208 instant recipes

Mocha mint crisps roll buttery cocoa-coffee dough in sugar before baking into crackle-topped chocolate cookies with a cool peppermint finish. A holiday cookie tin essential.

Raspberry-filled apricot cake uses apricot nectar in a doctored yellow cake mix, layered with raspberry jam and apricot whipped frosting. Toasted coconut tops this four-layer stunner.

Yellow poke cake soaked in thick pineapple syrup, layered with vanilla pudding, homemade whipped cream, and flaked coconut. Needs 24 hours to chill, worth every minute of waiting.

Slice-and-bake coffee cookies with brown sugar, rum extract, and nutmeg. Roll the logs in chocolate sprinkles or dip baked cookies in melted chocolate. Makes about 60.

Hawaiian macadamia coconut squares: a chewy coconut-macadamia topping over a buttery brown-sugar-coffee shortbread crust. Tropical bar cookie that travels well and freezes beautifully.

Friendship fruitcake made with a fermented fruit starter over 30 days, then baked into a rich Bundt cake loaded with peaches, pineapple, cherries, and nuts.

Mocha chocolate cheesecake blends instant coffee and melted semi-sweet chocolate into a dense, ultra-creamy cream cheese filling on a graham crust. NY-style two-temperature bake.

Velvety cheesecake infused with espresso and orange zest on a toasted nut crust, topped with cinnamon sugar and piped whipped cream rosettes.

Moist pineapple 7-Up cake made with yellow cake mix, pineapple pudding, and real Seven-Up soda. Topped with a homemade coconut-pecan frosting loaded with crushed pineapple. A retro Southern sheet cake classic.

Hawaiian cake layered with cream cheese vanilla pudding, crushed pineapple, whipped topping, coconut, walnuts, and maraschino cherries over a yellow cake base. A retro potluck showstopper.

Microwave bundt cake spiked with creme de cocoa and orange juice, swirled with chocolate syrup. Rich, boozy, and ready in 25 minutes flat.

Microwave creme de menthe bundt cake, a boxed mix cake laced with mint liqueur and a chocolate syrup swirl, cooked entirely in the microwave in just ten minutes. A retro shortcut dessert with mint-chocolate magic.

Quick Hawaiian cream pie with vanilla pudding folded into whipped cream, crushed pineapple, mashed banana, and a topping of toasted coconut and pecans in a flaky baked crust.

Pumpernickel bread machine loaf gets its midnight color from molasses, instant coffee, and cocoa powder, with rye, cornmeal, and wheat flakes building deep, earthy German-style flavor.

Cappuccino cream muffins with a cinnamon-chocolate ripple through the center and sour cream batter. Coffee shop flavor in a homemade muffin.

No-bake pumpkin layer pie with sweet cream cheese and whipped topping over a graham cracker crust, plus a thick spiced pumpkin pudding layer. A lighter holiday alternative.