The Sweeter Side of the Ranch: Ree Drummond's Best Dessert Recipes

From a towering chocolate cake to fruit cobblers and caramel-laced brownies, check out The Pioneer Woman's sweet-tooth-satisfying treats.

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Photo By: Armando Rafael

Photo By: Teri Lyn Fisher

Photo By: Armando Rafael

Raspberry Cream Pie

Crushed chocolate sandwich cookies make up the base of this party-ready pie, which gets its flavor (and pretty pink hue) from a combination of fresh raspberries and raspberry yogurt in the filling. Store-bought instant pudding mix helps the filling turn out rich and thick (and saves you time when prepping the dessert).

Get the Recipe: Raspberry Cream Pie

Lemon Thyme Pudding

These individual-serving puddings look fancy, but they’re actually so easy to prep. Ree balances the super-creamy lemon pudding with a base of crushed cookies.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Thyme Pudding

Black Forest Cake For Two

For Ree, every celebration has to have cake. Layers of chocolate cake, whipped cream and a syrupy cherry sauce make for a decadent dessert fit for any occasion, even a regular weeknight at home.

Get the Recipe: Black Forest Cake For Two

Confetti Blondies

True to their name, these bitesize desserts are bursting with color. Follow Ree’s lead and add a generous amount of sprinkles to the blondie batter and the fluffy whipped cream on top for adorable results.

Get the Recipe: Confetti Blondies

Top Secret Chocolate Cake

Believe it or not, the secret to Ree’s impressive dessert is a store-bought dark chocolate cake mix. Whip together her two-ingredient ganache frosting for decadent results.

Get the Recipe: Top Secret Chocolate Cake

Frozen Custard

The key to Ree’s smooth custard is to gently temper the egg yolks by drizzling in a hot half-and-half mixture for a rich, silky consistency.

Get the Recipe: Frozen Custard

Apple Crisp

Ree throws together her father-in-law’s favorite dessert using a full pan of sliced apples topped with a generous helping of sugar and oats.

Get the Recipe: Apple Crisp

Missy's Lemon and Blueberry Cupcakes

Lemon and blueberries are culinary complements, and here they star in tender, moist cupcakes. Not only is there fresh lemon peel in the cupcake batter, but the frosting is made with both lemon juice and zest, and the cupcakes are adorned with even more lemon peel for a bright finish.

Get the Recipe: Missy's Lemon and Blueberry Cupcakes

Chocolate Butterscotch Caramel Bars

A brown sugar-oat mixture forms the crust of these layered bars, which get their gooey center from a blanket of creamy dulce de leche. Follow Ree's lead and opt for canned dulce de leche to keep the prep work easy.

Get the Recipe: Chocolate Butterscotch Caramel Bars

Salted Caramel Cheesecake Squares

It's all about layers of decadence in Ree's sweet-tooth-satisfying dessert. She makes her own buttery caramel sauce for an especially rich taste.

Get the Recipe: Salted Caramel Cheesecake Squares

Crazy Chocolate Shakes

When concocting a milkshake of this magnitude, layering becomes key. Ree starts with swirls of ganache inside the glass, plus along the rim, so candies can stick to the chocolate. After that, she opts for a base of chocolate ice cream, then she piles on the toppings, including caramel bars for over-the-top dessert decadence.

Get the Recipe: Crazy Chocolate Shakes

Triple Chocolate Tiramisu

For a no-bake dessert that yields impressive results every time, look no further than this party-ready tiramisu. The espresso-soaked ladyfinger cookies will slowly soften as they absorb the indulgent combination of white chocolate-mascarpone, sweetened egg yolks and whipped cream.

Get the Recipe: Triple Chocolate Tiramisu

Salted Caramel Frosted Brownies

Ree's homemade Salted Caramel Sauce, made with salted butter and laced with a splash of vanilla, adds over-the-top decadence to her fluffy buttercream frosting, which complements the rich chocolate brownies.

Get the Recipe: Salted Caramel Frosted Brownies

6-Foot Sundae

Gather your friends and family, because this whopper of a dessert can feed up to 14 people. Ree makes gooey brownie bites to pair with ice cream and toppings.

