There are some really good bar recipes if that would work for you. The ones I’ve made most often to take somewhere are lemon, caramel crumb, raspberry oat…lots of tasty choices.

Cobblers, crisps, most fruit pies and most cakes are typically served at room temperature - no refrigeration required.

gardengal’s post made me think of Ina G’s Apple Pie Bars. Tasty!

https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/apple-pie-bars

I made a lemon pound cake from a box mix for our last game night. Froze what was left and have been thawing a little bit here and there.

It depends on what kind of "party" it is.

That's easy. Lemon poppyseed quick bread.

Del's Cooking Twist recipe for lemon poppyseed loaf

Banana bars, texas sheet cake, pound cake, no bake cookies, cobbler or crisp.

I used to bake desserts for a restaurant (in San Francisco in 1975-7), and the favorite thing that I made was double chocolate brownies. You can take any brownie recipe and add chocolate chips to it for this. I also added a lot of nuts, depending on what was available in the restaurant, but my favorite was Brazil nuts. Hazelnuts are also great in brownies.

Elmer's post reminded me of this because the restaurant was run by a commune of hippies who were selling pot upstairs from the restaurant, but I was unaware of this while working there. They were using the restaurant partly to launder money, like quite a few other restaurants in San Francisco at that time.

The recipe I used was from Cooking with Gourmet Grains, published by the Orowheat Bakery, but my books are still packed, and so I do not have access to it😞.

Another thing I made from that book that was popular was Walnut Sour Cream Coffee Cake, and you can find similar recipes for that online.

Bundt cakes are always good...a blast from the past that always sells well for me is Harvey Wallbanger cake. But there are a zillion kinds...chocolate, spice, marble, lemon, apple, etc. What I like about them is you ice them instead of having to make a frosting and frost them. And they're easy to slice up. Zucchini cake is good too.

Lemon bars, magic cookie bars...all kinds of bar type cookies. Or trays of cookies are good too...chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal.

"you ice them instead of having to make a frosting and frost them."

Could explain this please? I didn't know you differentiated between icing and frosting. Up until now I thought what I call icing you call frosting but it seems that's not the case.

No response to my question about what kind of party. I also should have asked what the location is.

I would never serve a crumbly or drippy dessert for a group meal in a home. People will pick up cake or pastry slices and eat them without a serving plate or napkin to catch what falls. Not worth the mess.

Dessert isn't such a big deal with most people as it used to be. Non-crumbly cookies or bars, chocolates and the like fill the bill.

The best dessert in the whole world is brownies. Chewy, fudgy, rich and delicious brownies. And no fridge required. Or blondies, for those with an aversion to chocolate.

Brownies, I understand, can also be adapted well to suit the special type of party Elmer alludes to.

@floraluk2, I think in the US icing is what we would call glace icing and can be poured over the top of the cake, while frosting is fluffier, has butter in it and has to be piped on or spread onto the cake.

floraluk, icing is a looser topping, often powdered sugar with milk and flavoring, combined to a thick but flowing liquid that allowed to drip over the cake and then hardens.

A bundt cake with icing.

Frosting is beaten, can be cooked or not, to a thick spreadable consistency and is used to top a cake...or top and sides...or top, sides and between layers of a cake. Frosting, in my experience, is more complicated to make, and much more complicated to apply and make look artistic. And a frosted cake is fussier to transport too.

Frosted cake:

Elmer, I thought you were joking about the kind of party with "special" brownies. Shows where my head's at...

I said nothing about special brownies.

I asked what kind of party meaning - indoors or out, very casual (which is typical for what I'm usually involved with) or less so, an occasion (asking if a theme) or just a get together.

Brownies are appropriate for ALL those things.

Brownies always go quickly when I bring them...and I always make the ghirardelli brownie mix, key is don't over bake them so they stay super gooey... so delish and so easy! If you want to go a little fancier, then look up cheesecake brownie swirls... cheesecake like filling swirled with the brownie mix before baking. Yum!

A little more fussy, but not overly would be to make cupcakes...

I was the one who brought up special brownies, in case Elmer was trying to make a joke, but instead he had serious questions as to whether the desserts would be served formally or informally.

If informally (like cookies, that the OP mentioned), then cake is not a good option, as it would be messy, and the OP did not mention the obvious option of cake, which made me think that plates would not be used for serving the dessert.

Baklava, served in paper cupcake holders, would be a good option if plates are not going to be used. It is a lot of trouble to make but easy to buy, if you have a Middle Eastern deli or restaurant nearby.

I used this recipe for Melomakarona cookies, which I think are as good as baklava. I tweeked it a bit, and so if you want my variation, I can post that for you.

Thanks for the icing/frosting explanations. We'd call it all icing but specify the type. eg butter cream icing, water icing, glace icing, royal icing etc.

Ah yes, floraluk...love all the different expressions we share but understand differently. I was in England one time speaking to an English couple and mentioned my fanny pack. They were shocked, not realizing I was referring to the purse I was wearing at my waist. And I was stunned to see shops that advertised selling pasties...which on our side of the pond are pronounced with a long "A" and are the pasted on tassels worn by strippers to cover their nipples.

Annie, in Michigan, especially in the Upper Peninsula, we are known for having pasties, the meat pie, pronounced "past-ees" (accent on first syllable) with a short "a."

Cakes are fine for any kind of party.

@chisue if the party is outside in the summer you need refrigeration. A lot of desserts are just going to get gross/go bad if they're left out for too long.

Hey chisue, I think your cute comment flew over someone's head.

I tried to resist...

The same thought occurred to me after seeing the header an additional time or two. When I scrolled down to say something about it, I saw you got there first.

Resistance is futile.

Posting this that came in an email today. Personally I’d be much happier with a lemon bar, but I have family members who’d go for these these in a big way.

https://inspiredbycharm.com/chocolate-chip-cookie-brownies/

Elmer -- I know, but who is #1?

Do I have that right?

Confusion and uncertainty reign.

Maybe these events are normally held in a walk-in cooler and perhaps that venue is not available, so adjustments are needed.

Eats, Shoots, and Leaves again comes to mind.