Recipes with sugar

Strawberries Italian style macerate ripe berries with sugar, lemon, orange juice, port, and white wine. Boozy fragole al vino dessert that needs nothing more than a chilled glass.

Swedish cardamom braid bread with raisins, a classic Scandinavian yeast bread shaped into a beautiful three-strand plait. Soft, fragrant, and lightly sweet.

Homemade chocolate sandwich cookies with creamy vanilla buttercream filling. Better than Oreos with the option to tint half the filling pink or green with peppermint for Valentine's Day.

Rich chocolate truffle cake made with a full pound of semi-sweet chocolate, barely any flour, and whipped egg whites for a dense, fudgy texture dusted with powdered sugar.

Double chocolate brownies with semi-sweet chocolate in the batter and white chocolate chunks folded in, topped with a zigzag drizzle of both chocolates. Fudgy, rich, and topped with pecans.

Homemade chili sauce for canning with 50 fresh tomatoes, onions, red peppers, celery, vinegar, brown sugar, and whole allspice. A big-batch preserve that yields 5 quarts.

Classic roll-and-cut sugar cookies with a simple dough of margarine, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Crisp edges, soft centers, and ready for decorating.

Fluted sandwich cookies filled with tinted vanilla buttercream in three pastel colours. A pretty bakery-style cookie with a cut-out window on top showing the green, pink or yellow filling underneath.

Fresh blueberry pie with a clever twist: whipped cream lines the bottom and sides of the baked shell before the cooked-and-fresh berry filling pours in. Three hours of chilling sets it into a cool, lush slice.

Classic peanut butter crisscross cookies with chunky peanut butter and rolled oats for extra texture. The iconic fork-pressed pattern on a thick, chewy cookie with nutty crunch.

Raisin cookies use a boiled-water cooking method that plumps the raisins into the sweet brown sugar syrup before baking. No eggs, no butter required. Frugal Depression-era cookie that still satisfies.

Fresh vegetable relish with celery, tomatoes, green pepper, and lettuce in a sweet vinegar-ketchup dressing. A no-cook condiment ready in 10 minutes.

Fluffy buttermilk pancakes with separated eggs and folded-in stiffly beaten whites for extra lift. A from-scratch griddle recipe with tangy flavor and cloud-like texture.

Marble scones with swirled chocolate and vanilla doughs folded together for stunning ribbons of bittersweet chocolate. A buttermilk-tender showpiece scone for brunch or afternoon tea.

Chewy mini chocolate chip bars made with nonfat yogurt and egg whites instead of butter. Lower in fat but still loaded with brown sugar chewiness.

Butterscotch brownies (blondies) with just five ingredients: melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla, egg, and flour. Chewy, caramel-flavored bars in 40 minutes.

No-bake coconut mocha drops with toasted coconut, instant coffee, and powdered sugar microwaved into rich little candies. Five-ingredient bite-sized treats ready in 25 minutes.

Peanut butter oatmeal chippers fold quick oats, peanut butter chips, and chopped pecans into a cinnamon-nutmeg cookie dough. A spice-warmed twist on the classic oatmeal cookie.

Old-fashioned cocoa brownies with melted margarine, four eggs, chopped nuts, and a generous pour of vanilla. Dense, fudgy, and from a recipe meant to be passed down.

Chocolate mint chip brownies made with real fresh mint pulverized into sugar for intense natural flavor. Fudgy, dense, and loaded with mint chocolate chips.

Chocolate diamond cookies with unsweetened chocolate, pecans, and vanilla. A fudgy, brownie-like holiday cookie baked in one pan and cut into festive diamond shapes.

Fudgy Southern chocolate cake with melted unsweetened chocolate, pecans, and a two-temperature baking method. Dense, rich, and brownie-like with a cocoa-dusted pan for extra chocolate flavor.

Orange cheesecake with a vanilla wafer-cinnamon crust, blended cottage cheese and cream cheese filling, topped with fresh strawberries and orange sections. Lighter than traditional cheesecake.

A German salad, cabbage, apples and pineapple juice with a slightly sweetened sour cream dressing.

