Recipes with sugar

No-bake peanut butter bars with a graham cracker crust, powdered sugar, and a thin chocolate topping. Tastes like a giant homemade Reese's cup in bar form.

Granola scones studded with five-fruit cocktail, baked as one large round and cut into wedges. Crunchy granola clusters, tender crumb, and a sugar-sparkled top.

Homemade English muffins cooked on a griddle, not baked. Soft yeasted dough with cornmeal-dusted tops and bottoms, full of nooks and crannies for catching melted butter.

No-bake iced coffee and chocolate pie with instant coffee, vanilla ice milk, and gelatin in a chocolate cookie crust. Blends together in minutes, sets in the fridge.

Potato kugel bread with mashed potatoes, bread flour, and wheat germ baked into a dense, chewy loaf. A Jewish-inspired yeast bread with a texture like a knish or kugel.

Chinese crispy beef shin marinated with star anise and cinnamon, simmered, frozen, sliced paper-thin, deep-fried, then tossed with caramelized sugar and toasted sesame seeds.

Venison stew simmers browned venison with onion, bay, Worcestershire, and a hint of allspice until fork-tender, then adds carrots and potatoes. A hearty, warmly spiced stew that tames the gamey edge and warms a cold night.

Butterscotch icebox cookies sandwich a cooked date-and-nut filling between thin slices of brown-sugar dough. A vintage refrigerator cookie that bakes up crisp and chewy.

Mimosa ice cream crepes drizzled with buttered honey: delicate custard ice cream infused with mimosa blossoms, folded into crisped crepes. A foraged spring dessert.

General Tso's chicken made with dark-meat thighs: crispy-fried pieces tossed in a ginger-scallion soy sauce with chili paste, rice vinegar, and sesame oil finish.

Twice-baked chocolate biscotti loaded with Dutch-process cocoa and toasted hazelnuts or walnuts. Crisp, sturdy, and dunkable, with a deep cocoa flavor and no butter or oil. The classic Italian coffee cookie, made dark.

Christmas is never complete without a visit from the aromatic, sweet-tasting gingerbread kids.

Crockpot pumpkin bread baked inside canning jars for cylindrical loaves. Pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, currants, and a wet pumpkin batter. Edible gift idea.

Old-fashioned custard pie with a lard-and-butter crust and a silky egg-milk filling dusted with nutmeg. Simple farmhouse dessert with a classic five-ingredient filling.

Fresh fruit dip made from a cooked citrus custard folded into whipped cream. Orange and lemon zest give it a bright, tangy flavor that pairs with any fresh fruit.

Korean BBQ tofu marinated in soy sauce, garlic, dry mustard, and sugar, then pan-fried until crispy. Vegan, naturally gluten-free with tamari.

Southern turnip green soup with cubed turnip roots, wilted and pureed greens, half-and-half, and a spoonful of cooked grits for body. Florida-style cream soup rooted in soul food.

Classic and delicious pie, it is so easy to make as well. Perfect dessert in summer when the strawberry season comes.

Easy sour cream raisin pie with just five ingredients: sour cream, sugar, raisins, an egg, and a pie shell. Bakes low and slow into a golden, custardy filling that needs no curd-cooking or fussy technique.

French lemon pie is a simple rustic tart: a whole wheat butter crust filled with a buttery fresh lemon custard and baked golden. Tart, glossy, and finished in an hour with pantry basics.

Fruit tarts with cheddar cheese pastry shells filled with pineapple and orange curd. A vintage sweet-and-savory dessert where sharp cheddar meets tropical citrus.

Raisin and bran cookies bake up chewy with unprocessed bran, brown sugar, and warm cinnamon-nutmeg spice. Egg whites keep them lighter than the typical butter-yolk cookie.

Self-filled chocolate cupcakes with a cream cheese and chocolate chip center baked right in. No frosting needed when the filling does double duty.

An elegant pumpkin tart takes place of traditional pie, looks beautiful and pumpkin and banana work very well together!

Frozen milk chocolate pie with a cream cheese base lightened by whipped topping. Six ingredients, four hours in the freezer, and a ready-made graham cracker crust deliver a slice of mellow chocolate in under 30 minutes of work.

