Sure, you can binge Single’s Inferno on Netflix or try reading that self-help book (again…). But why resign yourself to the couch when the oven is calling your name? Feel productive—and reward yourself with dessert—by making one of these 70 fun things to bake instead. Whether you’re just bored or need to whip something sweet up on the fly, your taste buds will thank you for the following cookies, cakes, pies and more.
RELATED: 54 Winter Desserts Worth Cozying Up to All Season
Total Cook Time: 20 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy, gluten-free, dairy-free
These sweet-and-salty handhelds, made with sugar-free peanut butter, keep in the freezer for up to three months.
Total Cook Time: 35 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy
For those days when you’re craving pie but have no time to bake one. You can thank us later.
Total Cook Time: 40 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy, Insta-worthy
Think of them as classy homemade Oreos.
Total Cook Time: 1 hour and 50 minutes
Why We Love It: Insta-worthy
This dessert is inspired by light-as-clouds semlor, a yeasted Swedish cake.
Total Cook Time: 1 hour and 5 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy
The secret ingredient in this ooey-gooey masterpiece? Freshly brewed coffee.
Total Cook Time: 2 hours and 25 minutes
Why We Love It: Gluten-free, Insta-worthy
Well, well, well. Aren’t you ambitious? (JK, the apple roses are easier to make than you’d think.)
Total Cook Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy, no-bake
Crowned with salted Rice Krispy-hazelnut crackle for good measure.
Total Cook Time: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy
Way less work than crimping and blind-baking a homemade pie crust.
Total Cook Time: 1 hour
Why We Love It: Easy
Your cast iron skillet basically guarantees crispy edges and a fluffy center.
Total Cook Time: 7 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy
In case you simply can’t be trusted around a whole fresh batch.
Total Cook Time: 1 hour and 55 minutes
Why We Love It: Insta-worthy
Vino, dessert and sprinkles—the gang’s all here.
Total Cook Time: 1 hour
Why We Love It: Easy, Insta-worthy
Pillsbury has nothing on these beauties. Consider them the kids’ new favorite breakfast.
Total Cook Time: 1 hour
Why We Love It: Easy, no-bake, Insta-worthy
Trade baking for frying and you’ve got cinnamon-sugar tortilla chips with a slew of sweet fixings.
Total Cook Time: 10 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy
Face it, there’s no better way to get your chocolate fix.
Total Cook Time: 50 minutes
Why We Love It: Insta-worthy
Rubbing lemon zest into the sugar helps release more of its natural citrus flavor into the cookies.
Total Cook Time: 45 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy, Insta-worthy
Who knew a five-ingredient dessert could look this gorgeous? It's all thanks to vibrant rhubarb.
Total Cook Time: 10 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy, no-bake, gluten-free
The best impromptu baking recipes are those that require no baking at all.
Total Cook Time: 1 hour
Why We Love It: Insta-worthy
Warning: Your brunch guests will think you scored these at a posh local café.
Total Cook Time: 55 minutes
Why We Love It: Insta-worthy
Store-bought puff pastry meets sticky-sweet, caramelized produce.
Total Cook Time: 1 hour
Why We Love It: Easy, Insta-worthy
Less is more—unless we’re talking about breakfast pastries. (And two-ingredient vanilla icing.)
Total Cook Time: 45 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy
Bookmark them now, bake them on Thanksgiving.
Total Cook Time: 55 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy
The key is boiling apple cider until it reduces into a highly concentrated, flavorful syrup.
Total Cook Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy, no-bake
These have Valentine’s Day goody bags written all over them.
Total Cook Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Why We Love It: Insta-worthy
C’mon, how ridiculously adorable are these doughnut doppelgangers? They’re basically edible emojis.
Total Cook Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy, no-bake, gluten-free
You only need six ingredients and a couple hours to pull off this sophisticated Italian treat.
Total Cook Time: 3 hours and 30 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy, no-bake, gluten-free
If you’ve been devastated by deflated soufflé before, fret not. This one comes together in the freezer instead of the oven.
Total Cook Time: 10 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy
Feel free to toss in whatever berries you have on hand, but the whipped cream is non-negotiable.
Total Cook Time: 4 hours and 30 minutes
Why We Love It: Insta-worthy
On the hunt for a weekend baking project? Look no further than this impressive pick, starring homemade puff pastry.
Total Cook Time: 40 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy, Insta-worthy
Something tells us your kids won’t want birthday cake for their next party once they catch wind of this triple threat.
Total Cook Time: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy
They taste like a blissful combo of sugar cookies and coconut macaroons, and we’re here for it.
Total Cook Time: 10 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy, gluten-free
Keep this Brie recipe in your back pocket for the next time your in-laws make an unexpected visit.
Total Cook Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy
Just in case quarantine hasn’t turned you into a total pro yet, this banana bread is perfectly moist and pretty darn foolproof.
Total Cook Time: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy, Insta-worthy
The whipped cream frosting stays firm and pink, thanks to freeze-dried strawberries.
Total Cook Time: 1 hour and 25 minutes
Why We Love It: Insta-worthy
This tri-flavored custard pie is peak nostalgia.
Total Cook Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes
Why We Love It: Insta-worthy
If you’re a sucker for all things sweet and salty, add this stunner to your to-bake list, stat.
Total Cook Time: 35 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy
An endless supply of homemade copycat cookies > one bag of 16 store-bought Milanos.
Total Cook Time: 1 hour and 5 minutes
Why We Love It: No-bake, gluten-free, Insta-worthy
You can thank your nine-inch tart pan for this ingenious invention.
