Recipes with butter

Chewy butterscotch brownies (blondies) made with dark brown sugar, butter, pecans, and shredded coconut. No chocolate needed. Rich, caramel-scented, and baked in one pan. Makes 18 squares.

From-scratch blueberry pie with toasted walnuts in the filling, a buttery sweet pastry crust, and a cinnamon-walnut crumb topping. Lemon zest brightens every bite of this three-component pie that's worth the extra effort.

Old-fashioned honey drop cookies with cinnamon, cloves, and raisins. No refined sugar at all. Soft, chewy, and warmly spiced with a caramel-like sweetness.

Peach breakfast cake bakes fresh peaches into an almond-and-orange butter cake, then crowns them with a sour cream topping that sets like custard. Dusted with cinnamon sugar and served warm or cool. A brunch-ready coffee cake.

Onion casserole with butter-cooked sliced onions in cream of chicken soup with mushrooms and paprika, topped with buttered croutons and melted cheddar and Parmesan. A fast, savory side dish.

Cinnamon pear tart with a rustic whole wheat crust, warm spices, and juicy sliced pears. A free-form galette for two that's simple enough for any weeknight dessert.

No-bake chocolate nut cake layered with graham crackers. A creamy cocoa filling with cashews or almonds sets firm in the fridge. No oven needed.

Lemons are available year round with a peak season in the summer. Choose specimens that are firm, smooth, brightly colored, heavy for their size, and devoid of any blemishes or green splotches, a sign of underripeness.

A clever diet quiche with a fiber-rich bran-egg crust and a silky blended tofu filling loaded with asparagus, mushrooms, and onion. Low-calorie, low-fat, and high in protein. No pastry dough needed.

Semi-homemade chocolate cake with a gooey caramel, roasted peanut, and milk chocolate chip layer baked right into the center. Starts with a box mix and six ingredients. Tastes like a giant chocolate turtle bar in cake form.

Toffee-coated popcorn with pecans and mixed dried fruit, baked until crunchy. A homemade caramel corn snack mix cooked to hard-ball stage for a crispy, buttery shell.

Sticky homemade barbecue sauce simmered with cola, ketchup, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. The cola caramelizes into a sweet, tangy glaze that's built for grilled chicken.

Jumbles are old-fashioned filled sandwich cookies, two rolled rounds enclosing a smear of grape jelly with three peek-a-boo windows cut into the top. Vintage pantry treat.

Quickie beef stroganoff with tender chuck steak strips, earthy mushrooms, and tangy sour cream sauce over buttered noodles in under an hour.

COMMENT: What makes this dessert so irresistible? As it bakes, a pudding sauce forms beneath the cake layer. Cocoa-based and made without eggs, its an old-fashioned treat that should be served with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and a big spoon.

Huevos rancheros with fried eggs on corn tortillas topped with refried beans, Monterey Jack, and fresh salsa with avocado and jalapeno. A 10-minute Mexican breakfast.