10+ Easy Baking Recipes for Fun and Quick Homemade Treats

Baking’s a fun way to whip up tasty treats without a ton of stress. Whether you’re just starting out or want super simple ideas, easy baking recipes let you make delicious food fast.

These recipes save you time and use just a few ingredients, so you can actually enjoy baking instead of stressing over it.

You don’t have to be an expert to create something sweet or savory. With these straightforward recipes, you can feel more confident in the kitchen and actually enjoy the process.

Baking really can be simple and rewarding, especially when the steps are clear.

1) 4-Ingredient Homemade Bread

This 4-ingredient homemade bread is ideal if you want crusty, no-fuss bread. No fancy pans or kneading skills needed—just mix, wait, and bake.

You only need flour, water, yeast, and salt. The dough rises for a few hours, so plan ahead.

Baking it hot gives you that golden crust and a soft inside. Even if you’re new to baking, you’ll pull it off. Check out Handmade Farmhouse or Sally’s Baking Addiction for step-by-step versions.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Cooking Instructions:

1. Mix flour, yeast, salt, and water in a bowl.
2. Cover and let it rise at room temp for 8-18 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).
4. Place dough in a Dutch oven or oven-safe pot, cover, and bake for 30 minutes.
5. Remove the lid and bake another 15 minutes until golden brown.
6. Let it cool before slicing.

2) Honey Oat Bread

Honey oat bread is soft, a little sweet, and honestly pretty easy. Oats, honey, and milk make it cozy and comforting.

You barely need to knead it, which is great if you’re not into heavy lifting. It’s good for sandwiches or just slathering with butter.

Honey brings a gentle sweetness, so you won’t need much sugar. Sprinkling oats on top adds a nice look and a bit of crunch.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup oats (instant or old-fashioned)
• 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 cup milk
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 large egg

Cooking Instructions

1. Warm milk a little, then mix with honey and yeast. Let it sit 5 minutes.
2. In a bowl, combine flour, oats, and salt.
3. Add the milk mix, melted butter, and egg. Stir until combined.
4. Cover dough and let rise for 1 hour.
5. Shape into a loaf, put it in a greased pan.
6. Let it rise another 30 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
8. Sprinkle extra oats on top.
9. Bake 30-35 minutes until golden.
10. Cool before slicing.

Try this honey oat bread for a cozy homemade treat.

3) Super-Fudgy Chocolate Cake

If you’re craving a rich, moist cake, this super-fudgy chocolate cake checks all the boxes. You only need one bowl, so cleanup’s a breeze.

The cake turns out dense but soft, and the glossy fudge frosting? It just melts. You can bake it as a sheet, layer cake, or even cupcakes.

Both cocoa powder and melted chocolate go in for a deep, bold flavor. It’s a simple but seriously good dessert.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (50g) cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup (120ml) buttermilk
• ½ cup (120ml) warm water
• ¼ cup (60ml) vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup (90g) melted chocolate

Fudge Frosting:

• ½ cup (115g) butter
• 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
• ¼ cup (25g) cocoa powder
• 2-3 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour your pan.
2. Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Add egg, buttermilk, warm water, oil, vanilla, and melted chocolate. Stir smooth.
4. Pour into pan and bake 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Cool completely before frosting.
6. For frosting, melt butter and mix with powdered sugar, cocoa, milk, and vanilla.
7. Spread over the cooled cake.

4) One-Bowl Pound Cake

This pound cake is as easy as it gets—one bowl, no mess. Just toss everything in and mix by hand or with a mixer.

It’s moist and rich but not overly sweet. Great for breakfast or dessert, honestly.

I like using room temperature butter and eggs; it just makes everything blend better. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for that golden crust.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 9 large eggs
• 3¼ cups all-purpose flour

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9-inch loaf pan.
2. Beat butter and sugar until creamy.
3. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each.
4. Gradually add flour and stir until just blended.
5. Pour into pan and bake 60-70 minutes.
6. Cool before removing and slicing.

Want more tips? Check this classic one-bowl pound cake.

5) 3-Ingredient Cookies

When you want a quick treat, these 3-ingredient cookies have your back. Grab peanut butter, sugar, and an egg—no flour, butter, or milk needed.

You can switch it up with chocolate chips or keep it classic. They mix up fast and bake in minutes.

These cookies are soft, sweet, and perfect when you want something simple.

