old-fashioned flavor of cherry pie into finger-friendly crumb-topped dessert bars.
Makes: 32 servings
Yield: 32 bars
Prep: 25 mins
Bake: 55 mins 350°F
Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
Make these cheesecake bars the day before the party. It only takes 20 minutes to mix up the no-bake bites, and they need to be well-chilled before serving.
Editor's Tip: Instead of full bars, cut the cheesecake into 1-inch squares for the perfect bite-size addition to a dessert buffet.
Yield: 24 bars
Prep: 20 mins
Stand: 15 mins
Chill: 4 hrs
Fig Cookies
Figs, raisins, candied fruit, almonds, and hints of citrus fill these tender pillows with goodness guests will crave.
Yield: about 36 cookies
Prep: 45 mins
Chill: 3 hrs
Bake: 10 mins 375° per batch
Peanut Butter Truffles
Make these pretty party-size truffles, loaded with rich and creamy peanut butter filling and encased in dark chocolate.
Editor's Tip: Drizzle some of the truffles with a little melted milk chocolate after the dark chocolate coating is set; let stand until milk chocolate is set. You'll have two attractive finishes for one recipe.
Makes: 50 servings
Yield: about 50 truffles
Prep: 50 mins
Cook: 12 mins
Chill: 45 mins to 1 hr
Butterscotch Fondue
Guests will quickly fall for butterscotch fondue. Try this butterscotch version in place of traditional chocolate fondue. It is an ideal match for fruit, sponge cake, cookies , brownies, or whatever sweet dipper you can imagine.
Yield: 5-1/4 cups
Prep: 10 mins
Slow Cook: 3 hrs (low)
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