A Month of Summer Dessert Recipes

July 01, 2012
Oxmoor House
Find a summer dessert recipe everyday throughout the month of July.
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Grilled Peaches with Honey Cream

Photo: John Autry
View Recipe: Grilled Peaches with Honey Cream

The perfect summer cookout treat, grilling brings out the sweetness in peaches. If you can't find them, feel free to use apricots or nectarines instead of peaches. Garnish with mint to serve.

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Rich Chocolate Pudding Pie

Photo: Anna Williams
View Recipe: Rich Chocolate Pudding Pie

Melted chocolate binds cookie crumbs for the crust—and makes it extra delicious. Substitute 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for the rum.

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Green Tomato and Fig Cupcakes

Photo: Johnny Miller
View Recipe: Green Tomato and Fig Cupcakes

Tomatoes and fig come together to create an unusual, yet oh-so-decadent dessert that everyone in the family will love.

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No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake with Mixed Berries

Photo: Marcus Nilsson
View Recipe: No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake with Mixed Berries

Taste the berries for tartness beforehand; and adjust with sugar or lemon if needed.

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Lemon Curd with Berries

Photo: Johnny Autry
View Recipe: Lemon Curd with Berries

In this custard, citrus juice stands in for milk as the base liquid, thickened by egg yolks. Butter gives the curd a glorious sheen. Garnish with mint leaves for a spot of green color.

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Peach Cobbler Ice Cream with Bourbon-Caramel Sauce

Photo: Squire Fox
Here's a delicious ice-cream recipe that doesn't require an ice-cream maker: Just stir the ingredients together, and freeze. Fold the whipped topping in with as few strokes as possible while making sure everything is well blended.

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Cherry-Almond Crisp

Photo: Anna Williams
View Recipe: Cherry-Almond Crisp

Fresh tart cherries can be hard to find, which is why we add some dried ones to boost the flavor of this crisp. If you have access to fresh tart cherries, use 3 pounds and omit the dried fruit. Serve with vanilla low-fat ice cream, if desired; a small (1/4-cup) scoop will add 55 calories and 0.5 grams of saturated fat to each serving.

8 of 31

Raspberry-Mint Ice Pops

Photo: Marcus Nilsson
View Recipe: Raspberry-Mint Ice Pops

Fresh and tart, these pops are the best way to up your fruit intake in the summertime.

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Mint Julep Granita

Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Mint Julep Granita

The classic cocktail provides relief from the heat of a Southern summer, so why not freeze and serve it for dessert? Mint-infused simple syrup and smoky-sweet bourbon combine in a slushy delight that's definitely not for kids.

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Apricot-Thyme Galette

Photo: Gentl & Hyers
View Recipe: Apricot-Thyme Galette

A sprinkling of fresh, fragrant thyme leaves over ripe apricots helps bring this flat cake to staff favorite status. Food Editor Ann Taylor Pittman agrees: "The addition of thyme is an absolutely ingenious, delicious touch."

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Bittersweet Chocolate-Cherry Sorbet

Photo: Gentl & Hyers
View Recipe: Bittersweet Chocolate-Cherry Sorbet

Tart-sweet cherry and strong dark chocolate flavors meld beautifully in this surprisingly rich sorbet crowned with juicy fresh cherries. Use a high-quality jam for the sorbet, and be sure to start the process a day ahead for the best flavor and texture.

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Easy Peach Crisp

Photo: Johnny Autry
View Recipe: Easy Peach Crisp

Choose peaches that are ripe but still slightly firm to the touch.

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Margarita Ice-Cream Sandwiches

Photo: Anna Williams
View Recipe: Margarita Ice-Cream Sandwiches

Fresh lime zest and coarse sea salt mimic the flavors of a margarita in this treat that kids and adults will love.

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Lemon-Earl Grey Squares

Photo: Romulo Yanes
View Recipe: Lemon-Earl Grey Squares

Lemon squares are a tried and true summer classic, but you know we've got to mix it up. Try these decidedly different sweet treats and you won't look back.

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Double-Cherry Upside-Down Cake

Photo: José Picayo
View Recipe: Double-Cherry Upside-Down Cake

Juices released from the fruit make for a moist cake. The batter comes to the top of the pan and threatens to spill over. It shouldn't, but just in case, bake on a foil-lined baking sheet.

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Lemon Verbena Ice Cream

Photo: Romulo Yanes
View Recipe: Lemon Verbena Ice Cream

"I remember discovering lemon verbena one summer at the greenmarket in New York," says Chef Hatfield (Hatfield's, Los Angeles). "The smell is intoxicating, and it stays with you forever."

