Quick Info
- Prep Time: 10–15 minutes
- Cook/Chill Time: 10–25 minutes (varies by dessert)
- Total Time: 20–40 minutes
- Yield: 12–16 servings, mix-and-match
- Course: Dessert
- Cuisine: American home baking
- Skill Level: Easy
- Special Equipment: Mixing bowls, whisk, 8×8-inch pan or loaf pan, parchment, baking sheet
Introduction
Some nights call for showstoppers… and some nights call for dessert with zero fuss. When my kids announce after dinner that they “suddenly need something sweet,” these Easy 3-Ingredient Desserts save the day. No grocery run, no fancy tools—just pantry staples and a little mixing. I keep a short list on the fridge, and we vote: blondies? peanut butter cookies? chocolate mousse? The winner appears before the movie trailers are over.
Inside this post you’ll find four fail-proof, flexible crowd-pleasers—all with only three core ingredients. If you like, toss in an optional pinch of salt or vanilla, but you truly don’t have to. Consider this your grab-and-go guide to lazy baking at its best.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
1) 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
2) 3-Ingredient Lemon Bar Blondies
- 1 box (15–16 oz) angel food cake mix
- 1 can (21 oz) lemon pie filling
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (counts as flavor, still just 3 total)
3) 3-Ingredient Chocolate Mousse (No Bake)
- 1½ cups cold heavy cream
- 1 cup melted semi-sweet chocolate chips (cooled 3–4 minutes)
- 1 tbsp powdered sugar
4) 3-Ingredient Berry Cobbler (Dump Cake Style)
- 4 cups frozen mixed berries (or 2× 12-oz bags)
- 1 box (15–16 oz) yellow cake mix
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Optional / Variations
- Pinch of salt or vanilla in cookies/mousse.
- Swap almond or sunflower butter for peanut butter (ensure similar texture).
- Use cherry or blueberry pie filling in place of lemon for blondies.
- Add zest to mousse or a squeeze of lemon over cobbler berries for brightness.
- Dairy-free mousse: use well-chilled coconut cream and dairy-free chips.
Instructions
Step 1: Choose Your Adventure (Pick 1—or 2!)
The beauty of this post is you can bake one, then while it cooks, whip a no-bake option. When my crew can’t agree, we do cookies and mousse. Peace is restored.
Step 2: Peanut Butter Cookies (12 minutes)
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Mix peanut butter, sugar, and egg until smooth and glossy.
- Scoop 1-tablespoon balls, space 2 inches apart. Flatten lightly with a fork in a crisscross.
- Bake 8–10 minutes until edges are set and tops crackle. Cool 5 minutes on the pan (they firm as they cool).
Mae’s note: My son calls these “science cookies” because it feels like magic that three things make a perfect cookie.
Step 3: Lemon Bar Blondies (1 bowl, 25 minutes)
- Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment.
- Stir cake mix with lemon pie filling and lemon juice until just combined—batter will be airy and thick.
- Spread into pan; bake 22–25 minutes until the top springs back and edges are lightly golden.
- Cool completely. Slice into squares. (Dusting with powdered sugar is pretty but optional and makes it a “fourth” ingredient—your call.)
Step 4: Chocolate Mousse (10 minutes + chill)
- Whip cold cream with powdered sugar to soft peaks.
- Fold in melted, cooled chocolate in two additions until silky.
- Spoon into glasses; chill 30–60 minutes to set.
Tip: For parfait vibes, layer with crushed cookies or berries (beyond 3 ingredients, but fun for guests).
Step 5: Berry Cobbler (Dump Cake Style) (35 minutes)
- Heat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 9-inch square or small casserole.
- Spread frozen berries in the dish. Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly on top—do not stir.
- Drizzle melted butter over the surface, hitting as much mix as possible.
- Bake 30–35 minutes until bubbling and golden. Rest 10 minutes so the juices thicken. Serve warm.
Family ritual: We carry the bubbling pan to the table and everyone leans in for the berry steam “facial.”
Tips & Variations
- 3-Ingredient Purist Tips: Salt, vanilla, citrus zest, or cinnamon are lovely but optional. The base recipes are truly complete with three.
- Make-Ahead:
- Cookies keep 4–5 days airtight; freeze up to 2 months.
- Mousse holds 2 days chilled (cover to prevent skin).
- Blondies keep 3 days at room temp, 5 days chilled.
- Cobbler is best day-of; rewarm at 300°F for 8–10 minutes.
- Texture Control:
- Cookies too soft? Add 1–2 minutes bake time. Too crumbly? Use a slightly heaping cup of peanut butter.
- Mousse grainy? Chocolate was too hot—let it cool a bit longer next time; whisk 1–2 tbsp cream in to rescue.
- Allergy-Friendly Swaps:
- Nut-free cookies: Use smooth sunflower seed butter; note it can green slightly from baking (chlorophyll + baking soda reaction)—harmless and quirky!
- Dairy-free mousse: Use chilled coconut cream (only the solids) and dairy-free chips; sweeten to taste.
- Flavor Twists (still lazy):
- Stir mini chips or chopped peanuts into cookie dough.
- Fold raspberries into mousse or top with shaved chocolate.
- Add white chocolate chips to lemon blondies (now 4 ingredients, but festive).
- Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over cobbler pre-bake.
- Pan Choices: For thicker blondies, use an 8×8 pan; for thinner, use 9×9 and shave 2–3 minutes off bake time.
- Serving Ideas: A spoon of Greek yogurt alongside lemon squares, or vanilla ice cream with cobbler.
- Kid Helpers: Let little hands make the cookie fork marks and sprinkle cake mix. Ours insist on “official taste tests” (we pretend not to notice).
Nutrition
(Per average dessert serving; values are estimates and will vary by choice.)
- Calories: 220
- Protein: 4 g
- Carbs: 28 g
- Fat: 11 g
- Fiber: 1–2 g
- Sodium: 130 mg
- Sugar: 18 g
Final Thoughts
There’s a special kind of joy in pulling off dessert with almost no effort. These Easy 3-Ingredient Desserts are the recipes I reach for when time is short and sweet tooths are loud. The peanut butter cookies are pure nostalgia, the lemon blondies taste like sunshine squares, the mousse makes weeknights feel fancy, and the cobbler turns a bag of berries into a hug in a bowl. Mix and match for potlucks, last-minute guests, or pajama parties—no stress, just smiles.
Save this for 3-ingredient desserts, lazy baking, easy weeknight sweets, and no-fuss party recipes. From my sprinkle-dusted, late-night-snack-friendly kitchen to yours—happy (lazy) baking!
