Summer snacks can be as easy or complicated as you like. Whether you're slicing up fresh fruit from the local farmer's market or creating a delicious ice cream sundae, there are so many great options to choose from. It doesn't matter if you're sitting down for a movie with the family or trying to keep the kids cool during the hot weather, there's something fun you can make. Here are five summer snacks that are perfect for families.

Watermelon
Watermelon is such a great summer snack. It's perfect for barbecues, low in calories, and helps keep your family hydrated during the hot summer months. Best of all though, watermelon can be used to dress several different desserts, including sorbet. Keep a watermelon on hand for an easy, healthy snack.

Ice Cream Sundaes
If you want to treat your family to something more sinful, but not loaded with calories, you can make ice cream sundaes using reduced-fat products. For example, Dreyer's/Edy's® Slow Churned Light Ice Cream would be amazing

Hot summer nights will probably keep you away from baking and cooking all day, so make sure you have a plan for preparing some delicious desserts! Make use of the fresh fruit of the season and be creative with low-fat ice cream flavors to put together light and delicious desserts the crowd will love. Summer is a great time to serve fruit, ice cream, and yogurt-based desserts and many end up being very low in calories.

Whether you're hosting a barbecue, weekend get-together, or just want to indulge in a tasty treat this season, here are some light, no-bake desserts for those hot summer nights:

Light Ice Cream Sundaes

Ice cream sundaes are a popular summertime treat and also super-easy to make! Use low-fat ice cream like Dreyer's/Edy's® Slow Churned Light Ice Cream to create your diet-friendly masterpiece. The sweet caramel and vanilla flavors are perfect for homemade sundaes, ice cream cakes, or just a simple ice cream cone. A small sundae glass layered with ice cream,

Fresh summer desserts are something you should always have on hand at parties. They should be sweet but not weigh you down. Whether you're serving a slice of lite ice cream cake or strawberry shortcake, you can serve desserts that are light and healthy. It doesn't matter if you're making a dessert for the family or coworkers, these desserts will be a huge hit. Here are five fresh summer dessert recipes.

Lite Ice Cream Cake
Ice cream cake has always been a summer favorite, but no one is fond of all the calories and fat. Thankfully, you can enjoy a delicious slice of ice cream cake without having to feel guilty. The key is to start with a chocolate angel food cake and slice it in half, horizontally. Carefully, scoop out a tunnel in the inside of the top of bottom slices of cake and fill with softened Dreyer's/Edy's® Slow Churned Light Ice Cream . Reassemble the layers, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. Frost with fat-free whipped topping and serve.

Chocolate Dipped Cherries
If you're

Walking through the basics with the president of Magnolia BakeryCupcakes are the best - no if's, and's, or but's about it. And whoever says they're going out of style is going out of style. Cupcakes are here to stay.

Click here to see Crazy Cupcake Recipes

Why are they so popular? Well, they're the perfect size for people who want to eat dessert without feeling guilty - anything larger than a single-serving cupcake just isn't a cupcake anymore, quite frankly. And they're a canvas for the creative cooks out there because they can be customized with a variety of batters, flavored icings, or toppings. Most importantly, however, they're so fun and easy-to-make, even kids can do it.

Click here to learn How to Make a Better Cupcake

Or are they? We've all been there. Even the best cooks sometimes find themselves in desperate situations at the 11th hour, say, the night before a son's fourth birthday party at school, where homemade cupcakes were already promised. And resorting to store-bought just isn't an option. Perhaps you ended up with cupcakes that

Every week, at Food52.com, we're digging up Genius Recipes -- the ones that make us rethink cooking myths, get us talking, and change the way we cook.

Today: The perfect strawberry shortcake for all berry season long -- thanks to an odd secret ingredient.

- Kristen Miglore, Senior Editor, Food52.com

Sweet, ripe summer strawberries deserve lots of whipped cream and the perfect shortcake. And the secret to the perfect shortcake? It's sitting in your fridge right now, and it's going to surprise you.

>>RELATED: See 7 Sweet Strawberry Recipes on FOOD52.

The late cookbook author James Beard -- often called the father of American cuisine -- learned this trick for a tender, airy cake from his mother: Egg yolks.

Not so strange, right? But here's the kicker: they're from hard-boiled eggs.

It might sound like one of the last things you want stirred in with your dry ingredients, but crumbly cooked yolk adds just enough richness without weighing down or

by Sarah McColl, Shine staff

On Sunday, I sat on a bench outside an ice cream parlor. The sun was on my face, my feet were in sandals, and I was dipping my spoon into a swirl of dutch chocolate and vanilla soft serve. Once I had that first bite, it didn't matter what the calendar said: summer had begun.

National Chocolate Ice Cream Day has only inspired more ice cream-driven thoughts. There are moments for ice cream cones eaten on a hot patch of sidewalk and pints pulled from the freezer, eaten on the hottest day directly in front of a whirring fan. But for barbecues and simple family dinners when you want a little something more, these easy ice cream (and sorbet and sherbet) desserts are just the ticket. We're not talking hand-churned here. This is store-bought taken to a whole 'nother level. We can all scream for that.

These sugar-kissed strawberry desserts are the perfect way to celebrate the sweet taste of spring.

Fresh Strawberry Meringue Cake
Fresh Strawberry Meringue Cake
Ingredients
1 cup chopped pecans
Parchment paper
Masking tape
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar, divided
7 egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 (8-oz.) containers mascarpone cheese
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups whipping cream
4 1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
Halved fresh strawberries

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 10 to 12 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through. Remove from oven, and cool completely (about 10 minutes). Reduce oven temperature to 250°.
2. Cover 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Draw 2 (8-inch) circles on each piece of paper. Turn paper over; secure with masking tape.
3. Process cornstarch, salt, toasted pecans, and 1/2 cup sugar in a food processor 40 to 45 seconds or until pecans are finely

Strawberries, Peaches, and Basil with Orange Vinaigrette

Dan Barber, the chef of the acclaimed locavore restaurant Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, New York, created the first dessert vinaigrette I had encountered. This is an adaptation of his recipe, which incorporated much more olive oil and melted butter. The warm vinaigrette releases an intoxicating perfume when poured over the fresh fruit. Serve within 20 minutes of preparing for maximum flavor and optimal temperature.

Strawberries, Peaches, and Basil with Orange Vinaigrette

Ingredients

1 cup fresh orange juice
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Dash of salt
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1 pound fresh strawberries, halved
1 large ripe peach or nectarine, cut into 16 wedges
1/4 cup small fresh basil leaves

See More: 20 Favorite Strawberry Recipes

Preparation

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to