Recipes with pecans

Three-layer white chocolate cake with chopped pecans, coconut, and a fluffy boiled-sugar coconut icing. Special occasion Southern-style layer cake with cooked seven-minute frosting.

Carrot cake bread: a tender carrot quickbread baked in two 9-inch pans, made with olive oil, cinnamon, grated carrots, and chopped pecans. Better the next day, optional orange-butter icing.

Mini pecan pies bake in individual flan tins with a press-in shortbread crust and a golden syrup, brown sugar, and pecan filling. British-style hand-held tarts perfect for parties.

Pecan icebox cookies with brown sugar and toasted pecans, shaped into a log, chilled overnight, then sliced and baked. Classic slice-and-bake cookies that keep in the fridge for a week.

Layered vegetable casserole with broccoli, zucchini, carrots, and bell peppers in a creamy ricotta sauce, topped with Parmesan bread crumbs and pecans.

Pear pound cake with buttermilk, chopped pecans, and a hint of nutmeg baked in a loaf pan. Moist, buttery crumb studded with tender pear chunks in every slice.

Pumpkin pecan cheesecake with a graham cracker crust, spiced pumpkin filling, and a brown sugar pecan streusel topping. A fall dessert that combines two holiday favorites in one.

A one-of-a-kind three-layer cake with cranberries, pecans, shredded wheat cereal, and orange zest, topped with orange cream cheese frosting. The name says sorry but every bite says wow.

Paradise cake layers a yellow box cake with crushed pineapple, sliced bananas, vanilla pudding, chopped pecans, and whipped topping. A tropical no-fuss layered dessert that feeds a crowd from a 9x13 pan.

This is a decadently delicious German chocolate torte. It's chocolaty and rich.

Chocolate mint sticks: a three-layer holiday bar with a fudgy brownie base, a bright green peppermint buttercream middle, and a glossy chocolate glaze on top. A Christmas-cookie classic.

Buttery shortbread crust topped with gooey pecan-coconut filling creates bar cookies that taste like pecan pie without the fussy pastry work.

This extra-sweet, but scrumptious snack is the best substitute for dessert if you don't feel like making a cake.

Sour cream coffee cake baked in a bundt pan with a cinnamon-pecan streusel bottom and brown sugar-cinnamon topping layered through the center. Brunch perfection from a cake mix.

Apple cake with caramel sauce loaded with cinnamon, pecans, and fresh apples. A simple one-bowl batter topped with buttery brown sugar caramel poured on hot from the oven.

Caramel apple cheesecake on a graham cracker crust with a gooey caramel layer, cinnamon-apple cream cheese filling, and a caramel-apple-pecan topping. A fall showstopper dessert.

Bakery-sized chocolate chip pecan cookies with oats and cinnamon, scooped by the quarter cup. A dual-fat dough with both shortening and butter for thick, chewy results.

If you like fudge and moist cake--this one's for you! Extremely easy to make.

Peanut butter puffs made with phyllo dough folded into crispy triangles around a sweet peanut butter filling, then drizzled with melted chocolate and chopped pecans.

Banana macaroon salad layers homemade coconut-oat macaroon crumbs with sliced bananas, pecans and whipped topping, then chills until everything melds. A retro potluck and picnic favorite.

Sweet potato casserole layered with canned peaches and topped with brown sugar pecans and toasted marshmallows for a Southern holiday classic.

Jeweled candied fruitcake loaded with dates, candied pineapple, whole cherries, and 2 lbs of pecan halves. More fruit and nuts than batter. A stunning holiday gift cake.

These rich chocolate-toffee bars from Mary Lueke of Menasha were our top pick in the bar category.

Peach pecan muffins fold ripe summer peaches and toasted pecans into a cinnamon-spiced batter for tender, fruit-studded breakfast muffins. One bowl, no mixer, ready in 45 minutes from cold oven to cooling rack.

Luxurious amaretto-soaked brownies with chocolate amaretto frosting and white almond icing drizzle. Boozy, pecan-studded dessert bars that need overnight chilling for maximum flavor.

