740 altering recipes

Edible cake-decorating roses and leaves shaped from a marshmallow-and-powdered-sugar fondant. A budget-friendly alternative to professional gum paste for birthday and wedding cakes.

Orange liqueur cake with chopped dates, pecans, and buttermilk batter, soaked in a Grand Marnier orange syrup. The fruitcake alternative for people who claim to hate fruitcake.

Peanut butter cookies with a hidden chocolate star in the middle, rolled in powdered sugar after baking. The classic surprise cookie that hides a chocolate kiss inside.

Creamy cottage cheesecake made with full-fat cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, and eggs on a graham cracker crust. The lighter, tangier alternative to classic cheesecake.

Chocolate marshmallow sandwich cookies with soft cake-like chocolate rounds and a fluffy marshmallow cream filling. Homemade whoopie pies for lunchboxes, bake sales, and after-school snacks.

Oven-baked 'fried' chicken: buttermilk-dipped chicken breast rolled in seasoned Parmesan bread crumbs and baked crispy. Lower-fat alternative to deep frying with all the crunch.

Irish curd cake: a traditional sieved cottage cheese cheesecake in a shortbread crust with lemon zest and a sugar-butter glaze. Light alternative to heavy American cheesecake.

Banana nut yeast bread is a risen sandwich loaf with mashed bananas, chopped pecans, evaporated milk, and a cinnamon-sugar topping. The slow-risen alternative to quickbread.

Slow cooker barbecue beef shredded with a wire whisk after 8 hours on high. Chuck roast cooks in a tangy sauce of tomato paste, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and dry mustard.

Tomato and avocado pinwheel salad: a 15-minute showpiece side of alternating tomato and avocado wedges under a balsamic-onion vinaigrette. Low-carb, vegan, and beautiful on the plate.

Mageritsa is the traditional Greek Easter lamb soup served after midnight Resurrection Mass. Lamb offal, rice, dill and scallions in a tart avgolemono broth thickened with egg and lemon.

Chocolate-covered cherries wrap maraschino cherries in a fondant sugar coating, then dip in dark chocolate. After a week of "ripening," the fondant liquefies around the cherry for that classic Cella's-style syrupy center.

No-bake pumpkin layer pie with sweet cream cheese and whipped topping over a graham cracker crust, plus a thick spiced pumpkin pudding layer. A lighter holiday alternative.

Grilled tuna and roasted pepper sandwiches: meaty grilled tuna layered with sweet roasted peppers, capers, and parsley salad on focaccia. A Mediterranean pan bagnat style picnic sandwich that only gets better after chilling.

A staple at English boarding schools, these individual cakes are served with afternoon tea. They don't keep well; after a day they take on the characteristics of "rocks".

Silky coconut custard filling topped with billowy meringue in this retro diner-style pie. The secret is scalded milk for ultra-smooth texture that sets perfectly after chilling.