Recipes with sugar

French soft chocolate caramels made with four ingredients: sugar, cream, cocoa, and honey. Cooked to soft ball stage and cut on a marble slab. Classic confiserie.

Cream cheese frosting with butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Thick, spreadable, and made for carrot cake or zucchini cake. Comes together in 15 minutes with just 4 ingredients.

Jumbo cream cheese peanut butter cookie: one giant cookie-dough pizza slathered with fluffy peanut butter cream cheese frosting and chopped peanuts. A sliceable dessert for 12 in 45 minutes.

Orange turkey stir-fry with ginger, garlic, snow peas, and red bell pepper in a citrusy soy glaze. Fast, lean weeknight skillet dinner ready in about 25 minutes.

Crispy golden French toast sandwiches stuffed with sweet jam, dusted with cinnamon sugar. Ready in 30 minutes, these fun triangles turn breakfast into handheld heaven for kids and adults.

Fresh salsa with diced tomatoes, three jalapenos, green bell pepper, red onion, cilantro, and lime juice. No cooking required, just chop and mix for a bright, spicy salsa in 15 minutes.

Part 1 of a caramel rum ice cream cake: homemade caramel sauce and a cream cheese cake base spiked with dark rum. Boozy, rich, and built in stages for a showstopper dessert.

Italian biscotti with toasted walnuts, orange zest, and black pepper. The savory-sweet hybrid that pairs with dessert wine, cheese, or after-dinner coffee.

Blueberry streusel cake with a tender buttermilk base topped with fresh berries and a cinnamon-nutmeg crumble. A one-pan bake with a crumbly, spiced topping over juicy blueberries.

Rich chocolate cake made with melted unsweetened chocolate, sour cream, brown sugar, and boiling water. Deeply fudgy, tender, and best served with whipped cream.

King Arthur pizza dough recipe yields crackling-crisp crust with a chewy middle. Classic hand-kneaded yeast dough for homemade pizza night, makes three to four 12-inch pies.

Sour cream coffee cake loaded with mini chocolate chips in the batter and a brown sugar streusel topping. Tender, rich crumb that stays moist for days.

Traditional Jewish cheese blintzes with thin, eggy crepes wrapped around a sweetened cottage cheese filling, pan-fried in butter until golden. Freezer-friendly.

Cranberry orange nut bread loaf with fresh orange juice and grated rind, raw chopped cranberries, and chopped nuts folded through a buttermilk-tender batter. A classic quick bread that improves after an overnight rest in the fridge.

Old-fashioned Pennsylvania nut cookies with walnuts, raisins, and currants in a buttery cinnamon drop cookie dough. A heritage recipe with warm spice and chewy dried fruit in every bite.

Grandma's flaky pie dough, made with both cold butter for flavor and shortening for tenderness. Pea-sized butter bits and ice water are the secret to a shatteringly flaky, foolproof homemade crust.

Sesame curried walnuts toasted in sesame oil with curry powder, sesame seeds, and a lemon-hot sauce glaze. An addictive spiced nut snack or cocktail party appetizer.

Chocolate pound cake made with melted German chocolate and coconut, baked in a bundt pan and finished with a semi-sweet chocolate glaze. Dense, rich, and deeply chocolatey.

Cinnamon ribbon bread layers tender sour cream cake batter with cinnamon-sugar swirls and a pecan crown. A breakfast loaf with a marbled cinnamon ribbon running through every slice.

Macadamia butterballs with chopped chocolate chips and macadamia nuts rolled in powdered sugar. A melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookie that makes five dozen for holiday gifting.

Chocolate wafer crumb crust for cheesecake: three ingredients (crushed chocolate wafers, sugar, melted butter) pressed into a springform pan. The go-to base for mocha and chocolate cheesecakes.

Freezer-friendly slice and bake peanut butter cookies with the classic fork crisscross pattern. Make the dough in bulk, freeze in logs, and bake fresh anytime.

Sweet milk cakes made from pancake mix with extra sugar, egg, milk, and melted shortening. Quick griddle cakes with a slightly sweeter flavor than regular pancakes.

Torta di nocciole: Italian hazelnut cake made with toasted ground hazelnuts and barely any flour, topped with soft whipped cream. A light, elegant Piedmontese dessert with intense nut flavor.

