What’s better than a cold or fruity sweet treat on a hot summer day? Not much! Here’s a collection of my most popular summer desserts, including classics like French clafoutis and fun surprise treats like pineapple mint popsicles.

These dessert recipes are all fresh and simple to make, and sure to please a crowd at a cookout or delight your dinner table. They’re lighter and healthier than most desserts, and many feature fresh berries and peaches (think fruity crisps, simple cakes, and frozen yogurt). Some of the recipes benefit from a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

The days are long and the weather is warm. Pick a favorite below and we’ll celebrate the season. Enjoy!

Clafoutis

This clafoutis recipe is simply the best! You can make it with berries (my favorite), cherries (my daughter’s favorite), or any of the fruity variations provided in the post. Recipe yields one 10-inch clafoutis, enough for 8 slices. 

4.9/5 from 17 ratings

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Lemon Posset

Lemon posset is a creamy, citrusy dessert—the perfect small treat. It offers a rich texture and balanced lemon flavor that teeters irresistibly between tangy and sweet. Posset is so easy to make! Allow 3 hours for chilling. Recipe yields 8 to 9 small (2-ounce) servings.

4.8/5 from 37 ratings

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Gluten-Free Almond Cake with Berries on Top

This delicious gluten-free almond cake recipe is easy to make and naturally sweetened. Top with yogurt and fresh berries for a party-worthy cake! Recipe yields one 9-inch cake, enough for 8 slices.

4.9/5 from 95 ratings

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Peach Crisp (Gluten-Free)

This healthier peach crisp features juicy summer peaches and a delicious oat and almond topping, which happens to be gluten free. See recipe notes for special diet adjustments. Recipe yields 6 to 8 servings.

4.8/5 from 105 ratings

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Thumbprint Cookies

These thumbprint cookies offer classic shortbread flavor with dazzling jam centers. Almond flour makes them gluten free and extra delicious! Recipe yields 22 to 24 small cookies.

4.9/5 from 17 ratings

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Simple Blueberry Cake

Make this simple blueberry cake recipe! This blueberry cake is tender and delicious, loaded with blueberries, and not too sweet. It’s naturally sweetened and whole grain as written, too (check recipe notes for more flour options). Recipe yields one 9-inch round cake, enough for 8 slices.

4.7/5 from 86 ratings

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Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

This simple crisp recipe is bursting with sweet, juicy strawberries and tart rhubarb. Made with honey, oats and yogurt, this crisp is more healthy than most. That said, please serve it with vanilla ice cream for dessert (or yogurt for breakfast)!

4.8/5 from 46 ratings

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Easy Pineapple Mint Popsicles

Craving a refreshing summer treat? Make these simple pineapple-mint popsicles! You’ll need only two ingredients to make these all-natural ice pops. Popsicle molds vary in volume; this recipe yields 16 ounces total, so multiply if necessary.

5/5 from 7 ratings

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Mixed Berry Crisp (Gluten Free)

Make this delightful berry crisp with any mix of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or blackberries. It’s the perfect simple and fruity summertime dessert. Recipe yields one 9-inch crisp, about 8 servings.

4.9/5 from 54 ratings

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Pots de Crème

This foolproof pots de crème recipe comes together quickly in the blender and tastes amazing. Make it for dessert, and freeze the extra! Yields 36 ounces, enough for anywhere between 36 tiny 1-ounce servings and 9 generous 4-ounce servings.

4.9/5 from 14 ratings

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Lemony Cheesecake Tart with Pistachio Crust

This cheesecake tart recipe is the best! It’s easy to make and tastes gourmet. The homemade pistachio-oat crust happens to be gluten free. Recipe yields one 9-inch tart, enough for 8 medium slices.

4.8/5 from 14 ratings

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Easy Fruit Compote

Learn how to make fruit compote with this easy recipe! You can make compote with fresh or frozen fruit. It’s delicious on ice cream, yogurt, toast, pancakes, waffles and more! Recipe yields about 2 cups compote.

