Your last taste of summer, plus a little fall.

Taryn Pire has been writing for BuzzFeed Tasty since 2026.

One bite, and boom: It’s 1994 all over again. This DIY version of the nostalgic favorite stars cinnamon-kissed graham cracker cookies and sprinkle-dappled vanilla frosting. You can use any cookie cutters you have on hand to mix up the old-school favorite. 

Nothing takes me back to the elementary school cafeteria like a gussied-up toaster pastry. This dupe stars store-bought puff pastry and a trio of jams (strawberry! raspberry! blueberry!) for shockingly fast assembly.

All the fruity splendor of a pie, minus the painstaking crimping. Instead of fussy pie crust, the bars have a shortbread base, which is crowned with a supremely moist sour cream-berry filling and streusel topping. 

Take advantage of the sweet-tart fruit while it’s still in its prime. To keep the bottom of the galette from going soggy, macerate the plums in sugar to coax out some of their moisture, then reserve that juice for a glaze or beverage instead of keeping it in the filling. 

Another late-summer dessert that delivers familiar flavors in an unexpected package. Be sure to use the softest, ripest peaches you can find for peak sweetness, and wait until the cookies are completely cool before drizzling them with glaze.

Your inner child will thank you for making this four-ingredient throwback, which can serve a dozen millennials with ease. Pro-tip: Run the popsicle molds under warm water for a few seconds so you can easily release them without breaking.

Hey there, autumn. The secret to this early-fall delight is reducing sweet-tart apple cider into a thick, concentrated syrup that infuses every crumb. Mix in the syrup when it’s lukewarm, so it’s not too stiff to incorporate into the dough. 

Simply chop watermelon, juice limes, and secure some agave nectar; your freezer and blender (or food processor) will take care of the rest. Substitute maple syrup, honey, or simple syrup for agave if that’s what you have in your pantry. 

It turns out whipped cream and sweetened mascarpone pair just as well with fresh summer fruit as they do coffee. Instead of espresso, the ladyfingers are dunked in raspberry sauce. You won’t miss the caffeine in this summery spin on an Italian staple, I promise.

Your favorite childhood ice cream inspired this picturesque, easier-than-it-looks late summer dessert recipe. You can go the extra mile with homemade chocolate cookies, or save yourself some time by substituting store-bought (Oreos are the gold standard, if you ask me). 

Summer sweetness, sans-bonfire. Bid the season adieu with this buttery, kid-friendly mashup that even picky eaters can get behind. I won’t tell if you substitute crispy rice cereal with something more nostalgic, like Golden Grahams or Waffle Crisp.

Even grumpy teens won’t mind waking up to these teeny-tiny treats, doused in cream cheese frosting. The key to the rolls' texture is kneading the dough until it’s notably elastic; this guarantees soft, fluffy results. 

Is it just me, or was this the ultimate Corn Girl Summer? Kernel-kissed desserts seemed to be everywhere this year, so we’d be remiss not to include this sweet-and-savory scoop. Vanilla and salt amplify the corn’s natural flavor just right.

Your guests will go so gaga for the creamy condensed-milk-peach filling that they won’t realize you used boxed white cake mix as the base. Find summer’s final fresh peaches for the most photogenic presentation possible (and wash it all down with a buttery chardonnay).

Recipe: Peaches ‘n’ Cream Poke ‘Box’ Cake

Serve it for Labor Day weekend now, bookmark it for after-school snacks and Halloween movie marathons to come. The key to a smooth caramel that evenly coats the popcorn is acidic cream of tartar, which curbs the sugar's crystallization. 

It doesn’t get more nostalgic than chocolate chip cookies, but the addition of dried tart cherries adds late-summer flair that’s accessible year-round. Oats, semisweet or dark chocolate, and flaky salt boost the textural intrigue, too. 

Thanks to almond flour and your go-to gluten-free flour blend, this summery centerpiece is totally wheatless. Leave the peaches’ skin on for extra color and texture, and flip the cake while it’s still hot (if you wait too long, it'll be more likely to stick). 

Recipe: Gluten-Free Peach Upside-Down Cake

If you’ve never had the pleasure of eating a delectably chewy, tender snickerdoodle, let this cinnamon-y cookie be your intro to early fall. The filling’s key ingredient will be our little secret (OK, I’ll spill — it’s store-bought marshmallow creme). 

Chex has nothing on this 10-minute masterpiece, complete with white chocolate and rainbow sprinkles. A modest dose of almond extract gives the crispy rice cereal the optimal dose of nutty nuance that keeps the mix from tasting one-note and cloying. 

With store-bought pie crust and instant pudding mix on your side, this throwback treat couldn’t be easier to master. Might I suggest sprinkling sugar on the bananas and caramelizing them with a small kitchen torch, or crumbling vanilla wafers atop the pie?

Ice cream gives summer, caramel apple gives fall — there's no better time to combine both in a single glass. You can prepare the caramel apple filling, which stars tart Granny Smiths, in advance so you can blitz a milkshake whenever a craving strikes. 

Remember snagging the OG variety from the ice cream truck as a kid? This homemade variation calls for cherry and blue raspberry Kool-Aids and tangy limeade for each component. Be sure each layer is frozen solid before adding the next to keep the colors from blending together.

The recipe calls for frozen pitted cherries and store-bought puff pastry, so these impressive handhelds come together faster than you’d think. You can opt for fresh cherries instead for now, then swap to frozen once they vanish from the farmers market.

Just in case you couldn’t swing a tropical vacay this year, there’s this custardy late-summer dessert to hold you over. Bonus points for making your own mango purée for the filling (you can use fresh or frozen fruit) and toasting the coconut garnish. 

This copycat sweet is actually pretty easy to pull off; the hardest part is waiting for the icing to set before devouring them by the handful. Make the recipe even easier by starting with plain store-bought crackers that are ready to be decorated straight from the bag.