68 sweetmeat recipes

Semolina halwa sweetened with sugar syrup, cooked in ghee, and perfumed with cardamom and rosewater. Studded with pistachios and almonds, then cut into diamond shapes.

Microwave steamed lobster cooked in salted lemon water in just 12 minutes. A fast, no-fuss method for whole live lobster with tender, sweet meat.

Golden, crispy beer batter softshell crabs fried to perfection. The batter rests to thicken before frying, giving each crab a crunchy shell with tender, sweet meat inside.

Try this simple, but scrumptious Italian favorite that's made with crunchy almonds.

Chocolaty, creamy, smooth and rich. This chocolate cheesecake is an ultimate indulgence.

Spicy baked sweet potato steak fries tossed in olive oil and a sweet-heat rub of brown sugar, kosher salt, and cayenne. Oven-roasted into thick, tender wedges with crisp, browned edges, no deep fryer needed.

Slice-and-bake chocolate walnut cookies built on a flourless-style dough with a pound of melted semi-sweet chocolate, espresso, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Crackly tops, fudgy centers, almost no flour.

Pumpkin nut cake (a.k.a. pumpkin dump cake) layered with spiced pumpkin custard, dry yellow cake mix, chopped nuts and melted butter on top. Bakes into a gooey-bottom, crisp-top fall classic.

Chocolate leaves made by brushing melted chocolate onto real leaves and peeling away once set. An elegant no-bake garnish for cakes, tarts, and plated desserts.

Tiny Bohemian chocolate cookies with melted milk chocolate, grated walnuts, and butter, baked low and slow until they melt on your tongue. Makes 16 dozen bite-sized cookies for holiday platters.

Lady finger icebox cake layered with rich chocolate mousse made from German chocolate, butter, and eggs, topped with whipped cream. No baking, freezer-friendly.

Grilled lamb rib chops with a port and blackberry reduction sauce spiced with cardamom, clove, and jalapeno. An elegant dinner with a sweet-heat berry glaze.

Homemade chocolate walnut cream candies with marshmallow cream, fondant, and heavy cream cooked to the soft ball stage. Old-fashioned candy shop fudge you can make at home.

German chocolate cake using yellow cake mix doctored with melted German sweet chocolate, pudding mix, and buttermilk. Three layers stacked with classic cooked coconut-pecan filling between. The bakery-quality version of a backyard birthday classic.

Turtle cheesecake with a caramel-pecan bottom layer and a rich chocolate cream cheese top on a vanilla wafer crust. Three layers of indulgence, classic candy-shop flavors.

Poached orange roughy topped with a spiced tomato-orange marmalade sauce with brandy, coriander, cinnamon, and cayenne. A light, elegant fish dish with sweet-heat complexity.