Recipes with sugar

No-cook chocolate walnut fudge made with just cocoa, powdered sugar, hot butter, and chopped walnuts. Rich, dense, and ready to set in the fridge with no candy thermometer.

Schwarzwaelder Kirschtorte is the authentic German Black Forest cake: three genoise layers soaked in kirsch syrup, filled with kirsch buttercream and sour cherries, and draped in whipped cream with chocolate curls.

Quick spiced beets simmered in white wine vinegar with bay leaf, clove, and black pepper. A tangy, diabetic-friendly side dish ready in 30 minutes on stovetop or microwave.

Poppy seed rolls with a rich sour cream yeast dough filled with honey-stir-fried poppy seeds, raisins, candied orange peel, and meringue, rolled jelly-roll style and iced with lemon glaze.

Deep fried cherries in clusters dipped in a wine-egg batter, fried golden, and dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon. A European-style fritter dessert using fresh whole cherries.

Many-fruited mustard combines sharp prepared mustard with diced dried apricots, peaches, figs, cherries, and raisins in a white wine vinegar and sugar syrup. Sweet-spicy condiment for cheese boards and ham.

Peanut butter cup cookies: soft peanut butter cookie dough baked in mini muffin tins, with a whole mini peanut butter cup pressed into each one straight out of the oven. A melt-in-the-middle Christmas favorite.

Italian Christmas bread for the bread machine: an egg-rich, raisin-studded sweet loaf with an egg wash crust. A holiday panettone-style bake with minimal hands-on time.

Bread-and-butter pickled zucchini turns a garden glut into 36 sweet-tart jars. Mustard seed, celery seed, and turmeric build the classic bread-and-butter spice profile around sliced zucchini and onion.

Peach crumb cake with an almond paste pound cake base, fresh peach slices, brown sugar crumb topping, and sliced almonds. Dense, buttery, and freezer-friendly for up to a month.

Sugared fruits coated in meringue powder and granulated sugar for a sparkling, crystallized finish. A stunning edible centerpiece or garnish for holiday tables and buffets.

Palatschinken are thin Austrian and German pancakes filled with melted chocolate and powdered sugar, then rolled and dusted. Classic European dessert ready in 30 minutes.

Low calorie marbled chocolate cheesecake made with cottage cheese, skim milk, and whipped egg whites on a cocoa cookie crust. A no-bake, lighter cheesecake with bold chocolate swirl.

Rhubarb tart with orange glaze layers tart-sweet rhubarb over buttery puff pastry, then gets brushed with a reduced citrus syrup. Two rectangles, one sheet pan, one of the easiest stone-fruit-season desserts going.

These are best if they sit for a month or so after canning, to give them time to work

White chocolate cashew pie, a sophisticated cousin to pecan pie with chunks of cashew, melty white chocolate, and a splash of kirsch cherry brandy. Brown-sugar custard, made-from-scratch crust.

Chocolate crinkle cookies with their signature snowy white powdered-sugar crackle. Made with melted unsweetened chocolate and vegetable oil for a fudgy, brownie-like center. Yields 48 holiday-perfect cookies.

Low-fat honey bran muffins made with egg whites, skim milk, and wheat bran soaked in boiling water. Lightly sweet with honey and brown sugar. Small batch of six.

Super spiced raisin nut bread combines bread flour and whole wheat with cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg for a fragrant, lightly sweet bread machine loaf perfect for toast and French toast.

Caramel pecan bars with a buttery shortbread crust topped with pecan halves in a honey-brown sugar caramel finished with cream. Makes 50 bars from one jelly roll pan.

Maple cream cake: a tender brown sugar and maple syrup cake topped with a fluffy maple buttercream made with egg white. Pure Canadian sugar shack flavor.

Experimentation led Mary Ann Zarczynski of Franklin to create this recipe, which she described as "very rich and delicious."

Chocolate cream cheese gooey butter bars with a chocolate cake mix base, chopped pecans, and a sweet cream cheese topping. A St. Louis-style gooey butter cake in bar form.

Roasted boneless ham with a tangy rhubarb sauce made with orange juice, cinnamon, and dry mustard. The sauce gets spooned over the ham during the final minutes of roasting for a glossy, sweet-tart glaze.

