No-Bake Summer Desserts

Step away from the stove. Keep cool in the kitchen with these no-cook treats that will satisfy your sweet tooth without turning on the oven. From squares to parfaits to an ever so simple granita, each of these recipes is easy to make, tasty to eat, and guaranteed to get the chef loads of compliments.

An icebox cake is an impressive no-bake dessert without much fuss. We've taken the basic concept of layering a sweetened and flavoured cream with regular cookies and turned it into an individual dessert that will delight whoever is lucky enough to enjoy it. Once you've mastered the art of creating an oven-free cupcake, feel free to change up the flavours and fillings using a variety of store-bought cookies and assorted puddings or flavoured whipped creams.

Skip the lengthy steps required to make homemade ice creams and sorbets, and instead stuff your freezer (and face!) full of granitas. Similar to a sno-cone, this flaked frozen treat can be made from almost any sweetened liquid but we've opted to use one of the kids' favourite drinks: pink lemonade. For a satisfying variation, try topping the granita with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or sorbet for a pink lemonade-flavoured creamsicle dessert.

This very light (we replaced half the whipping cream with Greek yogurt) and slightly sweet mousse pairs perfectly with spiced peaches, blueberries, and crunchy cookies to make the easiest dessert you'll put together this summer. Feel free to replace the peaches with plums, if desired.