By Rachel Rappaport of Coconut & Lime

Photo by Dianne’s Dishes

I don’t know how it is where you live, but here in Baltimore, we are lucky if it goes below 90 degrees in August. The heat however, doesn’t stop me from wanting dessert. Perhaps the simplest of no bake desserts is a yogurt parfait with fresh fruit or even just the perfect peach but if you are up to something a little more complicated, you have a wide range of options.

Over at Closet Cooking, Kevin made a classic no-bake
cheesecake that would be perfect to serve with fresh Summer berries. Or if you want something slightly less traditional, try one of Dianne’s no bake cheesecakes. She has recipes for both a no bake key lime version and a peanut butter cheesecake with homemade hot fudge.

Photo by Confabulation in the Kitchen

If cookies are more your thing, how about these Nutella
Oatmeal Cookies from Bake or Break. These no
bake bar cookies from Confabulation in the Kitchen are full of
oats, chocolate and peanut butter. Feeling sporty? How about trying
these no bake cherry-almond energy bars?

Photo by Coconut & Lime

My absolute favorite no bake desserts are ice box pies. So named
because they require no baking and set up in the refrigerator (the ice
box), they are perfect for summer. They are also a great way to use up
seasonal fruit. My favorite is this blueberry ginger pie I made last year, it was little more than fruit in a shell and really showed off the blueberry’s fresh flavor. I also like
the look of this mango pie; it looks both creamy and fruity. Little Spatula made a lemon
ice box pie that looks super refreshing.

And let’s not forget what is possibly the most obvious of no bake
desserts: ice cream! Andrea’s Recipes has the tropical sounding passion
fruit macadamia nut ice cream or try this creamy avocado
ice cream from the Perfect Pantry. Looking for something a little
more traditional? Check out this peach ice cream from Homesick Texan. Or this low fat chocolate
ice cream from Christine Cooks.

Photo by Karina’s Kitchen

Sherbets, sorbets and granitas can all highlight natural flavors and
cool you off on a hot day. This intriguing strawberry
sherbet is made with vanilla hemp milk and suitable for vegans. Or
try this blackberry
lemon verbena sorbet to use up some in season blackberries. This
lime
sorbet would be a great palate cleanser. This violet
granita is sure to impress anyone lucky enough to eat it.

For more delicious “No Bake” dessert recipes, try the FoodieView Recipe Search Engine.

Rachel Rappaport is a food writer and recipe creator who lives in Baltimore, Maryland. You can check out over 600 of her original recipes at her award winning food blog, Coconut & Lime.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 25th, 2008 at 12:29 pm and is filed under Recipe Roundup. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.