2,089 desert recipes

Maple walnut squares with a brown sugar shortbread crust topped with a chewy maple syrup filling and chopped walnuts. A New England take on the classic pecan pie bar.

Wacky cake (Depression-era chocolate cake) made with no eggs, no milk, no butter. Vinegar and baking soda lift it to fluffy chocolate perfection in one pan.

Crazy cake (also called wacky cake or depression cake) needs no eggs, no milk, no butter. Mixed straight in the pan with vinegar for chemistry-class lift. A Depression-era favorite.

Choose-A-Fruit Ice is a flexible fruit sorbet made with your pick of strawberries, raspberries, oranges, or mandarins blended with sugar syrup and lemon. No ice cream maker, four ingredients.

Chocolate raspberry cream torte: a light chocolate wacky cake layered four high with raspberry jam and pink raspberry cream filling. An impressive-looking dessert made with pantry staples and no eggs.

Robb's caramel pecan pie: a deeper, richer take on classic pecan pie with a cooked caramel base of brown sugar, butter, and cream poured over toasted pecans. Silky, buttery, and unforgettable.

Almond torte made in the food processor with almond paste, butter, and a generous lift of eggs. Dense, marzipan-rich, and ideal with coffee. The processor method takes the work out of beating.

French lemon pie is a simple rustic tart: a whole wheat butter crust filled with a buttery fresh lemon custard and baked golden. Tart, glossy, and finished in an hour with pantry basics.

Gingerbread dough made the old-fashioned way with boiled molasses, shortening, allspice, and cinnamon. Perfect for rolled cookies, houses, or cut-out shapes.

Red pear sorbet grates ripe red pears with their skins on for a delicately pink, naturally textured frozen dessert. Simple syrup and lemon juice amplify the pear flavor. No peeling required.

Chinese New Year almond cookies with a thumbprint dipped in red food coloring. Crisp, sandy shortening cookies meant to bring good luck to the lunar new year table.

Frozen pumpkin mousse ice cream pie layered over vanilla ice cream in a buttery gingersnap crust, finished with caramel-pumpkin topping. A make-ahead Thanksgiving dessert.

Cherry pineapple dump cake: the legendary five-ingredient potluck dessert. Dump canned fruit and yellow cake mix in a pan, dot with butter, scatter nuts, and bake. No mixing bowl required.

Lite 'n easy crustless pumpkin pie sets pumpkin puree with skim evaporated milk, gelatin, and brown sugar substitute. No crust, no oven, no eggs. A 7-ingredient dessert friendly to weight watchers and diabetics.

Coca-Cola cake is a moist Southern chocolate sheet cake made with real cola and miniature marshmallows that melt and float to the top as it bakes. Rich, fudgy, and old-fashioned in the best way.

Chocolate mousse torte tops a deep devil's food cake with a silky coffee-liqueur chocolate mousse and a cloud of whipped cream. A make-ahead chocolate dessert with a grown-up Kahlua kick.