Quick & Easy Fruit Dessert Recipes

This frothy delight is a great summer treat when the summer heat makes hot coffee less appealing.

Rich, creamy and thick enough that you may want to scoop it with a spoon, this European-style drinking chocolate is something different from the usual hot cocoa. Serve it in a demitasse or espresso cup for an elegant treat.

The bananas have to get in and out of the pan in 1 1/2 minutes, no longer, so they stay firm in the center. If you are cooking for 4, you can easily double the recipe; it is important not to crowd the skillet, so get everything ready to go and make it in 2 batches.

This rich, healthy chocolate shake recipe is dairy-free and gets its creaminess from avocado instead of ice cream. If you aren't avoiding dairy, you can use regular low-fat milk and any type of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips in place of the nondairy chocolate chips.

A healthy version of the malt shop favorite.

This spiced hot chocolate warms you from within.

A boozy fire emanates from these drunken cherries that get better with age. Serve them with cheese or combine the cherry-infused bourbon with seltzer or other soda to make a special cocktail. Fill a 12-ounce rocks glass with ice, add 1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) of the cherry-infused bourbon (or rum), top with seltzer and garnish with the bourbon cherries.

So thick you'll need a straw and a long spoon to enjoy this frosty cherry-vanilla milkshake.

Bittersweet chocolate and Dutch-process cocoa meld with a shot of fresh brewed coffee to give an ultra-rich flavor to this creamy French silk pie. A frothy meringue is the secret to lightening the brown sugar-sweetened filling.

Low-fat milk whirled with fresh strawberries turns into a healthy milkshake you can feel good about serving to your family.

Brown sugar, rum and cinnamon flavor these baked banana gratins.

A refreshing Middle Eastern street drink.

Rich, chocolate waffles are the perfect breakfast for that special someone's birthday.

Our hot cocoa is rich and chocolaty without the overly sweet taste of some packaged mixes. We give it a luxurious froth with a whisk or blender--or use a cappuccino frother if you have one.

Vanilla-infused ricotta cheese is the perfect foil for saucy poached figs.

A great use for leftover coconut milk.

An uncooked sauce with a lovely blackberry flavor. Serve over vanilla frozen yogurt or with a slice of angel food cake.

Toasted pecans and bourbon flavor this New Orleans-inspired brown sugar sauce.

Whipping this otherwise old-fashioned hot chocolate creates the illusion of creaminess. To vary this recipe, substitute 1 tablespoon brandy for the liqueur and omit the cinnamon.

Here we infuse bourbon and cherries with whole spices. Serve the strained syrup as a liqueur or spoon the drunken cherries and syrup over vanilla frozen yogurt. The longer the bounce ages, the better it gets. This way, you can cherish the pleasures of cherry season far into the winter.