4.9/5 from 69 ratings

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No-Bake Greek Yogurt Tart

This no-bake Greek yogurt tart recipe looks impressive, but it’s very easy to make and nutritious, too! I topped mine with raspberries and strawberries, but use any fresh fruit you’d like. Recipe yields one 9-inch tart (6 slices).

4.9/5 from 25 ratings

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Blueberry Almond Crisp

This amazing blueberry crisp recipe is the perfect summertime dessert! It’s easy to make with blueberries, maple syrup, lemon, oats and almonds. It’s gluten free, too! Recipe yields 6 to 8 servings (a lot!).

4.9/5 from 95 ratings

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Creamy Peach & Honey Popsicles

Honey-sweetened peach popsicles made with yogurt and roasted peaches! These cold, creamy treats are perfect for summertime. They’re healthy, too. Recipe yields eight 3-ounce popsicles.

5/5 from 12 ratings

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Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Cake

This delicious, lemony yogurt cake is studded with blueberries. It’s made with healthy whole wheat flour, olive oil and yogurt and tastes amazing, I promise! This cake takes cues from traditional French yogurt cake and tastes like a lightened-up pound cake. Recipe yields one loaf.

4.8/5 from 82 ratings

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Almond Cake with Roasted Strawberries & Rhubarb on Top

This maple-sweetened, gluten-free almond cake topped with roasted strawberries and rhubarb is a simple springtime dessert! Recipe yields one 9-inch cake, enough for 8 slices.

4.9/5 from 33 ratings

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Plum Crisp with Pistachio, Oat and Almond Meal Topping

This simple plum crisp recipe features honey-sweetened summer plums and a gluten-free oat and almond meal topping! Ginger and pistachios send it over the top (but feel free to substitute another nut for the pistachios).

4.9/5 from 18 ratings

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Blueberry Frozen Yogurt

This tangy, honey-sweetened lemon blueberry frozen yogurt is a delightful summer treat. Use full fat yogurt for the best texture, and buy organic berries and lemon if you can.

4.5/5 from 14 ratings

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Honey Almond Cake with Raspberries, Orange and Pistachios

This almond flour and honey cake it super simple, moist and delicious! This cake is gluten-free and paleo-friendly. Feel free to change up the flavors (see notes on how to do so). I think a lemon blueberry version would be delicious.

4.8/5 from 88 ratings

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Roasted Berry and Yogurt Popsicles

These super creamy Greek yogurt popsicles are swirled with jammy, roasted raspberries and blueberries. Sweetened with honey, these are all-natural, delicious summer treats. Recipe yields eight 3-ounce popsicles (24 ounces in total).

4.3/5 from 9 ratings

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Before you go, here are some more recipe roundups you might appreciate:

• 27 Easy Appetizers
• 29 Epic Salad Recipes
• 18 Light Summer Dinners
• 20 Summer Potluck Recipes
• 25 Summer Cocktails

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Have you tried the classic French dessert called clafoutis? (It’s pronounced klah-foo-tee.) If not, please let me introduce you to this delightful and simple treat. Clafoutis is a delicious cross between a cake and a custard with a crackled top and luscious, fruit-studded interior. It’s sweet but not too sweet, making it the perfect ending to a lovely summer supper.

Clafoutis is typically baked with cherries, but you’ll see that I used berries here, and you’ll find more options below. My three-year-0ld loves clafoutis. She’s been asking for more “cherry cake” since last summer, and it’s about time we made more.

I made clafoutis over and over again last summer until I got the proportions of this recipe just right (nine times, to be exact). Each attempt was tasty, but the recipe I’m sharing today is perfection. I had to find the right balance between the amounts of flour, sugar, liquid and eggs to yield a silky interior that’s full of flavor but not too eggy or wet. Here it is!

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I’m so excited to share this cheesecake tart recipe with you today! The inside is creamy, lemony, sweet yet tangy, and luscious. The press-in crust is tender, lightly buttery, and punctuated with tiny bits of pistachios. (It happens to be gluten-free, too.)

The combination yields a special-occasion tart that is bright and decadent but not overwhelmingly so. Unlike a giant slice of cheesecake, this cheesecake tart has a low profile and reasonable proportions.

