Our Favorite Mini Desserts That Are (Almost) Too Cute to Eat

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.

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 keeping a separate platter of mini desserts for the kids and adults.

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.

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).

Related: The Best Ways to Melt Chocolate for a Dazzling Finish to Your Desserts

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.

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

Buy It: Reynolds Kitchens Unbleached Parchment Paper ($3, Walmart)

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.

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.

Buy It: Gobel Traditional Finish Mini Round Tart Pans ($26, Williams Sonoma)

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.

Sweet-tart lemon curd is easier to make than you might think. Simply stir together 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.

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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.

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. Simply thaw for an hour in the fridge before taking a bite.

Two chewy cookies are always better than one. Stack these basic 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.

Sweet-tart fans, your 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.

Remember those chocolate oranges from Christmases past? Here's a mini dessert that tastes just like it, with a chocolate brownie base and a melted chocolate glaze sandwiching an orange buttercream filling.

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Little is 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!

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Made with both cocoa powder and melted bittersweet chocolate, this mini dessert recipe becomes even more irresistible when covered with chocolate ganache and fresh berries. And since this mini treat is flourless, it's a perfect dessert for your gluten-free friends as well.

From the moment 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.

Freshly-grated ginger, cinnamon, and ground ancho chile pepper balance the sweetness in the batter of these fudgy chocolate brownies. And that's not just cocoa powder dusting the squares—there's chile pepper heating up the mix for an extra kick.

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-size desserts for your traditional baklava recipe. It offers just as much walnutty goodness as the classic version and takes just 25 minutes to prepare.

Sugar, spice, and everything nice—including plenty of creamy pumpkin puree—is 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.

Related: 15+ Desserts on a Stick

No need to turn on the oven for these mini desserts that double as a quick energy-boosting snack. They come together in just 20 minutes, then just need to chill to solidify to ideal snacking texture. Honey holds the one-bowl healthy treat together, while chocolate chips, oats, and coconut offer a textural adventure.

Turtle candies and shortbread team up in these caramel-pecan cookies. Rather than cooling completely, spread the cookies with a spoonful each of dulce de leche about one minute after they leave the oven.

Test Kitchen Tip: To bring out the sweetness of the shortbread and caramel, add a sprinkle of sea salt on top.

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.

Related: The Best Fall Dessert Recipes for Cool Weather Baking

If you're craving a luxurious dessert with creamy chocolate flavor, your search stops here. Small muffin cups and lollipop sticks make it possible to enjoy chocolate mousse utensil-free, so these handheld mini treats are ideal for parties.

Related: Ice Pops Recipes That Will Change the Way You Think About Dessert

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.

Whether you bake a batch to combat the shivers of snow season, or serve them in the heat of summer, 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 makeshift fondue for dunking fruit.

This delightful mini dessert recipe has the perfect balance of 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, simply use a mini muffin tin.

Related: Simple and Delicious No-Bake Desserts

The possibilites 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.

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 ($11, Target)