179 crackling recipes

Falling chocolate cake with raspberry sauce: individual molten-centered chocolate cakes with a cracked top and gooey interior, served with bright raspberry sauce and ice cream.

Espresso cheesecake with a toasted hazelnut-cocoa crust, baked in a water bath for a silky, crack-free finish. Reduced espresso and Kahlua deliver bold coffee flavor in every bite.

Black pepper and walnut biscotti pack toasted walnuts and a serious dose of cracked pepper into a brown-sugar dough. Italian-style twice-baked cookies that pair with cheese or coffee.

Peanut mojhy, a Pennsylvania Dutch molasses and brown sugar candy loaded with peanuts. An old-fashioned hard crack candy poured onto buttered tins with just five ingredients.

Intensely fudgy brownies with a crackly, craggy top loaded with melted chocolate chips and chopped nuts. These one-bowl bars are rich, chewy, and dangerously easy to make.

Standing rib roast with a roasted garlic and parsley crust, served with tarragon carrots, browned butter parsnips, roasted onions, and red wine au jus. A holiday showpiece.

Cream cheese and cottage cheese cheesecake on a pecan graham cracker crust, topped with a homemade blueberry glaze. Slow-cooled in the oven for a crack-free finish.

No frost chocolate chip cake bakes its own topping: a moist date-sweetened cocoa cake crowned with a crackly sugar and chocolate-chip crust. Skip the icing entirely.

Italian cheese bread bakes a yeasted dough with grated provolone, garlic butter, and parmesan into two pull-apart loaves. Crackly tops, soft interior, perfect for a pasta night.

Flourless chocolate espresso torte for Passover with a full pound of chocolate, espresso, butter, and eggs. No flour or leavening needed. Dense, crackly-topped, and dusted with powdered sugar.

Bourbon pecan pie with cane syrup, dark brown sugar, and a pre-cooked filling for a deeper, less cloying caramel base. Toasted pecans bake into a glossy, crackly top.

Dairy-free fettuccine Alfredo made with soy milk and soy cheese for a creamy, cholesterol-free weeknight pasta. Tossed with garlic, steamed vegetables, and cracked pepper in one pan.

Crispy, chewy, loaded cookies packed with oats, crushed cornflakes, shredded coconut, and chopped pecans. Flatten with a sugar-dipped glass for crackly edges. Makes 4 dozen in just 30 minutes.

Italian biscotti with candied cherries, chopped nuts, and a hint of star anise. Twice-baked for that signature dry crackly snap, perfect for dunking in coffee, espresso, or vin santo.

Garlicky black pepper shrimp and black-eyed peas is Low Country Southern cooking in one skillet: bacon, holy trinity, bay-scented peas, and wine-splashed shrimp finished with cracked pepper.

Buttermilk orange cake studded with raisins and nuts, topped with a citrus-sugar glaze broiled into a caramelized, crackly crust. Served warm with whipped cream for an old-fashioned dessert.