It took me nine tries to perfect this recipe, but it’s an absolute winner—and it’s straightforward to make! Trust me, you can do this.

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Tart rhubarb balances sweet, jammy strawberry flavor in this irresistible springtime dessert. If you can find rhubarb, you’re in for a treat!

This simple crisp recipe requires only some chopping and stirring and yields delicious results after a 40-minute bake. I’ve modified my original recipe to call for my favorite oat and almond flour-based topping, which happens to be gluten-free.

This flavor combination was inspired by my friend Stephanie. She makes the best strawberry rhubarb pie, and I’m still daydreaming about the pie that inspired this recipe over ten years ago. Stephanie has her flaky pie dough technique down pat and bakes pies for all occasions. Maybe you are lucky enough to have a master pie maker in your life, too.

I am not Stephanie and I do not bake pies. I barely have the foresight or patience to chill pie dough, though I’ve been working on my technique over the years. Crisps are gloriously easy. No waiting. No fuss.

Bring your strawberries and rhubarb home and turn on the oven. This recipe is ready to go! Make it while you can.

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Posset is a rich, creamy, citrusy British dessert. The balanced lemon flavor teeters irresistibly between tangy and sweet. A little goes a long way, so it’s perfect after a big meal. I’m downright obsessed with this recipe. Keep reading and you’ll see why!

Posset is an easy make-ahead dessert to offer at parties in individual servings. It would be lovely at Easter and Mother’s Day celebrations, baby showers, dinner parties, and more.

To make posset, you’ll need just four ingredients—heavy cream, sugar, lemons and vanilla extract—and a few extra hours to chill it in the refrigerator. You can make posset the night before and even freeze the leftovers.

Posset has been consumed in Britain for well over 600 years, though it was originally a hot drink made from sweetened, curdled milk mixed with wine or ale. It was often served to help cure colds or fevers. The modern chilled citrus and cream version came to be in the twentieth century. Since the recipe is British, posset is pronounced like “pocket” but with an s.

I first attempted posset for my cookbook, but I overcomplicated the recipe by trying to serve the posset like cheesecake squares over graham cracker crust. In hindsight, it’s best served simply in small containers, and garnished as desired. Years later, my husband reminded me of posset after he made some on a whim after finding the concept on Instagram.

I pulled out my old notes and tweaked the amounts of cream to use one full pint, used just enough sugar so it’s not too sweet, and specified the exact amounts of lemon zest and lemon juice rather than calling for two or three lemons, which always vary in size. To achieve a consistent consistency, I found a trick from America’s Test Kitchen—we’ll know the mixture is done simmering once it has reduced to two cups. This tested and perfected recipe is ready for your kitchen!

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These thumbprint cookies offer classic shortbread flavor with dazzling jam centers. Using almond flour makes them gluten free and extra delicious! They’re tender and buttery with a pop of sweetness in the center. Make these irresistible cookies for any special occasion, or just because.

This thumbprint cookie recipe is honestly so easy to make. You don’t need a mixer. You don’t need to wait for perfectly softened butter. You don’t need to chill the dough before baking. The dough comes together so quickly and rolls so easily that this recipe would be a fun baking project with kids. If you don’t typically bake with almond flour, this recipe is absolutely worth buying the bag.

Thumbprint cookies are particularly fun and versatile because you can change the flavor and the color of the centers by your choice of jam. These treats are perfect for the holidays, like Valentine’s Day (I suggest raspberry or strawberry filling), Easter (try several jams for a fun color mix), Independence Day (perhaps raspberry and blueberry), and Christmas (anything red).

For those with special diet considerations, I’ll point out that this recipe happens to be gluten free and egg free. You can make it dairy free and vegan by substituting coconut oil for the butter (see recipe notes). It’s also partially naturally sweetened with maple syrup. Of course, the recipe is not nut free due to the almond flour, but it might be just the cookie you’ve been searching for.

I’ve been perfecting this recipe over the past couple of months. I’m just so excited to share it with you! I hope it becomes a go-to recipe for you, too.

