79 Easy Baking Recipes for Cookies, Cakes, Breads, and More
Sometimes you’re excited about a big baking project, but other times you’re looking for easy baking recipes only. You need emergency dessert options that are better than a handful of chocolate chips and bake sale delights that don’t require you to learn a new skill. Perhaps you’re in charge of dessert at a potluck during a busy week, or maybe you require a crowd-pleasing brunch option for those whose preference is for sweets at breakfast. This isn’t the time to braid brioche knots or tend to a sourdough starter. This is one-bowl cake time, simple cookie time, make-ahead French toast time, and easy cocoa brownies time. Below you’ll find all of our favorite easy baking ideas, including foolproof muffins, tray biscuits, loaf cakes, blondies, galettes, and more.
Looking for more baking tips and recipe inspiration? Check out our Spring Bake collection.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell1/793-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut butter is the key to these easy cookies. In fact, that's almost all that's in them, plus an egg, a cup of sugar, and some (optional, but delightful) flaky salt. Easy baking recipes don't get much easier—these are truly mix and bake.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne2/79Super-Moist Yellow Cake With Rich Chocolate Frosting
Sure, a boxed cake mix is easy, but this homemade version is miles better—and it comes together in a flash. The key to its fantastic texture is a technique called reverse-creaming.
Photo & Food Styling by Joe Sevier4/79Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Here's a chocolate cake that's ideal for snacking on all week long. It's incredibly moist, thanks to the zucchini. Scattered chocolate pyramids look great on top, but chocolate chips work, too.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Anna Surbatovich, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson6/79Apple Crisp for One
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell8/79Mochi Cake, Any Way You Want It
We love baked goods that can flex to whatever flavors we're craving, like this easy cake made with sweet rice flour. It's gooey-bouncy on the inside and crispy-chewy on the outside, and you can create your signature spin with cocoa, matcha, or malt powder, cinnamon, cardamom, or turmeric.
Photo by Alex Lau10/79Rhubarb Custard Cake
Celebrate rhubarb season with an easy cake that doesn't require lugging out your stand mixer. The batter comes together in minutes, and the final result is a rich, custardy cake that plays perfectly off the tart rhubarb topping.
Photo by Alex Lau11/79Skillet Cornbread With Chives
This buttermilk cornbread keeps things really simple, but you can always use this basic recipe as a starting point, and then go wild with add-ins like roasted chopped jalapeños, lime zest, blueberries, pumpkin purée, cheddar, or even breakfast sausage.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich12/79Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake
If you love chocolate cakes but you need one that's completely pantry based—or you're baking for someone who's vegan, this simple cake is for you. All you need to make it is all-purpose flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, vanilla extract, canola oil, and white vinegar, plus whatever frosting you like.
