50 a la Mode Desserts Made Better by a Scoop of Ice Cream
Updated: Jul. 29, 2023What's better than your favorite after-dinner treat? That treat topped with a scoop of ice cream. Check out some of our best a la mode desserts.
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Rhubarb Crisp
I found this strawberry rhubarb crisp recipe on a box of Quaker Oats about 20 years ago. It’s quick and easier to make than pie. It’s versatile, too, because you can add strawberries in spring or apples in fall. I usually pop it into the oven shortly before we sit down to eat so it’s still warm for dessert! —C.E. Adams, Charlestown, New Hampshire
Dish it out with the best ice cream scoop.
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Dutch Oven Chocolate Dump Cake
Looking for a quick dessert that will make people think you spent all day in the kitchen? This Dutch oven dump cake will wow your guests. Feel free to use your favorite pie filling in place of cherry. — Rashanda Cobbins, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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Berry Bliss Cobbler
A little bit sweet, a little bit tart, topped off with golden, sugar-kissed biscuits, this cobbler is summer perfection. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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Fudgy Peanut Butter Cake
I clipped this easy peanut butter cake recipe from a newspaper years ago. The house smells fantastic while it's slow cooking. My husband and son enjoy the cake with ice cream and nuts on top. —Bonnie Evans, Norcross, Georgia
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Air-Fryer Pear Pot Pies
I love to make pot pies when pears are in season. I love them so much more than apples because they have a better flavor. —Bee Engelhart, Bloomfield Township, Michigan
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Molasses-Graham Cracker Puddings
When I was in college, I frequently had dinner with a relative after a night class. The restaurant we went to had a graham cracker pudding and I always ordered it. Recently, I adapted several recipes to re-create that pudding from years ago. —Joan Hallford, North Richland Hills, Texas
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Slow-Cooker Peach Cobbler
Unlike conventional cobblers, the "topping" of this Crock-Pot peach cobbler is on the bottom. Placing the batter underneath the peaches helps it cook through evenly in the slow cooker. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, WisconsinIf you like this recipe, then you’ll love these ice cream cookbooks.
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Skillet Stout Brownies
These stout brownies are so rich and fudgy. I love how quickly they come together. They're perfect for a busy weeknight. —Mandy Naglich, New York, New York
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Slow-Cooked Gingered Pears
My slow cooker allows me to serve a heartwarming dessert without much effort. Topped with caramel sauce, these tender pears feature a surprise filling of nuts and brown sugar.—Catherine Mueller, St. Paul, Minnesota
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Pineapple Upside-Down Dump Cake
This dump cake recipe is wonderful topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. It works well with gluten-free and sugar-free cake mixes too. —Karin Gatewood, Dallas, Texas
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Chocolate Cobbler
It's impossible to resist the flavorful chocolate cobbler sauce that appears when this delightful cake bakes. —Margaret McNeil, Germantown, Tennessee
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Cranberry-Pear Apple Crisp
With its crunchy golden topping and flavorful blend of tart cranberries and sweet apples and pears, this dessert makes a refreshing finish to heavy winter meals. —Lois Gelzer, Standish, Maine
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Slow-Cooked Pumpkin Apple Cobbler
This spiced cobbler with apples and cranberries is sure to please all of your holiday guests. It is perfect for fall but can be made year-round since it uses fresh or frozen cranberries. —Joan Hallford, North Richland Hills, Texas
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Skillet Blueberry Slump
My mother-in-law made a slump of wild blueberries with dumplings and served it warm with a pitcher of farm cream. We’ve been enjoying slump desserts for 60 years. —Eleanore Ebeling, Brewster, Minnesota
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Slow-Cooker Hot Fudge Cake
A cake baked in a slow cooker may seem unusual, but after-dinner smiles prove how tasty it is. Sometimes, for a change of pace, I substitute butterscotch chips for chocolate. —Marleen Adkins, Placentia, California
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Apple Pie
I remember coming home sullen one day because we'd lost a softball game. Grandma, in her wisdom, suggested that maybe a slice of hot apple pie would make me feel better. She was right. —Maggie Greene, Granite Falls, Washington
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Slow-Cooker Berry Cobbler
I adapted my mom's yummy cobbler recipe for slow cooking. With the hot summers here in Arizona, we can still enjoy this comforting dessert, and I don't have to turn on the oven. —Karen Jarocki, Yuma, Arizona
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Nutty Apple Streusel Dessert
Many people don't think of using a slow cooker to make dessert, but I like having this hot, scrumptious apple treat waiting to be served when we finish up our dinner. I start it in the morning and don't think about it all day. —Jacki Every, Rotterdam, New York
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Slow-Cooked Blueberry Grunt
If you love blueberries, then you can't go wrong with this easy dessert. For a special treat, serve it warm with vanilla ice cream. —Cleo Gonske, Redding, California
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Pumpkin Cranberry Bread Pudding
Savor your favorite fall flavors with this scrumptious bread pudding, served warm with a sweet vanilla sauce. Yum! —Judith Bucciarelli, Johnson, New YorkHaving a sweet tooth right in the morning? Here’s a treat-worthy ice cream bread recipe for you.