Turkey Waldorf salad turns leftover roast turkey into a crisp, light meal with chopped apples, celery, green onions, and a tangy yogurt-mayo dressing brightened with lemon. The day-after-Thanksgiving lunch hero.

An easy cheesecake pie with a buttery graham crust, a smooth cream cheese filling, and a tangy sour cream topping baked right on top. Simpler than a springform cheesecake, just as creamy and rich.

Miniature cheesecakes baked in a muffin tin with graham cracker crusts, lemon zest, and cream cheese filling. Individual portions, just six ingredients, and no water bath needed.

Low calorie oatmeal cookies made with oat bran, quick oats, apple juice, and just a touch of margarine. No flour, no butter, all the chew.

Old-fashioned lemon-nut coffee cake with a buttery crumb topping, walnuts, and lemon zest in a buttermilk batter. A quick one-pan breakfast cake best served warm.

Sweet fried bananas soaked in rum, lemon juice, and orange zest, dipped in a light egg white batter, and fried until golden. A Caribbean-inspired dessert served hot with sugar.

Texas-style chili with cubed beef chuck, no beans, simmered with chili powder, green peppers, tomatoes, and oregano. Topped with cheese and raw onion.

No-bake strawberry cheesecake with cream cheese, whipped cream, and frozen strawberries set with gelatin on a graham cracker crust. Light, creamy, and smooth.

Mokettes aux amandes, French chocolate truffles flavored with rum-pounded almonds, coffee concentrate, and powdered sugar, rolled in grated chocolate. The vintage Belgian-French confiserie classic.

Rhubarb nut bread with buttermilk, brown sugar, and chopped walnuts, topped with a butter-sugar crumble. A moist quick bread that makes two loaves for sharing or freezing.

Wild mushroom bread made with dried mushrooms ground to a fine dust and kneaded into a buttery yeast dough. A savory, earthy artisan loaf with deep umami flavor.

Mini brownie cups with a cream cheese pastry shell filled with melted semi-sweet chocolate and chopped walnuts. Bite-sized treats baked in mini muffin tins that combine fudgy brownie with a buttery crust.

Raisin oat muffins made with blended oats instead of flour, egg whites, and skim milk. A hearty, lower-fat breakfast muffin with a tender crumb and plump raisins throughout.

Flaming bananas (bananas Foster) pan-fried in brown sugar and margarine, then flambeed with rum. A dramatic tableside dessert that's impressive to serve and simple to make.

My Go-To lemon meringue pie thickens with flour rather than cornstarch for a softer, custardy filling. High-heat meringue browning gives quick golden peaks over fresh lemon zest.

Yogurt shake with banana, plain yogurt, and frozen orange juice concentrate blended with ice. A quick, creamy smoothie base with endless fruit swap options.

Homemade frozen yogurt with fresh fruit, orange juice, and egg whites beaten until fluffy. A no-churn, low-calorie frozen dessert you can make with any fruit.

King cake for Mardi Gras, a sour cream yeast dough rolled with cinnamon-sugar butter, shaped into an oval ring, and decorated with purple, green, and gold sugars. New Orleans tradition at home.

Flourless chocolate mousse cake with a baked base and raw mousse topping, using 16 eggs and a full pound of semi-sweet chocolate. Gluten-free, intensely rich, and meant to fall.

Sugar and spice layer cake with cinnamon, cloves, brown sugar, and buttermilk in a tender two-layer round cake. A warmly spiced classic with buttercream frosting.

Grandma's picnic chocolate cake baked in one 8x8 pan with buttermilk, cocoa powder, and cake flour. An old-fashioned single-layer snacking cake that travels well and stays moist for days.

Rosemary currant focaccia combines bread flour, whole wheat, olive oil, rosemary, and sweet raisins in a bread machine for hands-off baking. Italian-style loaf with sweet-savory balance.

Shaker honey almond cake bakes a spice-warmed honey-sour cream batter under a crown of almonds, then ripens 2 days for deeper flavor. Heritage New England keeping cake.

Chocolate-marshmallow cake assembly with four layers of cake, fluffy marshmallow frosting cooked on the stove, and a poured chocolate glaze with toasted almonds. A retro showpiece cake.