A wonderful way to celebrate the incredible women in your life is by treating them to a delightful brunch. From savory scones to delectable cakes, we put together our favorite recipes that cater to everyone's taste. This post is updated every year with the most relevant content.
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I find that this is the perfect event for a great display of easy recipes, full of spring colors and bursting flavors.
Setting the table: I like to take the time to think about what color palette I want that goes with the food. Mother's day can take any color you want but I always think about light and sunshine (hopefully) since Spring is in full swing. So make sure your plates, linens, and flowers match the spirit you want for the brunch.
The recipes
The great thing about baking is that most recipes are good to eat year-round. We are not as eager to bake in the scorching summer, but spring and fall are perfect occasions. And a holiday is the perfect excuse.
These are, hands-down, my favorites for a Mother's Day brunch table. You can make several of them ahead and keep them refrigerated or frozen. There's a guide to Freezer Baking & Desserts that might come in very handy.
Savory & Drinks
No brunch table can start without great savory recipes, right? I have to confess that savory baking is one of my favorite things, and eating the results is a big part of why I love it.
Avocado Deviled Eggs
These appetizer eggs are incredibly creamy, tasty and super simple to whip up! The avocado adds flavor and unctuousness, and they're so pretty.
Homemade Gravlax
Gravlax is so easy to make! It's a fresh salmon fillet cured with sugar, salt, and dill. A fantastic appetizer.
BLT Deviled Eggs
Creamy deviled eggs with crispy bacon, lettuce and tomato. These are as cute as they're delicious.
Gin Grapefruit Cocktail
A classic Greyhound cocktail made with gin and fresh grapefruit juice, plus an optional simple syrup variation. No special equipment needed.
Rosé Sangria
This is the perfect wine drink that takes 10 minutes to prepare and lasts several hours, making it ideal for brunch.
Savory Scones
This recipe is stunning and ready in an hour. Wait until you smell the aroma in the kitchen!
Crustless Quiche
This is a simple, flavorful dish for weekend brunch or a light lunch. It's egg-based and very versatile with fillings.
Baked Ricotta
This appetizer is quick and easy to make. It is a perfect addition to a brunch table and as a dip in a charcuterie or cheese board.
Pink Lemonade
Are you a fan of classic lemonade but looking to switch things up? This fun and colorful drink uses fresh ingredients and comes together in minutes.
Eggplant Hummus
Roasted eggplant gives hummus a smoky, deep and fabulous flavor! Ready in 45 minutes, it's a very easy recipe.
Tomato Focaccia
This is a simple bread dough that uses few ingredients with spectacular results: golden crust, salty and oily in the best possible way, and unparalleled crunchiness.
Mushroom Quiche
Quiche is a short, fancy tart with a buttery crust and a rich, creamy filling. Mushrooms and leeks make this recipe extraordinary.
Sweet Spicy Nuts
Two easy sweet and spicy cocktail nuts recipes! Any nut can be used and they are ready to eat in less than an hour.
Tomato Galette
This free-form pie has a layer of cheese mixture, a buttery herb crust, and ripe, bursting-with-flavor tomatoes.
Avocado Hummus
A twist on the traditional hummus recipe, this dip is super creamy, healthy and full of flavor!
Scones, muffins, pancakes & bread
A brunch table is never ready without these bakery staples.
Ricotta Cheese Pancakes
These easy and quick pancakes with ricotta have a creamy, soft texture. A unique old-fashioned style recipe for brunch or breakfast to eat with your favorite topping.
Strawberry Scones
A fabulous tender scone recipe that bakes to a golden brown and has the most eye-catching pink drizzle of strawberry glaze.
Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes
Make soft ricotta pancakes with a hint of lemon and juicy blueberries in every bite.
Coconut Muffins
Very easy, bakery-style toasted coconut muffins with a soft, moist crumb that will rise wonderfully.
Lemon Blackberry Bread
A quick bread similar to a light pound cake that bakes to a golden brown and is covered with a beautiful pink icing.
Cottage Cheese Pancakes
These are unique in texture and flavor, and the batter comes together in a few minutes.
Raspberry Muffins
These homemade raspberry muffins will rise, crack, and bake to a golden brown. They're moist and soft, with a subtle lemon flavor mixed with bursting raspberries.