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Peach Pie
I acquired this delicious peach pie filling recipe some 40 years ago, when my husband and I first moved to southern Iowa and had peach trees growing in our backyard. It's been a family favorite since then and always brings back memories of both summer and those happy early years. — June Mueller, Sioux City, Iowa
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Blueberry-Rhubarb Crumble
A dollop of whipped topping adds a nice finishing touch to this satisfying crumble. Sometimes I drizzle a little flavored coffee creamer on top instead of the whipped topping. —Nancy Sousley, Lafayette, IndianaIf you like this, learn how to make coffee creamer ice cream.
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Apple Butterscotch Crisp
I give this classic dessert a rich twist with butterscotch pudding. The warm apple filling bubbles to perfection in a mini slow cooker. —Jolanthe Erb, Harrisonburg, Virginia
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Chocolate-Stuffed Peanut Butter Skillet Cookie
A surprise chocolate filling makes this peanut butter chocolate skillet cookie extra delicious! Serve warm from the oven with a scoop of your favorite ice cream. —Andrea Price, Grafton, Wisconsin
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Cinnamon-Raisin Banana Bread Pudding
My family likes to change the toppings for this luscious dessert. We use berries, chopped nuts or fruit, ice cream, whipped cream or caramel topping. If I'm making the dessert for adults only, I love to add a little rum to the milk mixture to give the pudding extra flavor. —Aysha Schurman, Ammon, Idaho
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Jumbleberry Crumble
A friend brought this delicious, down-home dessert to church and was kind enough to give out the recipe. Everyone enjoyed it so much and just showered her with compliments! It’s especially wonderful served warm or with a dollop of creamy whipped topping. —Mary Ann Dell, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
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Grilled Peaches & Pound Cake
Brush up on grilling dessert with fresh peaches and pound cake. Store-bought cake makes it quick to prepare, and the caramelized flavor will make it disappear fast! —Joy Pendley, Ortonville, Michigan
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Burgundy Pears
These warm spiced pears elevate slow cooking to a new level of elegance, yet they're incredibly easy to make. Your friends won't believe this fancy-looking dessert came from a slow cooker. —Elizabeth Hanes, Peralta, New Mexico
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Apple Pan Betty
I found this apple betty recipe soon after I was married 47 years ago. It uses few ingredients, which are usually on hand, and takes little time to put together. It’s a favorite of ours in the fall and winter, when apples are at their best. —Shirley Leister, West Chester, Pennsylvania
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Cranberry Stuffed Apples
Cinnamon, nutmeg and walnuts add a homey autumn flavor to these stuffed apples, while the slow cooker does most of the work. —Graciela Sandvigen, Rochester, New York
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Pineapple Upside-Down Dump Cake
This dump cake recipe is wonderful topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. It works well with gluten-free and sugar-free cake mixes too. —Karin Gatewood, Dallas, Texas
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Apple-Pumpkin Upside-Down Cake
We love the combination of classic fall fruits in this cake. I bake the apples on the bottom to keep them plump and moist, then flip the cake so they're on top. This is best served warm with vanilla ice cream, but we enjoy digging in any time of day. —Christina Yahraes, San Francisco, California
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Chocolate-Covered-Cherry Dump Cake
My mother-in-law loves chocolate-covered cherries, and I used to make this chocolate cherry dump cake every year for her birthday. Now we've moved away, but I make this for my kids on her birthday and they still feel near her. —Angela Lively, Conroe, Texas
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Pumpkin Apple Pie
The first time I made this for my family, they gobbled up this wonderful change-of-pace holiday dessert. It has a scrumptious layer of apples under the pumpkin.—Elizabeth Montogomery, Taylorville, Illinois
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Honey-Rum Grilled Bananas