Lemon glaze made with egg white, powdered sugar, fresh lemon zest, and lemon juice. A smooth, glossy icing for cookies, cakes, and German-style baked goods.

Buttery shortbread cookies meet crunchy walnut coating and glossy currant jelly in these classic holiday thumbprints that freeze beautifully for make-ahead baking.

Tender zucchini bundt cake spiced with cinnamon and studded with nuts, crowned with tangy lemon cream cheese frosting. Elegant from-scratch dessert for summer gatherings.

Butter almond classic cookies are tender almond crescents: a buttery shortbread scented with almond extract, studded with chopped almonds, and rolled in powdered sugar. The melt-in-your-mouth cookie every holiday tin needs.

Sourdough blueberry muffins made with whole wheat flour and sourdough starter for a tangy, tender crumb. Mixed by hand and baked until golden.

Hot milk cake topped with toasted coconut and brown sugar. A vintage sponge cake made by adding boiling milk to beaten eggs, then finished with a broiled coconut topping.

Homemade sesame seed bagels: chewy, ring-shaped yeast rolls kissed with sesame seeds. Easier than you think with a classic boil-then-bake method that delivers true deli-style texture at home.

Strass rye bread for the bread machine with rye flour, cracked wheat, molasses, fennel seeds, orange zest, and buttermilk. A complex, aromatic loaf with old-world character.

Creamy cucumber dressing with grated cucumber, onion, mayonnaise, Worcestershire, and lemon juice. A thick, cool salad dressing with fresh crunch in every bite.

Tender rum-soaked bundt cake made with vanilla pudding mix and toasted walnuts. The rum-butter glaze seeps into every crevice for boozy, buttery bliss at potlucks.

Huevos en rabo de mestiza are Mexican eggs poached in a chunky tomato-green chile sauce, topped with melted Monterey Jack cheese. A vegetarian one-skillet meal.

Swedish rosettes are crisp, lacy fried cookies shaped by a decorative iron dipped in batter and flash-fried until golden. A Scandinavian holiday tradition dusted in powdered sugar.

Homemade dry jerk seasoning with allspice, thyme, cayenne, cinnamon, nutmeg, and black pepper. A Jamaican-style spice rub for fish, vegetables, chicken, and snacks.

Surprise your spareribs with this simple recipe that uses pickling spices and prepared mustard.

Rustic peach skillet pie with fresh sliced peaches, cinnamon, and butter in a pastry crust folded over the edges like a galette. Simple, open-faced, and baked until bubbly and golden.

Morning glory muffins packed with grated carrot, apple, raisins, coconut, and toasted nuts. A hearty breakfast muffin loaded with goodness in every bite, ready in 50 minutes.

Decadent double chocolate Bundt cake made with melted Hershey's chocolate bars and a full bottle of chocolate syrup. Buttermilk gives a moist, tender crumb that lasts. Bakes in an angel food pan and serves a crowd.

Honey-mint lemonade made by steeping fresh mint in a hot honey syrup, then mixing with fresh lemon juice. Naturally sweetened, refreshing, and only 4 real ingredients.

Homemade breadsticks with a simple olive oil yeast dough rolled into thin ropes and baked until crispy and browned. Plain or seeded with fennel, caraway, or poppy seeds. Keeps for weeks.

Quick fresh-pack dill pickles canned in pint jars with mustard seed, dill heads, and a hot vinegar brine. The classic American summer canning project, no fermenting required.

Streuselkuchen: the classic German yeast-risen crumb cake topped with a buttery brown-sugar cinnamon streusel that bakes into a thick, craggy crust. The German bakery favorite for kaffee und kuchen.

Here's a recipe that I make whenever I'm recruited to make dessert for a dinner party. It's perfect for Passover since it contains no flour, but I bake it 12 months of the year.

Downhome cafe banana bread with four ripe bananas, butter, and a touch of lemon juice for brightness. A classic, tender loaf with simple pantry ingredients and old-fashioned flavor.

Doctor Bird Cake is a Jamaican-inspired banana and crushed pineapple cake spiced with cinnamon and baked tall in a tube pan. A moist tropical cake also known as hummingbird cake.