Apple Bread Pudding
Cinnamon apples topped with bread cubes and a vanilla custard, baked until creamy, and served with caramel.
Buttermilk Scones
A fabulous scone recipe, neither too sweet nor savory. Easy to make, you can have them at the table in under an hour.
Chocolate Muffins
These easy muffins will rise and crack beautifully, and have a fluffy, soft crumb with a deep sweet chocolate flavor.
Irish Raisin Soda Bread
This no-yeast recipe can be on the table in under an hour. The crust bakes to a golden brown, and you can cut it while still warm.
Blackberry Muffins
Full of juicy blackberries, they have a soft and tender crumb and are out of the oven in 45 minutes.
Below are some traditional recipes that I love to include on a holiday table. Of course, all brunches should include some type of bread and cookies!
Frosted Sugar Cookies
These simple vanilla sugar cookies have a buttercream frosting and are very simple to make. A wink to the popular Lofthouse cookies.
Lemon Bars
This irresistible lemon bar recipe only requires 6 ingredients to make! It is the perfect balance of sweet and tangy.
Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies
Fudgy and scrumptious brownies where a layer of chocolate batter is swirled with a cheesecake mixture and raspberries.
Snowball Cookies
Melt-in-your-mouth butter cookies with ground almonds. These are such a crowd-pleaser!
Sesame Cookies
These may be the most sophisticated yet simple cookies you'll find this season. They are sweet but savory, crumbly but firm.
Lemon Blondies
Also known as lemon brownies, these are sweet, moist, and intensely lemon-flavored glazed bars that are easy to make.
Vanilla Cookies
A homemade version of vanilla creme cookies. The dough and filling can be made ahead, making them an excellent option for gatherings.
Pecan Chip Cookies
A twist on the traditional chip cookies, these are thick and chewy, with caramel flavor and crunch from the pecans.
Lemon Curd Cookies
A buttery dough with a melt-in-your-mouth quality and a zesty, sweet and tangy filling that will leave you craving more.
Fudgy Cocoa Brownies
These are easy and incredibly fudgy cocoa brownies. Topped with a thin layer of chocolate ganache, this recipe will bring raves among chocoholics.
Brownie Cookies
They are fudgy and chewy, with an intense chocolate flavor. An easy-to-make recipe everyone will love.
White Chocolate Walnut Blondies
Wonderfully easy to make, these bars have a hint of coffee, are ready in under an hour and taste like a giant caramel cookie.
Carmelitas (Chocolate Caramel Oat Bars)
The most irresistible bars! A layer of buttery oats topped with chocolate, caramel or dulce de leche, nuts, and a crunchy topping.
Cakes & cheesecake
It was difficult to narrow down my favorite cake recipes for this time of year. I hope you find them amazing, too.
Lemon Curd Cupcakes
These gorgeous cupcakes are sweet and soft, with a lemon curd center and a lemon cream cheese frosting.
Mini Cheesecakes (no bake)
Perfect small treats that don't require an oven. Top them with a fruit sauce or a drizzle of chocolate.
Red Velvet Bundt Cake
With its unique flavor and color, this old-fashioned red velvet cake is soft, moist, and utterly delicious!
Double Crust Ricotta Pie
I've made this pie forever; it's a much-requested dessert here. The crust is sweet and softer than usual, with an incredibly creamy filling.
Hazelnut Pound Cake
A fantastic pound cake with toasted hazelnuts. The flavor is intense, the crumb moist and dense, and the cake keeps well and can be frozen.
Ricotta Cheesecake
This fabulous cheesecake uses a combination of cream cheese and ricotta to create a lighter, but slightly rustic texture than regular cheesecakes.
Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
Let me present to you the most amazing cupcakes that taste just like a shortcake! A fantastic recipe you'll want to make often.
Carrot Pineapple Cake
Add pineapple to carrot cake, and you have a new favorite! It's very moist, super flavorful, and perfect for brunch.
Mini Bundt Cakes
The base is a moist vanilla cake recipe with cream cheese that can handle assorted toppings, from berries and cream to chocolate glaze and more.