These grilled bananas are the perfect dessert following a cookout. My family was skeptical at first, but everyone tried the recipe and they all agreed it was delicious. I use coconut rum from the Bahamas. —Lori Wendt, Mahomet, Illinois
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Giant Buckeye Cookie
I’m from Ohio, and we love our buckeye candy! Buckeyes are a delicious combination of peanut butter and chocolate, which is exactly what this cookie is. All you need is a box of cake mix, a few common pantry ingredients, and voila—you have a tasty dessert ready for family and friends in under an hour. You can customize it, too, by substituting other mix-ins for the chocolate chips. We serve it warm with ice cream or whipped cream. —Arianna Harding, Cincinnati, Ohio
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Butterscotch-Pecan Bread Pudding
Bread pudding fans just might hoard this yummy butterscotch version. Toppings like whipped cream and a butterscotch drizzle make this dessert absolutely irresistible. —Lisa Varner, El Paso, Texas
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Pumpkin Crumble
I created this tasty pumpkin crumble dessert on a rainy fall afternoon while my son was taking a nap. It filled the house with a wonderful aroma, and I was able to make it with ingredients that I already had in my pantry. Stir 1/2 cup chocolate chips into the filling for a change of pace. —Sarah Graham, Independence, Missouri
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Double Cherry Pie
The combination of tart canned cherries and dried cherries make this so yummy. This is the best cherry pie I have ever raised on a fork to my lips! —Jerri Gradert, Lincoln, Nebraska
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Maple-Orange Pear Crisp
In fall, my family loves to kick back after dinner and dig into big bowls of this spiced crisp. It isn't too sweet, but it still satisfies a sweet tooth. —Noreen McCormick Danek, Cromwell, Connecticut
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Skillet Banana Fritters
This delicious banana treat is sure to be a hit in your home. They are so yummy served with ice cream on the side. For an extra special treat, add chocolate syrup!—Sharon Yonts, Scottsboro, Alabama
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Slow-Cooker Lava Cake
I love chocolate. Perhaps that’s why this decadent slow-cooker cake has long been a family favorite. Sometimes I serve it warm, with vanilla ice cream; the cake can also be served cold. —Elizabeth Farrell, Hamilton, Montana
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Grilled Angel Food Cake with Strawberries
One night I goofed, accidentally using the balsamic butter I save for grilling chicken on my pound cake. What a delicious mistake that my entire family loved! For a patriotic look, add a drizzle of blueberry syrup. —Tammy Hathaway, Freeman Twp, Maine
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Dutch Oven Apple Cobbler
This homey Dutch oven apple cobbler is always a big hit with my family. We like to serve it with ice cream or whipped cream. —Cindy Jajuga, Weed, California
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Cake & Berry Campfire Cobbler
This warm Dutch oven cobbler is one of our favorite ways to end a busy day of fishing, hiking, swimming or rafting. It's yummy with ice cream—and so easy to make! —June Dress, Boise, Idaho
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Caramel-Apple Skillet Buckle
My grandma used to bake a version of this for me when I was a little girl. She would make it using fresh apples from her tree in the backyard. I’ve adapted her recipe because I love the combination of apples, pecans and caramel. —Emily Hobbs, Springfield, Missouri
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Grilled Honey-Balsamic Glazed Fruit
One summer my mother-in-law made us grilled peaches basted with a sweet and tangy sauce. These are so good I'm always tempted to eat the whole batch. —Kristin Van Dyken, West Richland, Washington
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Maple Blueberry Crisp
With a tender crumb topping, this yummy blueberry crisp makes a wonderful treat after brunch or an evening meal. I sometimes top servings with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.—Mona Wright, Villa Rica, Georgia
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Peach Cobbler for Two
Everyone notices a special taste in this cobbler. It’s orange peel, which enhances the color and gives this traditional dessert a delicious distinction. Cobblers usually serve a large group, so it’s convenient to have a recipe that makes just enough for two.— Betty Clark, Mount Vernon, Missouri
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Originally Published: April 11, 2022
