Pocket Friendly Recipes
From the readers
I did not expect to love chocolate hummus, but here we are! It was the first thing I tried since I already had all the ingredients – really good. But that peach cobbler was HEAVENLY. I’m definitely making it for Thanksgiving this year.
★★★★
Louise M.
Dang it. Really hoped those lemon brownies didn't taste as good as they looked. They're officially the best thing that's come out of my oven. It was sooo moist and had the perfect amount of sweetness.
★★★★★
Erin Kerr
Made one of the cookies with the kids last weekend. Not bad for a first try.
★★★★★
Sheila Barnett
As featured in
Lemon Brownies - page 10
Coffee Cake - page 16
Raspberry Cheesecake - page 53
Chocolate Pie - page 60
Cookie Dough Cookies - page 83
Bluberry Scones - page 114
Apple Cobbler - page 122
Matcha Tiramisu - page 133
DESSERT FIRST
A collection of 61 dessert recipes I’ve made for celebrations, quiet weekends at home, and all those moments in between when a little sweet treat just feels right. Dessert has always been my favorite part of the meal — the slice of cake everyone looks forward to, a pan of warm bars cooling on the counter, that pie that reminds you of weekends at grandma’s.
This ebook brings together the desserts I come back to again and again. Comforting, special, and meant to be shared.
Pick your favorite
There are tender cakes and fudgy bars, a lineup of creamy cheesecakes that runs from classic Lemon to Salted Caramel, and a whole chapter of pies from a lattice-topped Cherry to a proper Boston Cream.
If cookies are your weakness, you've got everything from bakery-style Crumbl Cookies to soft Peanut Butter ones the kids can help roll out. And on the days you want something fresher, the fruit desserts and no-bakes bring warm Peach Cobbler, silky Chocolate Mousse, and a Tiramisu worth clearing an afternoon for.
From show-stoppers to five-minute fixes
What I love most about dessert is you can always make time for it. When the craving won't wait, a Strawberry Dump Cake goes together with almost no effort, and a Chocolate Lasagna layers its Oreo crust and cream without you ever turning on the oven.
On the days you actually want to bake, though, there's a tall layered Chocolate Cake, a from-scratch Boston Cream Pie, and cheesecakes that reward every minute of the wait. Whether you're brand new to baking or you've been at it for years, you'll find your level here.
Save room for dessert
There are desserts I make for no reason at all, except that I can't help myself! My Strawberry Earthquake Cake comes out gooey and sweet and vanishes almost as fast as I can slice it. And that layered Chocolate Cake is the one I keep coming back to whenever nothing but chocolate will do. Consider yourself warned: none of them last long on the counter.
Download it now and have dessert first!
Hi, I'm Mandy.
I learned how to cook on a budget from a lot of places. From my parents trying to make ends meet, from my friends when we were all figuring things out, from nights when I refused to go to the grocery store and had to get creative with what was left.
Those lessons shaped how I cook today. Simple, smart, and always satisfying.
I'm so glad you're here. Can't wait to cook together!