Total Cook Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy, Insta-worthy
Slivered almonds + sugar = a sweet, crunchy caramel crust.
Total Cook Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Why We Love It: Insta-worthy
Be sure to steep whole cardamom pods—not ground cardamom—in the cream to give the custard its warm flavor.
Total Cook Time: 1 hour
Why We Love It: Easy
Let your kids top them off with marshmallows right before they finish baking, so they can watch them melt in the oven.
Total Cook Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy, gluten-free
These Brazilian sweets are dangerously poppable, not to mention a breeze to make.
Total Cook Time: 50 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy, gluten-free, no-bake, Insta-worthy
Table this pear-y chic idea (sorry) for your next fancy dinner party. All it takes is simmering the fruit in spiced wine until tender.
Total Cook Time: 10 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy, gluten-free
Cassava flour, maple syrup and coconut whipped cream keep this 10-minute wonder Paleo.
Total Cook Time: 5 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy
Because graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows still taste divine together in the dead of winter.
Total Cook Time: 45 minutes
Why We Love It: Insta-worthy
There’s truly nothing your muffin tin can’t do. Oh, and FYI, there’s no way you’ll be able to stop after just one.
Total Cook Time: 45 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy
We’ll be washing ours down with a pumpkin spice latte, obvi.
Total Cook Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes
Why We Love It: No-bake, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, Insta-worthy
A sprinkling of rose tea is a great substitute if you don’t have dried rose petals in the spice cabinet (or don’t feel like searching for them at the store).
Total Cook Time: 3 hours
Why We Love It: Gluten-free, Insta-worthy
Sweet, airy meringues layered with tart, five-ingredient grapefruit curd? Don’t mind if we do.
Total Cook Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Why We Love It: Insta-worthy
Sticky toffee pudding, aka a holiday date spongecake from Britain, was long overdue for an upgrade. This one boasts thick honey-butter caramel.
Total Cook Time: 25 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy
They’re soft and chewy like the O.G., but also rolled in sugar before baking for crunchy, caramelized bottoms.
Total Cook Time: 3 hours and 15 minutes
Why We Love It: Gluten-free, Insta-worthy
Think meringue topped with roasted, spiced apples and honey-vanilla whipped cream. So light, yet so decadent.
Total Cook Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy
Make this for every summer barbecue you ever throw and boom: You’re the hostess with the mostest.
Total Cook Time: 40 minutes
Why We Love It: Insta-worthy
A simple caramel sauce sweetens the cookies and gives them a killer burnt sugar flavor. Feel free to dip them in dark chocolate or top them with flaky salt.
Total Cook Time: 55 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy
It’s as easy as crinkling store-bought dough into a skillet, plopping in fresh plums and letting the oven do the rest.
Total Cook Time: 2 hours and 45 minutes
Why We Love It: Insta-worthy
Food coloring? You can do better than that. Pulse freeze-dried strawberries and sugar in the food processor instead to turn the crust pink.
Total Cook Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy, no-bake
Aka the tastiest way to repurpose leftover sugar cookies. The secret is cream cheese.
Total Cook Time: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy
You’ll have two dozen of ’em ready to eat in less time than it takes to watch an episode of Schitt’s Creek.
Total Cook Time: 1 hour and 25 minutes plus overnight chilling
Why We Love It: Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, Insta-worthy
We fell hard for both the gingersnap crust and the candied ginger-pistachio topping.
Total Cook Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy, Insta-worthy
Not only are tiny desserts more fun to eat, but they’re also more fun to bake.
Total Cook Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy, Insta-worthy
Violets, pansies, lavender, roses—the garden is your oyster. (P.S.: You can find dried edible flowers at Gourmet Sweet Botanicals.)
Total Cook Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy, dairy-free (if the pie crust is butter-free)
Do your summer farmers market haul some justice by showing it off atop store-bought pie crust.
Total Cook Time: 50 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy
Because no baker (or, um, eater) should ever have to choose between cookies and brownies.
Total Cook Time: 1 hour and 35 minutes
Why We Love It: Insta-worthy
Ready thy camera—that lilac-hued meringue topper is destined for social media.
Total Cook Time: 55 minutes
Why We Love It: Insta-worthy
Since the recipe calls for frozen berries instead of fresh, you can whip up this impressive dessert any time of year.
Total Cook Time: 3 hours and 10 minutes
Why We Love It: Insta-worthy
We hope you like things a lil’ spicy, because this pie calls for fresh, ground *and* crystallized ginger.
Total Cook Time: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy
Craving this summer staple in the off-season? Trade the bonfire for your oven’s broiler and a cast iron skillet.
Total Cook Time: 10 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy, gluten-free
On the worst of days, there’s no cure quite like raw cookie dough. Do yourself a favor and indulge safely in this egg- and wheat-free take instead of the store-bought kind.
Total Cook Time: 40 minutes plus 2 hours chilling
Why We Love It: Easy, Instaworthy
What's sweet, sour, silky and crunchy in every bite? These lime-kissed cuties, which come together in mess-free muffin tins.
Total Cook Time: 3 hours and 5 minutes
Why We Love It: Instaworthy
This peasant bread recipe is mind-blowingly easy to pull off (and it's hiding a generous layer of cinnamon sugar).
Total Cook Time: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: Easy, Instaworthy
Believe it or not, the marbled design is such a breeze to pull off that even your kids can help decorate. Start with store-bought sugar cookie dough to save time.
RELATED: The Best 10-Minute Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth, Like, Now
For even more great recipes, check out our first cookbook, Only the Good Stuff.