Recipes with vanilla extract

Lighter chocolate cheesecake made with low-fat ricotta, yogurt cheese, egg whites, and cocoa powder instead of cream cheese. Topped with fresh strawberries and kiwi.

Chocolate peppermint pinwheel cookies swirl cocoa-rich chocolate dough with crushed peppermint candy dough into a spiral slice-and-bake Christmas cookie. A holiday tin classic with bracing mint and deep chocolate.

Vintage sugar cookies leaning heavy on brown sugar over white with shortening for tender texture and a three-finger ridge press. Makes 48 chewy, caramel-toned cookies.

Hot fresh strawberries au sabayon, briefly poached in lemon-vanilla syrup and blanketed in a frothy Marsala egg-yolk zabaglione. A French-Italian restaurant dessert that plates in minutes.

Dark chocolate pecan torte with a fudgy, barely-set center, chopped pecans running through every bite and a glossy chocolate glaze poured over top. Flourless-style richness with just enough flour to hold it together.

Orange butter cakes are petite tartlet-tin cakes perfumed with Grand Marnier and candied orange peel, then dipped in orange liqueur glaze. Elegant 36-cake batch for gifts or a holiday tray.

Pecan fudge pie with eight ounces of melted semisweet chocolate, three cups of pecans, and dark corn syrup in a from-scratch shortening crust. A rich, fudgy twist on classic pecan pie.

Liebes-Knoten are German love knots, thin strips of egg-and-cream dough twisted into bows, fried golden, then dusted with powdered sugar. Crisp like a beignet, tender like an Italian fritter. A traditional wedding-and-festival treat.

Banana velvet doughnuts are old-fashioned cake doughnuts sweetened with honey, enriched with mashed banana and sour cream, then deep-fried golden. Soft, tender crumb with a hint of nutmeg.

Pumpkin swirl pie with a cream cheese layer, pumpkin pie spice, and a marbled top. Two fillings baked in one crust for a showstopping holiday dessert.

Homemade chocolate covered peanut butter eggs with a sweet brown sugar filling dipped in melted chocolate. A no-bake Easter candy made from scratch.

Mint chocolate fudge brownies made with melted mint-chocolate chips for intense minty richness, plus chopped nuts and a dense, fudgy crumb. Thin Mint meets brownie.

Chocolate cheesecake built on melted chocolate chips and 2 pounds of cream cheese, topped with sour cream layer and chocolate drizzle. A serious, dense chocolate dessert for special occasions.

Harvest spice tea cake folds steeped autumn-spice tea into a simple egg-and-sugar batter for a fragrant, almost-sponge cake. Served warm with butter, fresh nutmeg, and spiced whipped cream.

Candy shop cookie pizza bakes soft chocolate chip cookie dough into one giant round, ready to slice into wedges and pile high with your favorite candy. A fun party dessert that's basically a build-your-own cookie cake.

Rich chocolate cheesecake with melted semi-sweet chocolate, sour cream, and butter on a chocolate-flecked graham cracker crust. Baked low and slow for a dense, fudgy center.