Get the Recipe: Six Foot Sundae

Ice Cream Layer Cake

Take advantage of store-bought shortcuts to put together this kid-friendly treat. Ree starts with ready-to-go pound cake to serve as the buttery base, then stacks the ice cream and candy layers. Bonus: There's a blanket of chocolate hard-shell ice cream sauce on top to finish this big-batch recipe.

Get the Recipe: Ice Cream Layer Cake

Cherry Cheesecake Shooters

Believe it or not, it takes just 10 quick minutes to pull off these easy-yet-elegant single-serving desserts, which feature all of the elements of a classic cheesecake — a graham cracker crumble on the bottom, a cream cheese-laced center and ruby-red cherry pie filling on top — but simply layered in glasses instead of in a baking pan.

Get the Recipe: Cherry Cheesecake Shooters

Blackberry Cheesecake Squares

Ree adds pecans to her buttery cookie crust for a subtle crunch and welcome nutty flavor. And she blankets the rich cream cheese-sour cream center with a sweetened blackberry sauce.

Get the Recipe: Blackberry Cheesecake Squares

Monster Cookies

Oats, chocolate-coated candies, chocolate chips, pecans and rice cereal — they're all packed inside these buttery two-sugar beauties. Follow Ree's lead and don't forget the chilled milk to round out this indulgent dessert.

Get the Recipe: Monster Cookies

Baked Fudge

Boasting a crackly brownie-like layer on top and a rich, gooey chocolate center, Ree's easy-to-make recipe is best topped with fluffy whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Get the Recipe: Baked Fudge

Dump Cakes

True to their names, these big-batch cakes come together after you simply dump their ingredients into bowl and stir. Here Ree opts for a duo of cakes: one featuring cherry pie filling and another with canned peaches.

Get the Recipe: Dump Cakes

Marshmallow Crispy Treats

You know what makes everyday crispy treats even better? More marshmallows and a blanket of rainbow sprinkles. After melting down the regular-sized marshmallows and mixing in the rice cereal, Ree adds a bag of mini marshmallows, which keep their shape so there's plenty of gooey richness in each bite.

Get the Recipe: Marshmallow Crispy Treats

Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookies

"They're everything that's wonderful about regular oatmeal cookies but with a whole bunch of brown sugar," Ree says of these fuss-free cookies. "They bake up really chewy and wonderful."

Get the Recipe: Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookies

Caramel Apple Pie

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you here. This is, in fact, a loaded apple pie dripping with ooey-gooey caramel topping. For even more fall flavor, Ree gently spices up her pie crust with pinches of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Get the Recipe: Caramel Apple Pie

Chocolate Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocoholics, this one's for you. Not only is Ree's batter made with rich cocoa, but it's also studded with a duo of chocolate chips — semisweet and white chocolate — which promises decadent cookies. Perhaps best of all, they're ready to eat in only 30 minutes, so keep them in your back pocket for when a sweets craving strikes.

Get the Recipe: Chocolate Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Blackberry Cobbler

Unlike pies, which often require you to roll out dough, cobblers come together with a fuss-free batter. Re simply pours the blackberries over the buttery mixture, then bakes the sweet casserole for comforting results. If fresh blackberries aren't in season, feel free to opt for the frozen variety.

Get the Recipe: Blackberry Cobbler

Knock-You-Naked Brownies

With a 5-star rating and nearly 200 fan reviews, you can be sure that Ree's over-the-top brownies are as impressive as they look. She dresses up a store-bought cake mix with chopped pecans to build the base and top layers of her brownies. For the middle layer, it's all about ooey-gooey caramel and even more chocolate flavor, in the form of semisweet chips.

Get the Recipe: Knock-You-Naked Brownies

Chocolate Sheet Cake

Moist and rich, thanks to the addition of buttermilk in her cocoa-laced cake, The Pioneer Woman's big-batch dessert is blanketed with her sweet, buttery icing. Prefer to serve cupcakes instead? No problem. "Just fill muffin tins a little less full with the batter than you normally would so the baked cupcakes remain below the upper rim. That way, the thin icing can be poured into each tin," Ree says.

Get the Recipe: Chocolate Sheet Cake

Skillet Cookie Sundae

Crispy on the outside, and warm and chewy on the inside, Ree's next-level chocolate chip cookie — made easily in an ovenproof skillet — is finished with classic sundae must-haves. Pick out your favorite ice cream flavor, scoop it right onto the cookie and drizzle with gooey hot fudge.

