Summer Desserts to Make With the Kids

Desserts give everyone the opportunity to unleash their inner chef and get creative, and summer—with all the freedom it brings—is the perfect season to bond with your child over sweet concoctions in the kitchen. Depending on your child's age, skill level and experience, let him whisk, dip, melt, garnish, crush cookies or manage the stove—all while creating a delicious final course for the family dinner.

Heat 1 cup of cream and 2 tablespoons sugar. Chop 4 ounces milk chocolate and place in a bowl with 3/4 cup condensed milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Pour hot cream over chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Slowly add 1 1/2 cups half-and-half and 1/2 cup root beer; whisk until blended. Pour into frozen treat-on-a-stick molds and freeze. "These are the perfect summertime treats to make with your kids," says Monica Castillo, pastry chef at Churn in Phoenix. "Plus, kids love that there is soda in the [frozen desserts]!"

Make your own ice cream topping by bringing 1/2 cup light corn syrup, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 cup cream to a boil, Castillo says. Place 8 ounces bitter chocolate and 4 ounces cubed butter in a bowl, then pour hot cream over the top and whisk until smooth. Add a teaspoon of vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; whisk well. Use immediately or store in the fridge. "It's a great way to show kids how easy it is to make sauces and other toppings from scratch," Castillo says.

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Insert frozen-treat sticks into 3-inch banana chunks. Place on a lined baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix 1/4 cup raw cacao powder, 1/4 cup coconut oil or avocado oil, and 1 tablespoon coconut crystals or agave until smooth. Dip bananas into the chocolate mixture, then roll them in chopped nuts, trail mix, toasted coconut, granola or colored sprinkles. "This is a fun and creative dessert to make with your little one alone or as a project for a playdate," says Lucia Schnitzer, owner of Luci's Healthy Marketplace in Phoenix.

Dissolve 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cornstarch in 1 1/2 cup water on low heat. Add 3 cups fresh blueberries and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, Schnitzer says. Reduce heat and stir for two minutes. Remove from heat, stir in 1 tablespoon each of butter and lemon juice, then let cool for 15 minutes. Put 2 additional cups of blueberries into a graham cracker crust and pour cooled mixture on top. Refrigerate for two hours. Your child will be able to participate or if he's old enough, do the entire recipe by himself as you supervise, Schnitzer says.

Mix 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese, 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla, then chill until ready to use, says Brittany Maroney, marketing director for Grimaldi's Pizzeria in Scottsdale, Ariz. Load a pastry bag—or a plastic sandwich bag with a corner snipped off—with the chilled filling. Use the bag to fill store-bought cannoli shells, squeezing the filling into both sides of the pastry. Garnish with powdered sugar and chocolate chips. "Children will love this creative play on an authentic Italian-style cannoli," Maroney says.

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In a double boiler, melt orange chocolate melting wafers. Next, dip strawberries into the chocolate and refrigerate until set, says Cheryl Najafi, author and CEO of CherylStyle in Phoenix. Pour remaining chocolate into a piping bag and drizzle lines over strawberries to simulate carrot texture. Line small terra cotta pots with parchment paper and fill with alternating layers of Oreo cookie crumbs and chocolate pudding, ending with crumbs. Place "carrots" on top. "This dessert is super simple to make and a ton of fun to do with the kids," Najafi says.

Set vanilla ice cream out to soften, then scoop into a potato ricer and squeeze the ice cream strands into a serving bowl, Najafi says. Place the bowl in the freezer for 20 minutes to firm up the ice cream. Next, drizzle ice cream with your favorite strawberry topping for the "marinara sauce," add a few chocolate cake balls as "meatballs" and sprinkle liberally with white chocolate shavings for the "parmesan cheese." "This spaghetti ice cream recipe will have your kids and their friends screaming for more," Najafi says.

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Toss a combination of your favorite berries—strawberries, blueberries, blackberries or raspberries—with a little lemon juice and sugar, then set aside for 30 minutes to let the flavors steep. Place one layer of soft ladyfingers on the bottom of a large clear bowl, top with one-third of the berry mix, then spoon prepared vanilla pudding over that layer. Repeat the steps once more. Finish with a final layer of ladyfingers, berries and whipped cream. Chill until ready to serve.