Thai-style stuffed green peppers filled with chopped fresh mushrooms, scallions, garlic and ginger bound with a cornstarch slurry. Baked or steamed and finished with slivered dried chilies. A light vegetable side or vegan main.

Sweet and sour shrimp dip combines pineapple juice, vinegar, sugar, and bell pepper into a glossy red dipping sauce for fried shrimp. The classic restaurant sauce, made at home.

Apple cranberry pie with Granny Smith slices, whole cranberries, and an oat-cinnamon crumble topping. The Thanksgiving pie that combines pie and crisp.

Molded chocolate mousse set in a loaf pan with gelatin, coffee, rum, and whipped egg whites for lift. Sliceable dinner-party dessert topped with vanilla whipped cream.

Nanaimo bars with a peppermint twist: cocoa graham cracker base, vanilla pudding buttercream middle, and a dark chocolate top layer. No-bake Canadian classic.

Moist carrot cake baked in a tube pan with walnuts and cinnamon, finished with a glossy cooked orange glaze instead of the usual cream cheese frosting.

Deep-fried chicken wings marinated overnight in a sweet soy garlic mixture with egg and cornstarch, fried golden and topped with sesame seeds and scallions.

Teddy bear shaped oatmeal cookies decorated with icing faces and candy noses. A fun baking project kids love, made with brown sugar, oats, and real butter.

Cherry and apricot cobbler with fresh sour cherries and sliced apricots under a buttery buttermilk biscuit crust brushed with buttermilk and sugar. A summer stone fruit cobbler at its best.

Low-fat cheesecake made with overnight-strained yogurt and blended cottage cheese instead of cream cheese. Dense, silky, and tangy on a graham cracker crust with no cream cheese at all.

Zucchini Apple Bread: a fall-leaning loaf where grated apple meets shredded zucchini, walnuts, and a full tablespoon of cinnamon. Two-loaf yield with a moist, fruit-forward crumb.

Chocolate chunk cheesecake layers a walnut-chocolate shortbread crust with a brown sugar cream cheese filling studded with chopped chocolate, finished with a chocolate ganache glaze. Bakery-style dessert.

Easy refrigerator pickles with thin-sliced cucumbers and onions in a sweet-tangy brine of vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, celery seed, and turmeric. No canning equipment, no processing, just four days in the fridge.

Bourbon pecan pie with cane syrup, dark brown sugar, and a pre-cooked filling for a deeper, less cloying caramel base. Toasted pecans bake into a glossy, crackly top.

Beef Barbecue: tender shredded chuck roast oven-braised in a tangy ketchup, Worcestershire, and brown sugar sauce. Three-hour cook delivers fork-shred meat for sandwiches or buns.

Brown paper sack apple pie, the old-fashioned trick of baking a Granny Smith pie with buttery crumb topping inside a grocery bag. The enclosed heat steams the apples tender and keeps the crust from burning.

Chewy molasses oatmeal cookies with pecans, raisins, cinnamon, and cloves, drizzled with melted chocolate. Three cups of oats give these a hearty, old-fashioned chew.

Nothing is better than the traditional eggnog, which can entertain guests or keep you warm during the holidays.

Tropical pound cake made with fruit yogurt for a moist, tender crumb and subtle fruity flavor. A simple one-bowl bundt cake with only eight ingredients.

Classic French onion soup with deeply caramelized onions simmered in beef broth and white wine, ladled into bowls with crusty bread and broiled under a bubbly Swiss and Parmesan cheese cap.

Honey macaroonies with oats, coconut, walnuts, brown sugar, and honey pressed into mini muffin cups and topped with candied cherries. No-egg, no-fuss bite-sized cookies.

Lemon herb barbecued shrimp skewered and grilled with a ketchup-based sauce spiced with coriander, cumin, ginger, and cayenne. Includes chopped lemon rind for bold citrus punch.

Strawberry chiffon pie with a cocoa-pastry shell, fluffy strawberry-gelatin filling, and chocolate-dipped berries on top. A retro pink-and-chocolate dessert that mixes in minutes once the crust cools.