Pecan pudding baked in a custard cup in the microwave: dark corn syrup, egg, and chopped pecans in a buttered cup, dusted with powdered sugar. Pecan pie filling in individual pudding form.

Spinach, blue cheese, pecan, and cranberry wraps: a tangy cream cheese spread studded with blue cheese, toasted pecans, and dried cranberries, rolled with crisp apple and baby spinach. A no-cook salad in a tortilla.

Pecan angel pie folds toasty pecans and graham cracker crumbs into stiff meringue, then bakes into a chewy-crisp dessert topped with whipped cream or ice cream. No flour, no fat in the base, just nuts and crumbs holding sweet meringue together.

Apricot brandy-soaked fruit and warm spices transform this quick bread into a moist, fragrant loaf that's more holiday fruitcake than everyday bread.

Impossible pecan pie makes its own crust as it bakes, no rolling required. Six ingredients blend up in seconds and yield a pecan-studded custard pie in 45 minutes.

Ranger Joe cookies pack everything but the kitchen sink: rolled oats, Rice Krispies, coconut, pecans, and chocolate chips into one chewy, crunchy, candy-bar-of-a-cookie. The classic Texas ranch-house cookie that bakes off four dozen at a time.

Nutty baked bulgur wheat seasoned with dried basil and tossed with toasted pecans. A simple, wholesome vegetarian side dish ready in 30 minutes flat.

Better Than Sex Cake is a rich Bundt cake made with yellow cake mix, vanilla pudding, sour cream, chocolate chips, grated German chocolate, and pecans.

Brandy-spiked pumpkin cheesecake on a buttery pecan crust with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and mace. A rich, spiced holiday dessert worth the overnight chill.

Sauteed soft-shell crab in sizzling butter topped with browned pecans. A Cajun classic with just 4 ingredients and crispy, golden results in under 30 minutes.

Pasta Giovanni tosses fettuccine with garlicky sautéed mushrooms, chopped pecans, parsley, sliced black olives, and pimientos in olive oil, finished with grated Romano. A vegetarian pasta with Mediterranean ingredients and crunchy textural surprise.

Moist, tasty and light. A perfectly delicious cake to finish up the meal without feeling guilty.

A deliciously rich chocolate pecan pie using dark, milk and white chocolate studded with pecans.

Old-fashioned bourbon nut cake loaded with pecans, raisins, and candied cherries, baked low and slow in a tube pan. Mellows for a week and tastes even better with time.

Buttery cocoa crescent cookies loaded with ground pecans and rolled in powdered sugar. Melt-in-your-mouth tender with a deep chocolate twist on the classic Mexican wedding cookie. Makes about 3.5 dozen.

Chinese fried pecans soak whole pecan halves in boiling water, coat them in sugar, dry overnight, and fry to a crackling glazed shell. Restaurant-style sweet appetizer or party snack.

Old-school dark fruitcake soaked overnight in brandy and orange liqueur with figs, apricots, currants, walnuts, and pecans. Makes four loaves; ages beautifully.

Classic Southern pecan pie with dark corn syrup, butter, and vanilla in an unbaked pie shell. Gooey, caramelized filling with whole pecan halves on top.

Whiskey-spiked raisin pecan pie with warm cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice folded into a fluffy egg-white batter. A boozy, golden Southern classic served warm with spiked whipped cream.

Frosty Pumpkin Pie layers pecan ice cream and spiced pumpkin mousse in a gingersnap crust - a make-ahead frozen dessert that needs just 3 hours in the freezer.

Buttermilk coffee cake layered with crushed Heath bars and chopped pecans under a buttery brown sugar crumb topping. A rich brunch cake with toffee crunch in every slice.

Salt-crusted rye bread studded with pecans, currants, and caraway seeds. Inspired by the Inn at Little Washington, this artisan loaf pairs with cheese and smoked salmon.

Classic pecan sandies are tender shortbread-style butter cookies loaded with chopped pecans and dusted with powdered sugar. A 6-ingredient holiday favorite that melts on the tongue.