When the weather is hot, I don’t always feel like turning on my oven, but the desire to have dessert never quite goes away. Hot weather calls for no-bake treats that don’t require any preheating to get them to come together and you can find plenty of them in No-Bake Treats: Incredible Unbaked Cheesecakes, Icebox Cakes, Pies and More. This cookbook is packed with dozens of recipes that are not only easy to make, but so delicious that you’ll wonder why you weren’t not-baking much sooner!
The book doesn’t require much introduction because the techniques used in it are very straightforward, though you’ll find a chapter with tips for putting together no-bake pie crusts, perfecting your whipped cream (an important topping in this category of dessert) and choosing the right pan for dessert construction at the end of the book. It is divided into seven chapters, each featuring a different type of no-bake dessert: cheesecake, pie, layered desserts, tarts, ice cream, cookies & bars, and puddings & parfaits. It was smart to kick off the book with the cheesecake chapter because not only are no-bake cheesecakes delicious, but they are very impressive when you serve them and reveal that the whole thing was made without the help of an oven. These cheesecakes aren’t simple affairs, either. Each one has several layers of flavor. For instance, the Blueberry Crumble Cheesecake has a graham cracker crust, a white chocolate and blueberry cheesecake and a no-bake oatmeal crumble topping. The recipes are clearly written and easy to follow. Some require no heat at all, while others might require the microwave or the use of a saucepan to bring a few ingredients together.
Not only do the recipes sound wonderful as you flip through the book, but the photos of the dishes are stunning. I think that the photos are really what sell these recipes, as it is hard to believe that a no-bake cheesecake, tart or batch of cookies could come out looking as good as these recipes do. You’ll probably add a few to your summer to-do list the first time you flip through the pages. Of course, you could easily make these all year round, but hot weather is a good excuse to give them a try and enjoy something more indulgent than a pitcher of lemonade on a Sunday afternoon.
Julianne @ Beyond Frosting
July 28, 2016Thanks for your wonderful review!