3,601 four four recipes

Chocolate pepper cookies bring a slow, smoky heat from black pepper, cayenne, and cinnamon layered into deep unsweetened cocoa. Rolled thin and cut into shapes, they bake crisp with a warm spiced finish.

Yeast-risen banana pecan bread with mashed bananas, evaporated milk, chopped pecans, and a cinnamon-sugar topping. A soft sandwich-style banana loaf, not a quickbread.

A vegan cima roll: pureed tofu wrapped around a colorful filling of seitan, spinach, roasted red peppers, pistachios, and peas, then steamed into a sliceable log. Plant-based Italian showpiece.

Quick microwave pecan pie ready in under 35 minutes when the oven is occupied. This method uses interval cooking at varying power levels to set the filling without overcooking the edges.

Oat bran and date cookies made with whole wheat flour, wheat germ, and brown sugar. A fiber-rich drop cookie with a nutty, chewy bite that makes three dozen in 30 minutes.

Green lentil veggie burgers with grated carrots, breadcrumbs, garlic, and parsley, bound with egg and grilled. Served with a quick homemade tomato sauce over brown rice.

Cherry chocolate tube cake with canned cherry pie filling, chocolate chips, cinnamon, and chopped nuts. A one-bowl Black Forest-leaning cake dusted with powdered sugar.

Date orange loaf is a moist quickbread with chopped dates, fresh orange juice and zest, and a handful of toasted nuts. Old-fashioned tea bread perfect for breakfast or snacking.

Scottish oat cakes combine rolled oats, bran flakes, and flour with shortening for crisp, hearty rolled biscuits ready in 30 minutes. A traditional teatime cake from the Highlands.

Tender cream cheese cookies with lemon zest and a thumbprint of apricot filling, finished with a dusting of powdered sugar.

Arizona pecan chocolate rum pie with an all-lard pastry crust and a filling of unsweetened chocolate, dark corn syrup, brown sugar, chopped pecans, and a splash of rum.

Heirloom walnut icebox cookies with warm spice blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Make-ahead slice-and-bake cookies that keep frozen for weeks until ready to bake.

Pfeffernuesse are traditional German Christmas peppernut cookies, fragrant with cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and a hint of black pepper, studded with citron and almonds and a touch of brandy. A heritage holiday cookie.

Chocolate peanut pie with melted semi-sweet chocolate, corn syrup, and unsalted peanuts in a from-scratch butter crust. Like a pecan pie but with chocolate and peanuts.

Slow-simmered chicken and okra gumbo with a medium-brown roux, fresh tomatoes, and onions. The okra cooks down past the slime stage into a thick, velvety Louisiana classic served over rice.

Herbed whole wheat bread is a soft, tender homemade loaf flecked with rolled oats, dried basil, and oregano. Sweetened lightly with honey and made with milk for a hearty everyday sandwich or toast bread.