Holidays & Entertaining Holidays Valentine's Day We Just Discovered Sheet Pan Desserts and We're Officially in Love Got a hungry crew to feed—and delight? Look no further than these big-batch, low-effort baked goods. By Betty Gold Betty Gold Betty Gold is the former senior digital food editor at Real Simple. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines and Grace Elkus Grace Elkus Grace Elkus is a food writer and editor with over a decade of experience in culinary media. Highlights: * Associate food editor at Real Simple, where she developed recipes, wrote food stories, and assisted with styling * Deputy food director at Kitchn, where she and her team were responsible for 100 recipes a month * Currently the content lead for JOKR Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on January 21, 2021 Share Tweet Pin Email Using sheet pans for fuss-free dinners is a genius idea. The premise is simple: Combine protein with vegetables on a baking sheet and roast in a hot oven until the ingredients are cooked through; crispy and tender. And...you're done. Why hasn't it occurred to us to apply this method to baking desserts? When you bake cookies in a sheet pan, there's no need to roll out or drop the dough—simply slice and serve. When you cook a pie or tart in one, you have the perfect amount of crust folded underneath each uniform piece. Sheet pan pancakes mean everyone gets a warm, syrupy stack served to them at the same time. But when you bake apple crisp in a sheet pan, something truly magical happens: The ratio of cooked fruit to buttery crumble topping is essentially 50-50, which (let's be honest) is a divide that will convince you to never use a pie pan again. Whatever way you slice it, we think one of these sweet treats will transform you into a sheet pan baker for desserts, too. 01 of 05 Hugs and Kisses Chocolate Chunk Sheet Pan Cookie It's impossible not to fall in love with this giant cookie, filled with semi-sweet chocolate chunks and two types of Hershey's kisses. Pressing the dough into a sheet tray saves you the trouble of rolling out individual cookies—and makes for an impressive presentation.Get the Recipe:Hugs & Kisses Chocolate Chunk Sheet Pan Cookie. Caitlin Bensel Get the recipe It's impossible not to fall in love with this giant cookie, filled with semi-sweet chocolate chunks and two types of Hershey's kisses. Pressing the dough into a sheet tray saves you the trouble of rolling out individual cookies—and makes for an impressive presentation. 02 of 05 Sheet Pan Pancakes With Blueberries, Lemon Zest, and Powdered Sugar Dotting these pancakes with blueberries gives them a pretty, starry-night effect, and dusting them all over with powdered makes them even more festive. There's lemon zest in the batter, which makes these bright and fresh, and you can even sprinkle some more on top for extra zing. Brie Passano Look ma, no hands! You heard us right: You can (and should) use your sheet pan to bake perfectly fluffy pancakes. This method serves everyone at the table a warm stack of pancakes all at once. Simply bake the batter in the oven until golden and fluffy, then brush the giant pancake with butter and stick it under the broiler to create the perfect golden top. For a classic breakfast, serve yours with butter and drizzle with maple syrup—or upgrade the recipe with blueberries, bananas, or raspberries and cream cheese. 03 of 05 Sheet Pan Linzertorte Prepare to fall in love at first site with this oversized buttery treat. Get the kids involved by having them spread the jam over the crust, or cut out hearts from the nutty dough. Finishing the hearts with coarse sugar makes the golden cookie shine. Get the Recipe: Sheet Pan Linzertorte. Caitlin Bensel Prepare to fall in love at first site with this oversized buttery treat. Get the kids involved by having them spread the jam over the crust, or cut out hearts from the nutty dough. Finishing the hearts with coarse sugar makes the golden cookie shine. 04 of 05 Sheet Pan Pavlova With Grapefruit and Blood Orange Curd If there was ever a time to give pavlova a go, this is it. Topped with a tangy citrus curd and fresh fruit segments, this light-as-air meringue is the ultimate swoon-worthy sweet. Get the Recipe: Sheet Pan Pavlova With Grapefruit and Blood Orange Curd. Caitlin Bensel If there was ever a time to give pavlova a go, this is it. Topped with a tangy citrus curd and fresh fruit segments, this light-as-air meringue is the ultimate swoon-worthy sweet. 05 of 05 Sheet Pan Apple Crisp Caitlin Bensel Get the recipe Let us let you in on a little secret: Using a rimmed baking sheet means the ratio of apples to crumble is basically 50-50, which is the ideal proportion for those who appreciate a crisp, buttery, brown sugary topping. Why would you ever use a pie dish again? P.S. This method would work for other crisps like peach, pear, or plum. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit