225 late recipes

Apples, tangy cranberries, and pears under a granola-type crust can be served in small glass bowls for an inviting holiday meal conclusion.

Sugarless slice-and-bake cookies made with whole wheat flour, chewy dates, toasted coconut, fresh orange zest, and crunchy pecans. Naturally sweetened by fruit alone, these make 5 dozen crisp, nutty rounds.

Sugar-free whole wheat cookies sweetened naturally with dates, coconut, and orange zest, rolled in ground pecans. A slice-and-bake icebox cookie with no added sugar.

Oil-free granola with oats, wheat flakes, rye flakes, bran, dried fruits, cashews, and sunflower seeds bound with honey and vanilla. A low-fat, crunchy homemade breakfast cereal.

Lighter applesauce fruitcake with dates, raisins, walnuts, and candied fruit. No alcohol soak, no months of aging. Three loaves of moist holiday cake without the heaviness of traditional fruitcake.

Vegetarian mincemeat made with fresh pears, dried fruit, candied cherries, almonds, and a splash of whiskey. No suet needed. Spiced with allspice, nutmeg, and ginger for traditional Christmas mince pies.

Banana nut bread made with whole wheat and white flours, ginger and mace, plus chopped pecans and dates folded in. A spiced, fruit-and-nut-loaded quick bread that's denser and more interesting than the standard.

Traditional poppy seed kolache with a buttery almond dough and homemade filling of poppy seeds, honey, dates, and nuts. A Czech-style pastry that makes 60 pieces.

Orange slice fruitcake with candied orange, pecans, dates, and coconut in a buttermilk batter. Baked low and slow, then soaked with a citrus butter glaze.

Fruitcake drop cookies with brandy, candied cherries, dates, candied pineapple, and nuts. All the holiday fruitcake flavor in a bite-sized cookie that bakes in 12 minutes.

Health muffins built on a four-flour mix of whole wheat, rye, soy, and wheat germ, packed with chopped dates and nuts. A hearty, fiber-rich breakfast muffin with deep, malty flavor.

Whole wheat carrot spice bread with oats, dates, and warm cinnamon-ginger spice. A hearty, low-fat quick bread made with applesauce and egg whites instead of butter or oil.

Tart de Brymlent is a medieval Lenten tart of salmon baked with spiced apples, pears, and dried fruits in a pastry shell. A genuine old English sweet-savory recipe for history buffs and adventurous cooks.

This relish is based on a prize-winning English recipe of more than a generation ago. It is less sweet than traditional chutneys; most of its sweetness comes not from sugar, but from apples, dates, and parsnips. I generally use Winesap apples but any well-flavored, crisp eating apple will do.

Rich chocolate date cake with semi-sweet chocolate chips and chopped walnuts baked in a 9x13 pan. The dates keep it incredibly moist while cocoa adds deep chocolate flavor.

Old-fashioned hermit cookies spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, stuffed with raisins, dates, and walnuts. Soft and chewy from sour cream, topped with a whole walnut. A New England cookie jar staple.