122 cra cake recipes

Cream filbert cookies with a whole hazelnut hidden inside each shortbread ball, glazed in vanilla icing and rolled in sugar. Vintage Pacific Northwest holiday cookie with a sweet crackly finish.

Curry-glazed duck legs roast under a paste of jalapeno, ginger, garlic, and curry powder, then braise in orange-lime juice with chicken stock. The skin re-crisps for shatteringly crackly results.

Homemade English muffins cooked on a griddle, dusted with cornmeal for that signature crackly bottom and full of nooks and crannies for melted butter to pool in.

Lighter honey vanilla cheesecake made with reduced-fat cream cheese, cottage cheese, and fat-free ricotta on a gingersnap crust. Sweetened with honey instead of sugar and baked with steam for a silky, crack-free top.

Raspberry and fig gratin with sour cream and broiled brown sugar crust. Four ingredients, 15 minutes, and the caramelized sugar cracks like creme brulee over warm fruit.

Gaslight Restaurant peppercorn dressing with Parmesan, cracked black pepper, garlic, Worcestershire, and hot sauce in a mayo base. A bold, restaurant-style dressing you can make at home.

Mom's peppered ham: poached ham shank coated in cracked black peppercorns and dried in a low oven for paper-thin deli-style slices. Old-school deli cooking at home.

Old-fashioned bread and butter pickles with the classic ice-and-salt soak that locks in jaw-cracking crunch. Sweet vinegar brine with turmeric, celery seed, and mustard seed. Makes 32 jars.

A lighter peach brulee: ripe sliced peaches with orange juice, blanketed in tangy Greek yogurt and topped with a crackly broiled-sugar crust. The flavors of creme brulee with a fraction of the work.

Tender pork chops simmered in V8 juice with dried basil and cracked black pepper until fork-tender. Just 5 ingredients and one pan for an easy, diabetic-friendly weeknight dinner.

Seared bay scallops glazed with a reduced vermouth and lemon sauce, finished with fresh dill and cracked pepper. A light, elegant 20-minute seafood dish with bright, clean flavors.

Smoked salmon canapes on crisp jicama triangles with lime-spiked Neufchatel cheese and cracked black pepper. A light, no-cook appetizer that looks like it came from a caterer.

Grilled beef tenderloin coated in cracked black pepper, stacked on toasted croissants with aged cheddar, peppery watercress, and a punchy horseradish mayo. From grill to plate in 25 minutes.

Chinese-style caramel fried apples or bananas battered and deep-fried, then coated in crackly spun sugar with sesame seeds. Dipped in ice water for a shatteringly crisp shell.

Sliced ripe Roma tomatoes drizzled with olive oil, fresh minced herbs, and cracked black pepper. A 5-minute Italian appetizer or side with only 4 ingredients. Vegetarian and naturally low calorie.

Traditional Swiss Basel Leckerli: honey-spice cookie bars with cinnamon, cloves, candied peels, kirsch, and almonds under a crackly sugar glaze. Makes 50 to 60 bars that keep for weeks.