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We served this dessert at our wedding over four years ago, and it’s high time to share the recipe with you! Our family has been calling this recipe “chocolate mousse” for years but it’s much closer to a French recipe called pots de crème, which translates to jars of cream. 

These chocolate pots de crème are luscious, creamy, rich, and decadent. They are such fun desserts to offer at a party in individual servings. A little goes a long way, and that’s why I love them. I’d rather have a small portion of incredible dessert than a large portion of so-so dessert. 

This miniature dessert comes from my husband’s Great-Aunt Betty. I wonder how many times Betty has whipped up this recipe in her vibrant 97 years. My husband’s mom makes them now, and you’re almost guaranteed to find these little treats in their freezer at any given time. We were thrilled when our wedding bakery agreed to make the family recipe to serve alongside our wedding cake!

This foolproof recipe comes together quickly in the blender—no baking, no straining, no fussing. Blend it up and chill it (you can even freeze these cups for the months ahead). I hope this recipe becomes one of your family traditions, too.

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This luscious peach crisp recipe is full of warm, gooey, lightly cinnamon-y summer peaches. It’s finished with a crisp-but-tender oat and almond topping. Add a scoop of melty vanilla ice cream for the perfect late summer dessert.

Like my other crisp recipes, the recipe just-so-happens to be gluten free, so you can share it with more of your friends. Please don’t dismiss this recipe if you’re not gluten free (I’m not). It’s simply the best peach crisp I’ve ever had!

As a bonus, this crisp is a healthier option than most others. I replaced half of the butter with yogurt, which gives it an awesome, faint tang. It also has less sugar in it than most, because ripe, juicy peaches are plenty sweet as is. Frozen peaches are not nearly as nice.

Peach season is in full swing, so load up the cart with fresh peaches while you still can. Enjoy the leftovers for breakfast with Greek yogurt. You can’t beat that!

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This recipe is coming from a longtime crepe enthusiast. I’m so pleased to share my tried-and-true crepe recipe today. You might assume that crepes are difficult to make or require special equipment, but fortunately, it’s not true! In fact, these crepes are a cinch to whip together in a blender. From start to finish, they come together in under 30 minutes.

This recipe is easy to make in a regular skillet. These crepes are a more manageable size to make at home than the large traditional crepes you’ll find at a real creperie. This recipe is quite versatile, too. Use it to make sweet crepes or savory crepes, with regular flour or buckwheat flour. You’ll find all of my tips below, plus a short video that shows the cooking method.

Crepes are similar to pancakes, but thinner and much lighter. You could say that they’re more sophisticated. They are indisputably lower in carbohydrates. And they’re definitely a lovely option for Mother’s Day brunch or any weekend breakfast or lunch.

As an American, my first taste of crepes took place in high school, when Madame Gordy showed us how to make them in French class. During my college semester in France, I sampled crepes across Bordeaux and Paris, with one particularly memorable experience by a fountain in the Latin Quarter.

These days, I satisfy my crepe cravings at one of our favorite local restaurants, French Market, or I make them at home with this recipe! Our toddler loves crepes with Greek yogurt and sliced banana. I hope you enjoy these crepes as much as we do.

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Behold, my favorite luscious dessert! This cheesecake recipe hails from the Basque region of Spain—specifically, from a restaurant called La Viña, where fresh cheesecakes line the walls and smell like heaven.

Honestly, I’m not sure why this cheesecake (tarta de queso in Spanish) is called Basque cheesecake over here. We should call it La Viña cheesecake or Santiago Rivera’s cheesecake to give full credit to the man who created the concept in 1990.

We enjoyed the real deal on our honeymoon in San Sebastián in 2019. We spent the evening wandering through the old part of town, sampling pintxos and sipping marvelous inexpensive white wine everywhere we went, as you do in San Sebastián. I insisted that we make room for the magical, mythical cheesecake at La Viña, so we followed our noses around the corner until we found it.

Fast-forward a few years, and we’re sleep-deprived with a baby at home. My husband brought home a surprise Basque cheesecake from a local shop. We’ve been obsessively recreating it at home ever since, trying different methods and proportions. I’m super excited to share the perfected recipe with you today.

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