Eating healthy is important. The way we take care of our bodies will dictate how well our bodies will take care of us down the road. However, you’ve got to indulge yourself from time to time. The sense of taste needs to feel something new and sensational on occasion. The best thing is that you don’t have to be an expert chef to whip something up.

Photo, Michelle Tsang.

While in lockdown, many people have discovered new hobbies, so why don’t you try this one. Here are six recipes for easy treats to make in the kitchen that will satisfy your sweet tooth.

Fudge Brownies: There’s no better way to get your sugar rush on than a batch of freshly made fudge brownies. Making them is super easy, and anyone can do it! For this recipe, you’ll need the following…

¾ cups of all-purpose flour; ¾ cups of cocoa (unsweetened); ½ cup brown sugar; 1 cup granulated sugar; ½ tsp baking powder; ¼ tsp salt; ⅓ cup of milk; 1 cup of your favourite chocolate broken down into chunks; 6 tablespoons of melted butter; 2 eggs

Get all your ingredients ready, whisk the eggs lightly and turn the oven on to 360°. Next, take a bowl and combine flour, cocoa, both sugars, baking powder, and salt. Mix until they are well combined. Take ½ cup of chocolate and ½ cup of milk, combine them, and microwave until the chocolate is melted all the way. Then, add your whisked eggs and butter to this mix. Once that is combined, take your wet ingredients and add them to your dry ingredients. Mix until you get a homogenous fudge batter. Take a square pan, oil it up well, pour your batter and bake for 20 minutes.

Photo, Sara Sperry.

Chocolate Chip Cookies: If fudge brownies aren’t your thing, classic chocolate chip cookies most likely are. To make a fresh batch, head over to the store and get the following…

1 tsp baking soda; 2 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour; 12 tbsp of unsalted butter; ¾ cup brown sugar; ⅔ cup regular sugar; 2 eggs; 1 tsp vanilla extract; Salt; Your favourite chocolate chips

If you don’t feel like leaving the house, there are services that will do the grocery shopping for you; you can go to this page for more info. With the ingredients ready, it’s time to bake. Step number one is to preheat the oven at 375°. The ingredients listed above are enough for two batches of cookies so grab yourself two baking sheets. While your oven is preheating, take the flour, 1 tsp of salt, and your baking soda, add to a bowl and mix well.

Next, take your butter, your sugars and mix them in a bowl until the butter becomes fluffy. Add one egg, add the vanilla extract, mix then add the other egg. Once your batter feels smooth, add the flour mix from earlier and work the batter until all ingredients are mixed well. Lastly, take your chocolate chip cookies and incorporate them into the dough.

Divide dough into 24 pieces, roll each piece into a ball, and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes and remember to rotate the sheets halfway through. Also, make sure to let the cookies cool off before you dig in. Alternatively, you could try the eat-it-raw cookie dough if you don’t feel like playing with the oven right now.

Photo, Shayan Izadi.

Yummy Oreo Fluff: With the classics out of the way, let’s talk about a few recipes that you don’t need an oven for. Everyone loves Oreo’s, so why not turn that awesome treat into an even better one. For this recipe, you’ll need the following…

Photo, Vika Aleksandrova.

Sweetened condensed milk; Oreo’s; Cream cheese; Cool whip

The procedure is pretty simple. Add your cream cheese to the sweetened condensed milk and mix them well. Next, add your cool whip and combine the two. Take a pack of Oreo’s, put the biscuits in a zip-lock bag, and crush them to preferred granulation. Once done, add your Oreo dust to the batter and mix it in until it’s evenly spread.

Quick Tiramisu: Let’s try something different. Here’s how to make a quick tiramisu. You’ll need the following ingredients…

3 tbsp coffee liquor; 3 tsp instant coffee; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 2 cups of mascarpone; ¼ cup condensed milk; 1 tbsp cocoa powder; 6 sponge fingers

Start by dissolving the instant coffee in a bit of boiling water. Once dissolved, add your coffee liquor and around a ¼ cup of cold water. Mix and set aside. Next, take your mascarpone, put it in a bowl, and add condensed milk as well as the vanilla extract. Whisk this mixture until smooth. To serve, take the sponge fingers, break them into smaller pieces, dip them into the coffee mixture, and place them at the bottom of sundae glasses. Place the cream on top of the sponge fingers, coat with cocoa powder, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Photo, Hannah Pemberton.

Brownie in a Mug: Here’s a quick and dirty recipe you can pull together at a moment’s notice.

¼ tsp vanilla extract; 2 tbsp Nestle cocoa; ⅓ cup all-purpose flour; ⅓ cup caster sugar; ⅕ cup butter; Water; Salt

Mix butter and vanilla extract in a coffee mug with 2 tbsp of water. Make sure to combine well and add the rest of the ingredients when done. Place the mug into a microwave and let it run for a minute or so on high. Serve with ice cream or just dig in.

Banana Split: Another awesome way to treat your taste buds is to whip up a cool banana split. It’s quick, it’s easy and anyone can do it with a few basic ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need…

One banana; Ice cream flavours of your choosing (we recommend the basic vanilla and chocolate); Fresh strawberries; Pineapple chunks; Whipped cream; Chocolate syrup; Cherries complete with stems

The recipe itself is easy. Take your banana, split it lengthwise and place it in a dessert dish. Put your ice cream between the two slices of banana and then top with the rest of the ingredients as you see fit.

It Only Takes a Minute: Whipping up tasty treats doesn’t take a culinary arts degree. All you need is a hint of creativity and a few basic ingredients. We hope you’ve found this short guide to be helpful in your search for a quick dessert.