We’ve all been there. We want dessert, but we don’t want a mountain of dishes to deal with after. So we’ve rounded up our favorite one-bowl bakes, a collection of easy dump-and-stir recipes that require no special tools, and dirty only one dish but don’t compromise on flavor.
Photography and food styling by Liz Neily
1) Quick and Easy Fudge Brownies
Cocoa powder gives these brownies their fudginess. Allthe ingredients are simply stirred together in a single bowl, so it’s the perfect recipe for when you want (realistically, need) brownies ASAP. Plus, you can easily make these gluten-free with Measure for Measure flour.
Get the recipe: Quick and Easy Fudge Brownies
Photography and food styling by Liz Neily
2) Whole Grain Banana Bread
Yes, you need another banana bread recipe in your life. Why? Because this recipe is incredibly adaptable to what you have on hand. Stir in chocolate chips, make it 100% whole wheat, reduce the sugar to your liking — the choice is yours. See the baker’s tips at the bottom of the recipe page for all your options. One final tip: Reuse a measuring cup to mix together cinnamon and sugar for the topping to save on dishes.
Get the recipe: Whole Grain Banana Bread
Photography by Kristin Teig; Food Styling by Liz Neily
3) Easy Cinnamon Bread
Not only does this yeast bread come together in one bowl: It’s also no-knead and requires just one proof, which means your kitchen will be filled with the aroma of toasty cinnamon sugar in no time.The best part? Those melty pockets of Cinnamon Sweet Bits in every bite.
Get the recipe: Easy Cinnamon Bread
Shop the recipe: Cinnamon Sweet Bits
Photography and food styling by Liz Neily
4) Golden Vanilla Cake
This rich, tender cake is made possible by reverse creaming. Bake it in a 9” x 13” pan for a snackable single-layer cake that can be garnished with a simple dusting of sugar, or break out your round pans for an occasion-worthy layer cake. (And, if you’re willing to use a second bowl, make frosting!)
Get the recipe: Golden Vanilla Cake
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
5) Buttermilk Biscuits
There’s no planning ahead necessary for these buttery, flaky biscuits — they’re ready in just 30 minutes, start to finish.Plus, these cutters make shaping a breeze. Consider your weekend (dare we say weekday?) breakfast sorted.
Get the recipe: Buttermilk Biscuits
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
6) Tahini Poppy Seed Pound Cake
A cake with lots of flavor doesn’t always require tons of steps. From the deep nuttiness of tahini to the crunchy texture of poppy and sesame seeds, this not-too-sweet pound cake has everything it needs to become your ideal snacking cake for any time of day.
Get the recipe: Tahini Poppy Seed Pound Cake
Photography by Rick Holbrook; Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
7) Basque-Style Cheesecake
The beauty of a Basque cheesecake is its many contrasts: a creamy, gooey interior and blistered, caramelized exterior. Yet despite its showstopping looks, this stunner of a dessert requires only five ingredients (cream cheese, sugar, salt, eggs, and heavy cream) and the batter is blitzed in a food processor.
Get the recipe: Basque-Style Cheesecake
8) Big Batch Quick Dinner Rolls
Baking for a crowd doesn’t always mean more time (or dishes). This dough comes together in your stand mixer bowl and makes two dozen rolls. Thanks to a whopping two and a half tablespoons of yeast, the recipe only requires two short 20-minute rises to make these soft, buttery dinner rolls.
Get the recipe: Big Batch Quick Dinner Rolls
Photography and food styling by Liz Neily
9) Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate chip cookie preferences spark hot debate, but if you’re pro-soft cookies, this recipe is for you. (And may even convert some who prefer crispier cookies.) A few special ingredients make these unique:Whole wheat flour adds a subtle nuttiness while a splash of vinegar helps cut the sweetness and makes the interior lighter.
Get the recipe: Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
Kristin Teig
10) Blueberry Breakfast Cake
This dreamy breakfast cake may not look like something you could throw together in just 10 minutes with a single bowl, but this recipe is so much more than the sum of its parts. Ricotta and sour cream give the cake a light, custardy texture similar to clafoutis or a Dutch baby, and the baked berries are bursting with fresh, jammy flavor.
Get the recipe: Blueberry Breakfast Cake
Photography by Rick Holbrook; Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
11) Maple-Pear Upside-Down Cake
Upside-down cakes do all the decorating for you. This recipe from The Baking School Cookbook calls for whole wheat flour to complement the sweetness of maple and caramelized pears. Or, make an easy swap for other seasonal fruit like stone fruit or apples. (The recipe calls for mixing melted butter and syrup together in a small bowl before pouring it into the pan, so it’s technically not a one-bowl bake, but you could use a liquid measuring cup that’s reused to measure the buttermilk in the batter to stick to just one bowl.)
Get the recipe: Maple-Pear Upside-Down Cake
Photography by Rick Holbrook; Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
12) Almond Cloud Cookies
Almond paste, almond extract, and almond flour give these cookies their namesake soft, cloud-like texture on the inside and crunchy, shell-like exterior. They’re a well-loved favorite from our bakery for a reason!
Get the recipe: Almond Cloud Cookies
Photography and food styling by Liz Neily
13) Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
When you want a chocolate chip cookie, but don’t have the patience to let the dough rest overnight, cookie bars are the answer. These blondies have all of a cookie’s most desirable traits in bar form: a shiny, crackly crust, a chewy interior, and melty pockets of chocolate throughout.
Get the recipe: Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Melina Hammer
14) Orange and Greek Yogurt Cake
Think of this dessert as a Creamsicle-meets-snacking cake. Greek yogurt gives the cake tangy richness, and a full tablespoon of vanilla complements the orange juice and zest for well-rounded flavor.
Get the recipe: Orange and Greek Yogurt Cake
Photography and food styling by Liz Neily
15) Cream Tea Scones
Using heavy cream instead of butter makes for an even easier scone: Justwhisk the flour, sugar, salt, and leavener together, then add the cream until a cohesive dough forms. You’ll need to combine the vanilla and heavy cream in a measuring cup ahead of time, but it’s a small sacrifice for perfectly tender scones. All that’s missing is a side of clotted cream and your favorite jam for an afternoon tea-worthy snack.
Get the recipe: Cream Tea Scones
Cover photo (Cream Tea Scones) by Liz Neily.
