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My mom tells a story from my childhood about discovering me sitting on the kitchen counter as a toddler, shoveling granulated sugar from the canister into my face, saying, “Mommy, it tastes good!” Years later, that exact scenario appeared in the John Waters movie “Pecker,” somehow validating my unhinged candy crush. It’s no wonder I was intrigued by the Turkish delight in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” and also baffled at how candy could possibly have turkey in it. (Spoiler alert: It doesn’t.) For me, it’s been pedal to the metal ever since, living with a stomach that always has room for dessert.
I’ve met people who don’t like chocolate, can’t do sweets, and think a meal should end with a cheese plate — listen, even if it’s French, I prefer my cheese on a wine-cuterie board — but I’ve never met a sweet I didn’t like. I’m all for keeping a MAHA eye on added sugar, but I’m also Team Live Your Life where it’s okay to enjoy a treat now and then. If celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis is the sensible angel on your shoulder with her motto “I eat a little bit of everything and not a lot of anything,” I’m over here on your fun side wearing a red onesie, waving you in for a worthwhile splurge.
Celebrating whoever really said “Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first,” these easy dessert recipes understand the assignment when it comes to family gatherings, game days, or those moments you need a little food for your soul.
Two-Ingredient Japanese Cheesecake
@jericafeasts Had to try the viral 2 ingredient Japanese cheesecake cake. 2 ingredients: 1. Tub of Siggis Greek yogurt t 2. Biscoff cookies Left in fridge overnight! Actually so yum – the layered mix between thick yogurt and sweet crumbly crackers >> #viraljapanesehack #japancheesecake #japanyogurtcake #japangreekyogurt #greekyogurtbiscoff ♬ original sound – sped up 2000’s audios
Love a TikTok recipe that actually works? It doesn’t get any easier than making dessert out of store-bought cookies and a container of yogurt. Tagging in as the no-brainer snack you didn’t know you needed, viral “Japanese cheesecake” leverages a combo of tangy Greek yogurt and cinnamon-spiced Biscoff cookies.
The trend started in Japan (that’s where the name comes from) with TikToker Stan Fukase, but instead of mimicking the fluffy soufflé-like cheesecakes of Osaka, it serves 100% American cheesecake vibes — minus your favorite strawberry or cherry topping. After a few hours in the fridge, the cookies soften in their yogurt “hot” tub, lending an ultra-smooth, scoopable bite.
What you need:
- One 32-ounce container of Greek yogurt (like Fage, Chobani, Siggi’s, Stonyfield)
- A package of Lotus Biscoff cookies (about 13 cookies)
How to make it:
- Remove a few spoonfuls of yogurt from the container to create some extra room, then insert the cookies vertically so they’re almost completely submerged in the yogurt.
- Cover the yogurt and cookie mixture, and let it chill in the fridge for four hours, or overnight. Then enjoy!
Tips:
- If you can’t find Biscoff cookies, try Aldi Benton’s Speculoos, Trader Joe’s Speculoos, Sweet Loren’s Cinnamon Breakfast cookies, or gingersnaps.
- For kid-friendly or single-serve portions, just add a few cookies to a five-ounce snack-sized yogurt cup!
Date Bark
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Fruit, but make it taste like Snickers. If you’re new to the magical world of dates as a nutritious dessert ingredient, let me introduce you to my favorite refined sugar substitute using this viral date bark recipe from Lina Jibbari, aka @thathealthjunkie on TikTok. After layering dates with peanut butter, almonds, melted chocolate, and a sprinkle of sea salt, you’ll be saying, “Candy bar, who?” about the store-bought stuff.
The globally beloved food of our ancestors from thousands of years ago is finally getting the fame it deserves in the U.S. But of the hundreds of varieties of dates out there, the medjool is called “the King of Dates” for tasting most like nature’s candy, lending a caramel-like chew to this deliciously crunchy, salty bark.
What you need:
- 20 soft medjool dates, pits removed
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup almonds
- 4 ounces of chocolate, chopped (Baker’s semi-sweet bar, or chocolate chips)
- Flaky sea salt for garnish
How to make it:
- Using a parchment-lined baking sheet, arrange the dates in a single layer, close together. Use a greased cup or second layer of parchment to press them flat.
- Next, drizzle or spread the peanut butter over the dates, then top with the almonds.
- Melt the chopped chocolate in the microwave, stirring after each 20-second interval, then pour over the date mixture. While the chocolate is still warm, sprinkle sea salt over the top.
- Chill the pan in the fridge until it’s set, or for about 30 minutes. Then chop the bark into pieces, or break it apart with your hands, and serve!
Tips:
- Make this recipe your own by swapping almonds out for your favorite nut, such as peanuts, cashews, walnuts, or pistachios. You can also chop the nuts for easier sprinkling.
- For the most Snickers-like flavor, you can’t go wrong with milk chocolate!
Ina Garten’s Brownie Pudding
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Buckle up, brownie crew. Ina Garten is the queen of elevated “how easy is that” baking, and her trending brownie pudding recipe dishes molten insides and supremely crunchy, caramelized edges. “Anybody who tries to make brownies without butter should be arrested,” Garten suggests, inspiring me to nominate her for the Nobel Prize. They’re not, like, regular brownies, they’re cool brownies — built to send the whole gang to chocolatey heaven.
It only took 18 years for Garten’s brownie pudding to become an overnight success. After baking standard brownies for her then-boyfriend, Jeffrey, when she was a teen, Garten celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2008 by whipping up a brownie pudding meant to keep the spark alive. A Hamptons girlie herself, Garten was originally gifted the recipe from her friend Anna Pump, founder of the Loaves & Fishes specialty market in East Hampton, where the signature brownie pudding still appears on the seasonal menu. Lucky for us, instead of battling traffic in Amagansett during the high season, all we have to do is set our ovens to “bake.”
What you need:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter and more to butter the dish
- 4 extra-large eggs at room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- Seeds scraped from a vanilla bean (or 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract)
- Optional: 1 tablespoon framboise liqueur such as Chambord
- Vanilla ice cream for serving
How to make it:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and butter a 9-by-12-inch baking dish. Melt the two sticks of butter and let cool.
- Combine the cocoa powder and flour in a separate bowl.
- Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment on medium-high, beat the sugar and eggs until fluffy, or for about 10 minutes.
- Setting the mixer to low, add vanilla bean seeds or extract, optional framboise, and flour and cocoa powder. Mix until just combined. Add melted butter, and once again mix until just combined.
- Pour the brownie batter into the baking dish, and set that dish inside a larger pan. Add enough hot tap water to the pan to rise halfway up the baking dish, and bake in the water bath for an hour. It’s done when a cake tester inserted two inches from the edge comes out mostly clean. (It won’t appear fully set — it’s not brownies; it’s brownie pudding!) Let everything cool, and then top each serving with ice cream.
Tips:
- If framboise feels too bougie, you can absolutely skip it.
- Make it sweet and salty by topping each serving with a sprinkle of sea salt.
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The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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