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These 3 ingredient recipes are your shortcut to delicious baked goods for bake sales, get-togethers, gatherings, and snacking occasions of all kinds.
3-ingredient recipes are kind of my secret, not-so-secret go-tos when it comes to baking. From the Oreo sheet cake that I’ve listed below that became a neighborhood favorite to the simple quickbreads and cookies that I made for my kids and couldn’t resist sharing here on the blog even though they weren’t “serious” recipes, these little gems have now become beloved kitchen secrets of our whole Creek Line House community. Whether or not you tell people how easy these cakes, cookies, and other treats were to make is up to you, but everyone will agree that they’re absolutely delicious. If you’ve tried and loved one of my three ingredient recipes in the past, here are a few more to add to your baking bag of tricks. Easy recipes for desserts like these mean you’ll never have to go without a little treat.
The Best Banana Bread
I haven’t counted how many people have commented that this is the best banana bread they’ve ever made, but the number may be in the thousands at this point. This simple banana loaf is one of my most popular baking recipes of all time because it just works every single time. It’s the perfect way to use up a few extra ripe bananas, and it never fails to be the comfort food you’re looking for when you need it most.
Get the recipe: Easy 3-Ingredient Banana Bread
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
This cake mix chocolate zucchini cake is one that I count on every summer to help me use up all that extra zucchini from the garden. It freezes beautifully so you can enjoy it later during the cooler months of the fall and winter. I first shared this recipe quite a few years ago and it’s become a go-to culinary trick for so many other gardening households as well. It’s the easiest chocolate zucchini cake recipe I’ve ever come across, but it’s also the best!
Get the recipe: Chocolate Zucchini Cake With Cake Mix
Cake Mix Brownies
Sometimes, you just need a decadent, indulgent brownie. With this recipe, you can whip up a batch with no effort at all. You’ll be amazed at how this super simple method achieves the perfect gourmet brownie texture, just like a chocolate brownie from your favorite bakery.
Get the recipe: Cake Mix Brownies
Oreo Sheet Cake
This Oreo cake is a true crowd-pleaser with its fluffy cookie crumb frosting and one that both kids and grown-ups will get excited about. Bring it to gatherings, cook-outs, and holiday meals. No one will suspect it was so quick and easy to throw together.
Get the recipe: The Famous Oreo Sheet Cake
Applesauce Bread
You just can’t beat a batch of this simple applesauce bread when you’re looking for something cozy and nostalgic for afternoon snacks or easy breakfasts. Try topping it with my 4-ingredient streusel recipe for a really satisfying treat with a little crunch.
Get the recipe: Three Ingredient Applesauce Bread
Three Ingredient Pumpkin Bread
This spiced autumnal dessert has all the flavor of pumpkin pie, but comes together in about 3 minutes without the need to even open that big bag of all-purpose flour. Try a drizzle of homemade creamy caramel sauce for a yummy, extra-special variation.
Get the recipe: Three Ingredient Pumpkin Bread
3 Ingredient Lemon Cookies
These lemon cookies are the perfect spring or summer treat, in my opinion. Simple enough for plain cookie lovers, but bursting with lemon flavor. Bakers will appreciate the easy-to-work-with, never-sticky cookie dough.
Get the recipe: 3-Ingredient Lemon Cookies
Cake Mix Pudding Cookies
Pudding cookies are the ultimate simple cookie. Full of rich vanilla flavor, these cookies have the perfect chewy, crinkly texture that will have anyone you share them with asking for the recipe. Whether or not you share your secret is up to you.
Get the recipe: Cake Mix Pudding Cookies
Sweet and Spicy Ginger Glaze
If you’re looking to take your basic cookie recipes up a notch, a glaze is a simple and effective way to do that. This glaze ads an unexpected burst of ginger flavor and also creates a beautiful presentation. Try it on basic lemon cookies or orange marmalade thumbprints.
Get the recipe: Sweet and Spicy Ginger Glaze
3 Ingredient Almond Glaze
An almond glaze is an elegant essential when it comes to decorating and elevating simple cookies, cakes, and muffins. If you’ve never realized how easy and beautiful a glaze can be on your baked goods, this almond glaze recipe is a great place to start.
Get the recipe: Three Ingredient Almond Glaze
Three Ingredient Date Fudge
This healthy, naturally vegan, and gluten-free date fudge is a another family favorite that has become a favorite of the internet community as well. Dark, chewy, and decadent, this chocolate fudge hits the spot when you have a chocolate craving that needs some serious chocolatey goodness.
Get the recipe: 3-Ingredient Date Fudge
Three Ingredient Apple Danishes
The simplest little snack to make after an afternoon of apple picking. With only three ingredients, these little danishes are a great recipe to make with the kids.
Get the recipe: Three Ingredient Apple Danishes
Three Ingredient Peach Cobbler
If you’re looking for a quick way to use up a lot of peaches after a trip to the orchard in the summer, make this easy twist on a classic peach cobbler for a delightful seasonal treat. Store the rest of your sliced peaches in the freezer so you can make another cobbler in the depths of winter.
Get the recipe: Three Ingredient Peach Cobbler
Homemade Apple Cinnamon Pancake Syrup
This homemade apple cinnamon pancake syrup feels like a fancy seasonal upgrade for your pancake breakfast, but a clever shortcut makes it surprisingly quick and easy to whip up whenever the inspiration strikes.
Get the recipe: Shortcut Apple Cinnamon Pancake Syrup
Homemade Pancake Syrup
This homemade pancake syrup has saved countless pancake breakfasts across the internet. If you ever discover that you’re out of classic pancake syrup, try making this easy substitute instead. You may find that you actually like it even better than store-bought!
Try this next: Himalayan Pink Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.