25 Adorable Bite-Size Desserts for Parties (or Anytime!)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles
Photo: Karla Conrad

The best treats come in small packages, as proven by this collection of the most adorable bite-sized desserts ever created in the Better Homes & Gardens® Test Kitchen. These itty-bitty desserts are as cute as pie, with tiny variations on cupcakes, brownies, cookies, tarts, and more.

01 of 25

Geode Cake Pops

Geode Cake Pops
Hannah Bigot

Here's a cake pop decorating technique that really rocks! Excavate a wedge of the cake-and-frosting filling to allow room for geode-like rock candy filling. Decorating sugar completes the look with a perfect shimmery rim for this bite-sized dessert.

02 of 25

Strawberry Margarita Cheesecake Minis

Strawberry Margarita Cheesecake Minis
Karla Conrad

Berries, lime, salt (by way of a crushed pretzel base)—the only thing missing from these cheesecake bites to make them 100% margarita knock-offs is the tequila. That means you don't need to worry about making these bite-size desserts for parties where kids will want to try them.

03 of 25

Sweet and Salty Chocolate Flowers

Sweet and Salty Chocolate Flowers
Matthew Clark

Beat the clock with these springy, kid-friendly chocolate pretzels. The easy mini desserts require just 5 minutes in the oven. Get creative with your color combinations, or try peanut butter-filled candy-coated pieces if you prefer.

04 of 25

Coffee Cone Affogato

Coffee Cone Affogato
Hannah Bigot

Ice cream sundae meets coffee break in this sippable and snackable mini dessert idea. Chocolate-coated mini ice cream cones might just be the cutest little mugs you'll ever drink from (and then devour).

05 of 25

Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Pies

Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Pies
Carson Downing

We have total heart eyes for this bite-size dessert recipe. A rich yet light and fluffy peanut butter-cream cheese filling goes into a chocolate cookie crumb crust. Topped with homemade chocolate whipped cream, it's the perfect mini dessert recipe for parties.

06 of 25

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles
Karla Conrad

Combine the goodness of chocolate chip cookies with the poppable proportion of candy truffles. Our easy mini dessert recipe is eggless, so eating this raw cookie dough delight is safe. Line your tray with parchment paper to make cleaning up the melted chocolate drips a breeze.

Buy It: Reynolds Kitchens Unbleached Parchment Paper ($12, Walmart)

07 of 25

Nutty Honey Mini Rolls

Nutty Honey Mini Rolls
Andy Lyons

A buttery blend of honey, cinnamon, and toasted almonds transforms refrigerated crescent dough into a mini dessert (or sweet addition to your brunch spread). Top the treats with a swirl of homemade honey icing and even more chopped almonds.

08 of 25

Mini Blueberry Pies

Mini Blueberry Pies
Blaine Moats

Enjoy a taste of these sweet tarts—itty-bitty blueberry pies baked in metal tart pans. Berries, sugar, and butter fill the flaky homemade piecrusts for a quintessential mini dessert for summertime gatherings. Garnish the individual pies with lemon zest and a dollop of whipped cream, Greek yogurt, or ice cream.

09 of 25

Espresso Tarts

Espresso Tarts
Karla Conrad

Instant espresso powder and coffee liqueur punch up these warmly-spiced cocoa tarts. Start with a layer of espresso dough, fill with a brown sugar-sweetened melted chocolate mixture, then top with (you guessed it) more chocolate in the espresso-tinged ganache.

10 of 25

Lemon Curd Tassies

Lemon Curd Tassies
Blaine Moats

Sweet-tart lemon curd is easier to make than you might think. Simply stir lemon juice and peel with a few pantry ingredients, then let it cool while these easy tassie crusts bake. Combine the two for a tiny treat that packs big citrus flavor.

Buy It: Wilton Nonstick 3-Tier Cooling Rack ($25, Walmart)

11 of 25

No-Bake Truffle Treats

No-Bake Truffle Treats
Blaine Moats

Crushed cookies and melted chocolate bars are the stars of these easy, no-oven-required truffles. Please your entire party by serving a couple of our flavor variations: almond-cherry, pecan shortbread, peanut, and/or cocoa overload.

Test Kitchen Tip: Decorate with something that gives a nod to the flavors inside. Think crushed almonds for almond-cherry, chopped peanut butter-filled candy-coated pieces for peanut, or chocolate sprinkles for cocoa overload.

12 of 25

Mini Raspberry and White Chocolate Whoopie Pies

Mini Raspberry and White Chocolate Whoopie Pies
Kritsada Panichgul

Sandwich a layer of raspberry preserves and tangy mascarpone-white chocolate filling between these fluffy vanilla cookies. These whoopie pies can be made in advance and frozen for up to three months, so dessert is never too far away. Thaw for an hour in the fridge before taking a bite.