Birds nests are thumbprint cookies rolled in egg white and crushed walnuts, then filled with a jewel of fruit jam. A classic holiday tea cookie that bakes in 10 minutes.

Chocolate pepper cookies bring a slow, smoky heat from black pepper, cayenne, and cinnamon layered into deep unsweetened cocoa. Rolled thin and cut into shapes, they bake crisp with a warm spiced finish.

Buttery coconut shortbread squares dipped diagonally in semi-sweet chocolate. A crisp, sandy cookie with toasted coconut flakes baked low and slow.

Harvest focaccia studded with golden raisins, fresh grapes, and rosemary, finished with a sprinkle of sugar and salt. A sweet-savory Italian flatbread for fall.

Sky-high lemon meringue pie crowned with coconut chips. Tall lemon-extract-spiked meringue, glossy lemon curd filling, and a flaky stand-up edge make this a showstopping classic.

Strawberry apple frost smoothie blended with plain yogurt, fresh strawberries, apple juice, vanilla, and ice. A light, low-calorie frozen drink that's naturally sweet and frothy.

Baked cheese pita custard with cottage cheese, Monterey Jack, and a buttery flour-crumb topping. A sweet-savory cheese bake that slices clean into twelve tidy squares for brunch or dessert.

Vegetarian brown rice casserole baked with tomatoes, pine nuts, currants, and sauteed vegetables. A hearty one-dish meal with Mediterranean-style flavors.

Old-fashioned chocolate fudge made from scratch with unsweetened chocolate, sugar, and milk. Hand-stirred on a platter until it transforms from glossy to creamy and firm.

Stove-top cream of pea soup: a 30-minute vegetarian soup of fresh or frozen green peas pureed with butter, onion, and milk. Six ingredients, one pot, supremely simple.

Chilled strawberry soup with buttermilk, orange juice, lemon, and mint, pureed smooth and served cold with a swirl of yogurt. A refreshing summer starter.

Chocolate cinnamon angel food cake made from scratch with egg whites, cocoa powder, and cinnamon. A light, fat-free cake with warm spice and delicate chocolate flavor.

No-knead dill Parmesan bread with a soft, open crumb baked in a springform pan. A batter-style yeast bread flavored with dill weed and grated Parmesan, topped with more cheese.

Two-ingredient cranberry relish made with fresh cranberries and sugar. The simplest stovetop cranberry sauce that beats canned every time, ready in under 15 minutes for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Lemon-pepper barbecued chicken: skinless chicken breasts baked in a homemade tomato barbecue sauce brightened with lemon, cider vinegar, and a peppery, mustardy kick. A tangy, lighter take on oven BBQ chicken.

Pumpkin pie with a tangy sour cream and lemon topping baked right on, finished with chopped pecans. A twist on classic pumpkin pie with bright citrus flavor cutting through the warm spices.

Chocolate and nut crumb cake built on a yellow cake base with a buttery cinnamon-chocolate-chip-nut crumble baked into the top. Semi-homemade dessert with bakery-style results.

Chocolate apple bread with chopped apples, chocolate chips, and walnuts in a buttery buttermilk batter, topped with a cinnamon-walnut streusel. A rich, bakery-style quick bread that makes two loaves.

Vegetarian chili with kidney beans, crushed tomatoes, green pepper, and chili powder simmered for one hour. No meat, no fuss. A big-batch meatless chili that's naturally vegan and full of smoky, tomatoey flavor.

Frozen lemon cream pie with a graham cracker crust, fluffy egg whites, and real whipped cream. Just 5 ingredients and no baking needed for this icy, tart-sweet summer dessert.

Rhubarb meringue pie with a from-scratch shortening crust, tangy rhubarb-orange filling cooked on the stovetop, and a golden vanilla meringue topping. Three layers, all homemade.

Carrot pecan cookies with cardamom, cinnamon, grated carrots, raisins, and chopped pecans baked into a soft, spiced drop cookie. Like carrot cake in cookie form.

Cherry nut bread with brown sugar, canned cherries, and walnuts baked into a tender loaf. The cherry juice replaces some of the milk for extra fruit flavor in every slice.

Frozen orange pie with vanilla ice cream layered over a toasted oat and coconut crumb crust, drizzled with orange juice concentrate and topped with toasted coconut.