Ingredients

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Mix peanut butter, sugar, and egg until smooth.
3. Scoop onto a baking sheet.
4. Flatten with a fork.
5. Bake 8-10 minutes until edges brown.
6. Cool before eating.

Try more easy versions at Allrecipes.

6) Fruit Crumble with Any Fruit

Fruit crumble works with almost any fruit—apples, berries, peaches, plums, you name it. Just use about 1 1/2 pounds to fill your dish.

If your fruit’s juicy, toss in some cornstarch. I like to add a bit of baking powder for a softer topping.

The topping’s usually flour, sugar, and butter, but oats or brown sugar add something extra.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds fruit (apples, berries, peaches, plums)
• 1–2 tbsp cornstarch (if fruit’s juicy)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder (optional)
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cut up
• 1/2 cup rolled oats (optional)

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Mix fruit with cornstarch in your baking dish.
3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and oats.
4. Cut in butter until crumbly.
5. Sprinkle topping over fruit.
6. Bake 35–40 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

7) Easy Peanut Butter Fudge

You can whip up peanut butter fudge in just a few minutes. This recipe’s great when you want something sweet—fast.

It’s creamy, smooth, and packed with peanut butter flavor. The fudge sets up super quick, so you don’t have to wait long.

You only need four ingredients. Just mix, press into a pan, and chill.

Ingredients

• 2 cups creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 ½ cups powdered sugar

Cooking Instructions

1. Melt peanut butter and butter together in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30-second bursts until smooth.
2. Stir in vanilla.
3. Gradually add powdered sugar and mix well.
4. Press into a lined pan.
5. Chill in the fridge at least 2 hours, until firm.

See more details in this easy peanut butter fudge recipe.

8) Birthday Cake Blondies

Birthday cake blondies are just plain fun. They’re soft, chewy, and full of colorful sprinkles for a party vibe.

You don’t need a boxed mix. Just vanilla, white chocolate chips, and a little almond extract bring out that classic birthday cake flavor.

They’re great for birthdays or anytime you want to celebrate. If you want to go all out, top them with vanilla buttercream.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 ½ cups brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• ½ cup rainbow sprinkles

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).

2. Mix melted butter and brown sugar until smooth.

3. Add eggs, vanilla, and almond extract. Stir well.

4. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Add this to the wet ingredients.

5. Fold in white chocolate chips and sprinkles.

6. Spread the batter in a greased 9×9-inch pan.

7. Bake for 25-30 minutes, just until the edges turn golden.

8. Let it cool before you cut into squares.

9) Microwave Mug Cake

A microwave mug cake is honestly about as easy as dessert gets. It’s the kind of thing you can whip up in a few minutes with basic ingredients you probably already have.

Just mix the dry and wet ingredients right in your mug. Pop it in the microwave for a minute or two.

The cake rises and cooks right in the mug. Cleanup? Barely anything.

Eat it as is, or toss in some chocolate chips or nuts if you’re feeling extra.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (for chocolate) or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (for vanilla)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Cooking Instructions

1. In a microwave-safe mug, mix flour, sugar, cocoa powder or vanilla, and baking powder.

2. Add milk and oil. Stir until it looks smooth—don’t overthink it.

3. Microwave on high for 60-90 seconds (roughly 350°F / 175°C).

4. Let it cool for a minute, then dig in.

For more recipes, check out this easy microwave chocolate mug cake.

10) Air Fryer Scones

Air fryer scones are such a lifesaver when you want something fresh and homemade but can’t be bothered with the oven. You’ll get golden, fluffy scones with a soft, pillowy inside in under 20 minutes.

Eat them plain if you like, or throw in some blueberries or a dollop of jam. Using the air fryer keeps things simple and saves you from heating up the whole kitchen.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 large egg

Cooking Instructions

1. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
2. Cut in the cold butter. Stop when the mix looks crumbly—kind of like coarse sand.
3. Beat the egg and milk together in a separate bowl. Pour this into the dry mixture.
4. Stir gently, just until it all comes together.
5. Shape the dough into scones. Place them in the air fryer basket, spaced a bit apart.
6. Brush a little milk over the tops.
7. Air fry at 350°F (175°C) for about 14 to 18 minutes. You’re looking for golden tops.
8. Let them cool for a few minutes before serving. That part’s tough, but worth it.

If you want extra help or ideas, here’s an easy air fryer scones recipe.