10,000 desert recipes

Old-fashioned chocolate cake with crushed peppermint stick candy folded right into the batter. A tender cocoa layer cake with a cool, pepperminty crunch. Straight out of a mid-century church cookbook.

Twice-baked citrus walnut biscotti, crisp with anise and bright lemon and orange zest, then half-dipped in glossy tempered chocolate. Crunchy Italian cookies built for dunking in coffee.

Starlight double-delight cake, the retro Pillsbury bake-off winner where a chocolate-peppermint cream cheese frosting doubles as part of the batter. Two moist mint-chocolate layers, frosted in the same blend.

Amaretto cheesecake delite blends silken tofu and reduced-fat cream cheese into a lighter cheesecake spiked with amaretto and vanilla. Topped with caramelized almonds on a chocolate cookie crust.

Try these fruit cake bars instead of fruit bread, they are very handy and delicious, also they are great gifts at Thanksgiving or Christmas!

Mexican mocha pie with a chocolate Kahlua mousse filling, whipped cream, and butter-toasted almonds in a baked pie shell. A no-bake chiffon pie with coffee liqueur and dark chocolate.

Passover sponge cake with pineapple juice concentrate, almonds, lemon and orange zest, made with potato starch and cake meal. Light, airy, and flour-free.

Low-fat strawberry cheesecake swaps cream cheese for pureed cottage cheese folded with gelatin and whipped egg whites for a light, mousse-like filling. Finished with a glossy crushed-strawberry glaze.

Coconut-almond cheesecake with vanilla wafer crust tastes like a Mounds bar in creamy, baked form and makes an impressive dessert for chocolate lovers and coconut fans.

Buttermilk chocolate hazelnut cake bakes whole wheat pastry flour with cocoa, brown sugar, and a layer of toasted hazelnuts. Lighter, healthier chocolate cake with no butter and no whole eggs.

A show-stopping cheesecake with swirled chocolate and vanilla layers on a cookie crumb crust, finished with a glossy semisweet chocolate ganache glaze. Rich, creamy, and utterly indulgent.

Chewy peanut butter cookies loaded with ground and whole sesame seeds, brown sugar, honey, and a warm ginger kick. Rolled in raw sesame seeds for a nutty, crackly coating.

Lemon chiffon cake with bright lemon juice, fresh zest, and a cloud-light crumb leavened by stiff-beaten egg whites. The vintage springtime cake that's still impossible to beat.

Croatian poppy seed povitica with a yeasted sweet dough stretched paper-thin and rolled around a honey-sweetened poppy seed filling. Traditional Eastern European holiday bread.

Peanut butter mousse filling made with cream cheese, whipped cream, and 2 cups of peanut butter. No-bake, ready in 20 minutes, and rich enough to fill a full layer cake for 12.

Fudge sweetarts are miniature tarts with buttery pastry shells filled with rich semi-sweet chocolate fudge and topped with a pecan half. Bite-sized, elegant, and irresistible.