Blood Orange Cakes
Wonderfully moist mini orange cakes finished with a gorgeous pink glaze from blood oranges. This is a stunning and flavorful recipe.
Oreo Cheesecake
This is a fantastically creamy Oreo Cheesecake, topped with chopped cookies and chocolate ganache. Get ready to make this recipe over and over.
Strawberry Pound Cake
A simple, moist, sweet vanilla cake with strawberry pieces that get soft and jammy and add a wonderful flavor. The pink glaze adds another layer of sweetness.
Brown Sugar Cheesecake
Creamy, smooth, with a sour cream topping and the unmistakable caramel flavor that only brown sugar can achieve.
White Chocolate Raspberry Bundt Cake
Passionfruit Cheesecake
Easy summer dessert: a lemon no-bake cheesecake with swirls of passion fruit curd. Wonderfully fresh and festive.
Cinnamon Cupcakes
A soft, sweet, and buttery cinnamon cakes topped with a mound of cinnamon-flavored cream cheese frosting.
Hummingbird Cake
Beautiful layers flavored with banana, pineapple, cinnamon, and walnuts are combined with sweet cream cheese frosting. A fantastic classic cake.
Lemon Poppy Cake
This is, by itself, one of the best lemon cakes I ever made. The added poppy seeds make it heavenly and crunchy.
Pies & tarts
Some traditional pies and wonderful desserts that your pickiest eaters will approve of.
Easiest Cherry Tart
An easy cherry tart with a vanilla custard filling, fresh cherries, and a crust that doesn't require refrigeration or rolling before using!
Strawberry Cream Pie
This is a family recipe with a homemade crust, a thick layer of cream, fresh strawberries, and a jelly-like topping made with the juice from the berries!
Black Forest Tarts
A twist on the classic cake, these tarts have the perfect chocolate crust, a layer of raspberry jam, sweet cherries, whipped cream and chocolate shards!
Italian Ricotta Pie
A classic and delicious pie, with an easy-to-make sweet dough and a lemony, flavorful filling.
Chocolate Raspberry Tart
A luscious chocolate tart studded with raspberries. The crust is crisp and the truffle filling is smooth and sweetly tart from the berries.
Banoffee Pie
A cookie crust, gooey dulce de leche (it's heavenly paired with bananas), a mound of whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
Candy
Though many think these types of recipes are suited for more wintery holidays, I love them because they're SO incredibly easy to make and such a crowd-pleaser! A little homemade chocolate treat will add so much to your table.
Buckeye Fudge
These peanut butter fudge squares are super easy to make and a total crowd-pleaser. They're topped with a layer of semisweet chocolate and are amazing!
Chocolate Peanut Clusters
This might be the easiest chocolate candy ever. They're delicious, ready in 25 minutes, and the perfect treat to make with kids.
Cranberry Pistachio Fudge
With only 4 ingredients, this is the easiest white fudge, made in the microwave! A very simple recipe that comes together quickly.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
These no-bake oat bars are easy to make and kid-friendly, with that magic combination of peanut butter and chocolate.
Desserts
With the start of berries and stone fruit, this brunch table can have the easiest and best desserts, including icebox and dump cakes which I include here because they are best eaten in a bowl with a spoon.
No Bake Lemon Dessert
Fresh, sweet, and ridiculously easy to make, this lemon icebox dessert can be served in a glass or as a frozen cake.
Strawberry Dump Cake
A quick and easy dessert, this cobbler with cake mix topping is a must-bake when strawberry season starts.
Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake
The combination of flavors is wonderful. This black forest dump cake is easy to make and ready in an hour.
Strawberry Icebox Cake
This dessert is as delicious as it is stunning! Strawberries, cream, and dulce de leche come together in this unforgettable recipe.
Vanilla custard sauce
Also known as Crème Anglaise, this is a French light custard sauce.
Use it to top pound cakes, pies, fruit, pancakes, or waffles. It can be made ahead and flavored with different extracts (coffee, lemon, orange) besides vanilla.
Crème Anglaise or French Custard Sauce: recipe and video!
Our holiday is in October (I live in Buenos Aires) because that's when our spring happens. Right now, it's all fall leaves and cool days.
Have a beautiful Mother's Day wherever you are ❤️
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