My 9-yr-old just became interested in making desserts on his own, and I'm looking for easy dessert cookbooks that aren't books for kids. I've been quite disappointed in most cookbooks specifically written for children, as too many of them are all frozen whipped topping and gummy bears and sprinkles, and I'd like simple dishes made with real ingredients. He's made a few things from the America's Test Kitchen Quick Family Cookbook, and he's liked those and they have been the right level. Any suggestions?

I just bought Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break. It's got some very easy recipes such as the blackberry almond cake, and some that are a bit more complicated too, and the baked goods I've made from it have all been excellent. It's written in clear steps and uses ingredients that are easy to find. For example, they give directions to make almond paste in one recipe since it may not be readily available. The only drawback to this book is there are no photographs, however the techniques are illustrated by charming little drawings. I think it would be a good choice for a young baker.

What to Bake and How to Bake It by Jane Hornby is a great book for beginners. It has step by step photos but the recipes are not dumbed down and the results are fantastic.

I started baking desserts in my teen years.  The book I used was 

1966 Better Homes Gardens Pies Cakes Cookbook Dessert Baking

Very easy to understand with basic dessert recipes.  Very good results without being wordy.  We would bake different recipes  during our stayovers at at our friends' homes.  Not fancy but consistent results.  Thin hardcover and can be found online at ebay and other sources cheaply.  

The Wooden Spoon Dessert Book by Marilyn M Moore 1990. As the title suggests, all the recipes are easily made without difficult techniques or equipment.  It is still available on Amazon, but is not indexed on EYB.

I really like Rustic Fruit Desserts by Cory Schreiber and Julie Richardson.The subtitle is Crumbles, Buckles, Cobblers, Pandowdies, and More, to give the picture. Easy to put together desserts with lots of flavor. I think  a nine year old could handle most of the recipes in it pretty readily, and these kinds of recipes are pretty forgiving, so someone who is learning shouldn't have discouraging failures. The desserts cover all the seasons, so it's not just for the peak of summer, and there's plenty of scope for substituting other fruits thsn those called for in the recipe title. It's a small book, a good size for a child to handle. Judging by the EYB notes on this book, I'm not alone in in finding it a mainstay.

Fika is also good; the blackberry almond cake is my favorite in the book.

Avocet, that book is indexed on EYB, so I added the link to your post. And members might be interested in checking out the 20 online recipes we've linked to.  

Thanks, Deborah. I didn't think to post the link. One of the greatest things about EYB is the ability to peruse the list of recipes to see if a book is of interest, and/or the recipes seem to have ingredients that are reasonablly accessable for one's needs.

Another suggestion: Nigel Slater's Real Fast Desserts. Simple dishes with real ingredients, like you asked for.

A lovely Canadian title (also indexed here in EYB) is Bake with Anna Olson.  Anna is a well known face to Canadian cooks and she always provides very clear instructions and uses everyday ingredients.  Throughout the book, you will find recipes tagged as "foundation recipes" (from which many different desserts grow) and each section tags its recipes as "simple" (re: ingredients/steps/equipment BUT with great results), "scrumptious" (which may include multiple elements / a more advanced technique / specialty equipment and maybe some planning) and "senastional" which are the more challenging / impressive efforts.  Examples of these from the 22 recipes found in the COOKIES & BARS chapter in order of complexity are classic chocolate chip cookies , Scottish pan shortbread (made in a removable bottom tart pan) and empire cookies (filled and frosted).   Another example would be form the PIES & TARTS chapter.......pastry is the foundation recipe and then you can use it develop your skills with butter tarts , double crust apple pie and finally lemon meringue pie.

She emphaszies the role of practice and skill development as you grow into become a more confidant baker.  Her description of the importance of this journey is also quite lovely.  What I also really like about this suggestion is that your son will NOT grow out of it .....as he grows older there should always be something for him to learn or challenge himself with.  I love this book as an adult and would have been thrilled to have it as child who fell in love with baking!

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone! I like the looks of many of these and will give some of them a try. I'll probably start with a couple that have a wide variety of recipes, What to Bake and How to Bake It and  Bake with Anna Olson, to give him different kinds of dishes to choose from.  I personally like the looks of some of the fruit-intensive books and may try those myself, but I think they'll be a hard sell with him; he loves fruit but won't accept it as dessert (unless it's in ice cream).