13 of 25

Milk Chocolate Mini Cookies

Milk Chocolate Mini Cookies
Scott Little

Two chewy cookies are always better than one. Stack these classic chocolate cookies with our homemade sour cream frosting for mini cookie sandwiches.

Test Kitchen Tip: Freeze for 20 to 30 minutes or until dough is firm enough to handle. Use waxed paper to help shape the roll without any mess.

14 of 25

Mini Lemon Dreams

Mini Lemon Dreams

Sweet-tart fans, your cookie dreams are about to come to life. Bite into a miniature cupcake to discover a tangy lemon curd filling in addition to the lemon cream cheese frosting that sweetens the citrusy snack. The fancy bite-size desserts will make the perfect tea-time accompaniment.

15 of 25

Apple Pie Pops

Apple Pie Pops
Helen Norman

There's not much that's better than warm apple pie. But how about warm apple pie you can eat on the go? These mini desserts have all the buttery crust and warmly-spiced apple goodness you crave, just in a more portable package.

Bonus: No extra dishes to clean!

Buy It: Sweet Creations 100-Count Cake Pop Sticks ($3, Walmart)

16 of 25

Mini Flourless Chocolate Cakes

Mini Flourless Chocolate Cakes
Jason Donnelly

This bite-sized dessert, made with cocoa powder and melted bittersweet chocolate, becomes even more irresistible when covered with chocolate ganache and fresh berries. And since this mini treat is flourless, it's also a perfect dessert for your gluten-free friends.

17 of 25

Key Lime Pie Tassies

Key Lime Pie Tassies
Andy Lyons

When these one-bite, butter-pastry-crusted pies hit your taste buds, you'll be transported to the Florida Keys. For a dainty, showy garnish, top each dollop of homemade whipped cream with a few thin slivers of key lime zest.

18 of 25

Shortcut Baklava Tassies

Shortcut Baklava Tassies
Hannah Bigot

For less mess (all the honey goodness is tucked neatly inside) and less stress (no need to fuss with layering finicky phyllo dough), swap these bite-sized desserts for your traditional baklava recipe. It offers just as much walnutty goodness as the classic version and takes just 25 minutes to prepare.

19 of 25

Pumpkin Pie Pops

Pumpkin Pie Pops
Hannah Bigot

Sugar, spice, and everything nice—including plenty of creamy pumpkin puree—are hiding inside these festive pie pops. For an extra sweet touch, brush the piecrust with milk and sprinkle on a combination of pumpkin pie spice and sugar before popping the pan in your oven.

20 of 25

Mini Maple-Pecan Pies

mini maple-pecan pies
Andy Lyons

Pecan pie is a must during the fall, and these adorably petite pies feature the sweet, nutty taste you know and love, plus the flavor of pure maple syrup. Reduced-fat ingredients keep the mini muffin-tin recipe under 200 calories per serving.

21 of 25

Frozen Coconut Coffee Bites

Frozen Coconut Coffee Bites
Andy Lyons

Breakfast or dessert? We'll let you decide. Toasted coconut and crushed graham crackers form the crust on these small freezer sweets, while vanilla, espresso, and cinnamon perk up the cream cheese topping.

22 of 25

Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups

Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups
Matthew Clark

Whether you bake a batch to combat the shivers of snow season or serve them in the summer heat, these mini muffin tin cookie cups will satisfy. Plus, how cute are those pretzel "handles"?

Test Kitchen Tip: If you're lucky enough to have leftover chocolate ganache after filling the 64 "mugs," drizzle some over your next bowl of ice cream, or use it as a makeshift fondue for dunking fruit.

23 of 25

No-Bake Lime Crunch Cheesecake

No-Bake Lime Crunch Cheesecake Eggs
Adam Albright

This delightful mini dessert recipe perfectly balances sweet and tart in the fluffy cream cheese-and-lime filling. The crunch comes from crushed shortbread cookies. As you can see, we like to spruce our mini desserts up to match the season. When it's not Easter time, use a mini muffin tin.

24 of 25

Mini Raspberry-Chocolate Tarts

Mini Raspberry-Chocolate Tarts
Blaine Moats

The possibilities for baked miniature phyllo dough shells are nearly endless. Fill them with melted dark chocolate, fresh raspberries (or any berry that looks ripe and ready in the market), and slivered almonds for a quick and easy dessert.

25 of 25

Rum Praline Shortbread Bites

Rum-Praline Shortbread Bites
Blaine Moats

Classic shortbread gets an update from brown sugar, pecans, and dark rum. The beauty of rolled cookie dough recipes like this is you can make them as mini and adorable as you like. Use a pizza cutter to shape the sugar-dusted sheet cookies into 1-inch squares.

Buy It: KitchenAid Stainless Steel Pizza Wheel ($7, Target)

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