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Watermelon-Jalapeño Ice Pops

Photo: Anna Williams
View Recipe: Watermelon-Jalapeño Ice Pops

The ice pop gets a decidedly grown-up spin: It’s made from fresh melon, chile, and lime—both juice and rind. A bit of pectin helps keep all the ingredients incorporated evenly; without it, they tend to separate.

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Peach and Basil Shortcake

Photo: Romulo Yanes
View Recipe: Peach and Basil Shortcake

This company-worthy shortcake is both beautiful and delicious. We love the unexpected flavor that basil brings to the table.

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Cantaloupe Sherbet

Photo: Johnny Miller
View Recipe: Cantaloupe Sherbet

Cool off with this adult sherbet, made with fresh cantaloupe, heavy cream, and vodka.

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Blackberry Merlot Granita

Photo: Romulo Yanes
View Recipe: Blackberry Merlot Granita

"This reminds me of summer after catching lightning bugs," says Chef Myers (Comme Ça, Los Angeles). "My family would eat fresh-picked blackberries like candy after dinner as the sun was going down."

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Bourbon Candied Cherries

Photo: José Picayo
The taste of a Manhattan in a fruit snack! Serve the cherries as a fun party nibble, or use in cocktails. Don't toss the soaking liquid—stir it into cocktails, or drizzle over ice cream or pound cake. The cherries taste best after soaking at least three days (we loved them after six days), and they will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

View Recipe: Bourbon Candied Cherries

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Rustic Huckleberry-Blackberry Tart

Photo: Marcus Nilsson
View Recipe: Rustic Huckleberry-Blackberry Tart

If you can't find huckleberries, use blueberries.

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Limoncello-Mint Sorbet with Fresh Blackberries

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Limoncello-Mint Sorbet

Limoncello is an Italian liqueur that can be mixed in a refreshing spritzer, but it truly stands out in this sorbet when paired with aromatic mint and fresh blackberries.

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Seared Figs and White Peaches with Balsamic Reduction

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Seared Figs and White Peaches with Balsamic Reduction

Ripe figs and peaches have naturally high levels of sugar, which means they'll caramelize beautifully without additional sugar or copious amounts of fat. This simple yet elegant dessert is a great way to maintain the texture and floral flavors of these delicate fruits. Toasted whole black peppercorns add an interesting savory flavor to this dish.

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Peach, Plum, and Apricot Crisp

Photo: Gentl & Hyers
View Recipe: Peach, Plum, and Apricot Crisp

Stone fruits work their magic with this dessert. Serve warm with vanilla low-fat ice cream.

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Piña Colada Sorbet

Photo: Anna Williams
View Recipe: Piña Colada Sorbet

Three kinds of coconut products—coconut water and milk and cream of coconut—offer the best flavor and texture. Look for coconut water by the fruit juices. For an adult treat, drizzle rum over your serving.

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Fresh Cherry Galette

Photo: José Picayo
View Recipe: Fresh Cherry Galette

The galette looks and sounds fancy, but with its free-form shape, it's ridiculously easy. Rainier cherries have pale, creamy flesh and are larger and sweeter than Bing cherries. If you opt for another variety, add an extra tablespoon of sugar.

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Minted Watermelon and Lemon Ice Pops

Photo: Gentl & Hyers
View Recipe: Minted Watermelon and Lemon Ice Pops

Juicy-tangy watermelon ice pops somehow taste more of melon than the fruit itself.

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Gingered Blueberry Shortcake

Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Gingered Blueberry Shortcake

Blueberries signal the arrival of summer's sweetest days, and this dessert highlights them perfectly. Crumbly shortbread and homemade whipped cream elevate a simple berry to a memorably indulgent treat. The components of this dish can be made in advance, then assembled just before serving.

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Chocolate-Mint Bars

View Recipe: Chocolate-Mint Bars

You'll love these Chocolate-Mint Bars if you're a big fan of the thin chocolate-mint Girl Scout cookies or Andes candies. Refrigerating the bars allows the mint layer and glaze to set properly. For a more grown-up taste, you can substitute dark chocolate chips for some or all of the semisweet chocolate chips in the glaze.

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Chocolate Cookie Ice-Cream Sandwiches

Oxmoor House
View Recipe: Chocolate Cookie Ice-Cream Sandwiches

If you've ever bitten into an ice-cream sandwich only to feel cheated of cookie, these little rounds deliver what you've been missing.

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