902 light recipes

Almonds have a wide range of culinary uses although desserts and sweet preparations tend to be the most common.

Old-fashioned brown sugar and butter fudge loaded with pecans. Cooked to soft-ball stage on the stovetop, this Southern-style fudge keeps for weeks in the fridge.

Classic American apple pie with a lattice crust, vanilla-scented filling, and half and half for extra richness. A from-scratch shortening crust that bakes up flaky and golden.

Buttery shortbread crust topped with gooey pecan-coconut filling creates bar cookies that taste like pecan pie without the fussy pastry work.

Baked curried fruit casserole with pears, peaches, pineapple, apricots, and cherries layered with slivered almonds in a buttery brown sugar curry glaze. A retro holiday side dish that's best made a day ahead.

Raspberry chocolate sauce made with Dutch-process cocoa, heavy cream, butter, and pureed raspberries. Boiled 8 minutes to a glossy, pourable consistency. Keeps a month in the fridge.

A velvety, creamy garlic soup loaded with 2 cups of garlic and caramelized onions, thickened with stale French bread and finished with half and half. Inspired by New Orleans chef Susan Spicer. Even better the next day.

Creamy mashed sweet potatoes topped with a buttery pecan praline sauce cooked to soft ball stage. A make-ahead Southern side dish that belongs on every holiday table.

Old-fashioned marshmallow fudge with unsweetened chocolate, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla. Cooked to soft ball stage, beaten until thick, then studded with marshmallow pieces.

Creamy Cajun fettuccine with shrimp, smoked sausage, carrots, and zucchini tossed in a Parmesan half-and-half sauce. A one-skillet weeknight pasta ready in 40 minutes.

Homemade chocolate ice cream spiked with whiskey-soaked raisins. Eight egg yolks and heavy cream create an ultra-creamy custard base loaded with melted chocolate and boozy fruit.

Banana blueberry bran muffins sweetened with honey and corn syrup, made with egg whites and skim milk. A low-fat, high-fiber muffin with no added butter or oil.

No-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies with coconut, dropped on wax paper and chilled to set. The classic stovetop fudge cluster, no oven required.

No-bake peanut butter oatmeal cookies with chopped peanuts. A stovetop candy-cookie hybrid cooked to soft ball stage then dropped onto waxed paper to set. No oven needed.

Pecan pie bars: shortbread crust topped with classic gooey pecan pie filling, baked in a sheet pan and cut into 36 holiday bars. All the flavor of pecan pie, none of the slicing drama.

Baked chocolate souffle for two with cinnamon whipped cream and a warm fudge mocha sauce. A date-night dessert made with both semisweet and unsweetened chocolate.