Get the Recipe: Skillet Cookie Sundae

Yummy Slice-and-Bake Cookies

Once you've made the simple dough for Ree's peanut butter-and candy-studded cookies, form it into a log and let it chill in the refrigerator. Then it's up to you to decide how many cookies you want to bake. Since they take only 10 minutes to bake, you can quickly slice up just a few whenever you want warm cookies in a hurry.

Get the Recipe: Yummy Slice-and-Bake Cookies

Red Velvet Sheet Cake with Classic Red Velvet Frosting

In true red velvet fashion, Ree's sheet cake boasts just a pinch of cocoa powder, so the chocolate flavor isn't overwhelming in the cake. For a creamy topping, Ree opts for her Classic Red Velvet Frosting, which "should be fluffy and light, similar to whipped cream," she explains of the finished product.

Get the Recipe: Red Velvet Sheet Cake with Classic Red Velvet Frosting

Heavenly Creme-Filled Cupcakes

Your guests will be pleasantly surprised when they bite into these chocolate-frosted cupcakes. Once the cupcakes have cooled, Ree stuffs them with a rich, vanilla-scented filling — without the use of special equipment. Just use a pastry bag with a tip to squeeze in the stuffing.

Get the Recipe: Heavenly Creme Filled Cupcakes

Neapolitan Ice Cream

The beauty of Ree's summertime chiller is that it starts with just a single base custard. To that vanilla-scented mixture, Ree adds dark chocolate chips and later fresh strawberries to create the other two flavors. Once the ice creams have churned, simply stack them in layers, giving them a chance to freeze between additions.

Get the Recipe: Neapolitan Ice Cream

Fried Pies

Perhaps the only thing better than a traditional pie is one that you can take on the go. Ree's easy-to-make beauties feature all the comfort of the classic dessert, like a golden, flaky crust and fruit fillings, but you can eat them with your hands. Ree dusts the pies with powdered sugar before serving, for added indulgence.

Get the Recipe: Fried Pies

Big Chocolate Birthday Cake

Consider Ree's towering cake the ultimate birthday — or anytime — treat. Slathered with a three-ingredient frosting laced with cream and semisweet chocolate, this four-layer showstopper is surprisingly simple to make and is surely big enough to feed a crowd.

Get the Recipe: Big Chocolate Birthday Cake

Strawberry Shortcake Cake

The cake version of the traditional summertime biscuit-berry-cream dessert, Ree's impressive yet easy dessert boasts a subtly tangy cake, thanks to the addition of sour cream. Ree layers sweetened strawberries and vanilla-cream cheese icing between the cake rounds, then blankets the whole masterpiece in more icing for an impressive finish.

Get the Recipe: Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Peach Crisp with Maple Cream Sauce

Just a pinch of cinnamon adds fragrant warmth to the buttery brown sugar topping that coats juicy fresh peaches. Ree bakes the crisp until it's browned, then drizzles it with a maple syrup-laced sauce for added flavor in every bite.

Get the Recipe: Peach Crisp with Maple Cream Sauce

Everything Cookies

True to their name, The Pioneer Woman's quick-fix cookies are studded with nearly all of your favorite pantry picks. Granola, dried cherries, chopped pecans and golden raisins all make appearances in these two-bite beauties, which take less than 15 minutes to bake.

Get the Recipe: Everything Cookies

No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

Next to peanut butter and jelly, peanut butter and chocolate may be the ultimate ingredient pairing, and here Ree celebrates that beloved combo in easy-to-make bars. She pours melted peanut butter and chocolate over a base of crushed vanilla wafers, plus even more chocolate and peanut butter, before letting the treat cool and topping it with peanuts for welcome crunch.

Get the Recipe: No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

Lemon Icebox Pie

Keep things cool with this Lemon Icebox Pie. The best part? It can be prepared days before serving.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Icebox Pie

Donut Ice Cream Sandwiches

Chocolate bars, glazed donuts, ice cream and rainbow sprinkles - those are the only ingredients needed for this sweet treat.

Get the Recipe: Donut Ice Cream Sandwiches

Want More of The Pioneer Woman?

Check out Food Network's The Pioneer Woman headquarters for more recipes and to browse photos from inside Ree's ranch.

More: The Pioneer Woman

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