Parfait

Because they are prepared with purchased ice cream, these parfaits are super-easy to make. For a dramatic option, alternate layers of white and green mint ice creams.

The oatmeal and nut mixture in this dessert is usually baked on fruit; here, it is cooked on its own, then layered with currants and a pudding made with Baileys Original Irish Cream.

Cranachan is Scotland's traditional harvest-time pudding, a blend of Crowdie (an artisanal cottage cheese), cream, toasted oats, berries, whisky, and honey. Here, it's updated with crème fraîche (instead of the Crowdie), toasted hazelnuts, and grated chocolate, and served parfait-style in individual goblets. To allow the flavors to meld, assemble the parfaits ahead of time and chill them overnight before serving.

An easy substitute for the mascarpone, a soft Italian cream cheese, is 12 ounces cream cheese blended with six tablespoons whipping cream and 1/4 cup sour cream.

An inventive take on a classic.

Begin preparing this delicious dessert at least one day ahead.

A simplified version of the classic Italian dessert, this looks lovely served in parfait glasses for a change. The recipe features pound cake and cream cheese instead of the traditional (but harder-to-find) ladyfingers and mascarpone cheese.

These parfaits (or budini — Italian for "puddings") of ultra-creamy mascarpone layered with Marsala-soaked strawberries perfectly illustrate the way of dessert in Italy: utterly simple, not too sweet, and delicious.

Offer butter cookies alongside this pretty pink dessert.

Looks pretty and tastes great. If you can find fresh raspberries at this time of year, layer them with the other fruits.

Offer cookies alongside this dessert.

These are also nice for breakfast. Just top them with nonfat vanilla yogurt instead of the frozen yogurt suggested in the recipe.

Jell-O has been glimmering and shimmering since 1897, and it took America by storm during the 1920s: That was the era for molded salads and desserts. Jell-O has been a staple in the American pantry since then, and in 1997, in celebration of its hundred-year anniversary, the company brought out a sparkling white grape flavor that is mixed with seltzer rather than water, giving it an appealing spritz. Here we’ve added sweet Muscat wine, too.