Dessert, Baked Good Recipes

An old family recipe, from Josephine Bowles Shepard, 1894-1966.

A hamantash (also spelled hamentasch, homentash, homentasch, (h)umentash, a filled cookie traditionally eaten during the Jewish holiday of Purim.

Fat-free pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving with a no-butter bread crumb crust, egg-white-only filling, and skim evaporated milk. A lighter holiday classic with all the warm spice.

Dark Christmas cake is the real, old-fashioned fruitcake: dense with raisins, currants, figs, dates, and almonds, deepened with brown sugar, prune juice, and brandy, then aged in brandy-soaked cheesecloth. Make it now, slice it at Christmas.

Disgustingly rich brownies live up to the name with a full cup of butter, four eggs, and three quarters of a cup of cocoa. One bowl, one pan, fudgy center with a crackly top.

Mini-bites of heaven. Individual chocolate cheesecake topped with cherries.

Irish Christmas cake soaked in whiskey with dried fruits, almonds, candied orange peel, and a marzipan coating. A rich, dense celebration cake that starts with an overnight whiskey fruit soak.

Strawberry rhubarb custard pie suspends diced rhubarb and sliced strawberries in a silky egg-and-flour custard, baked into a single tender shell. The classic spring duo with creamy backbone.

A colonial-era chocolate pie with vanilla cake batter baked under a rich unsweetened chocolate sauce and topped with chopped nuts. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

For all of the trouble that this cake is to make the RAVE reviews are more than sufficient reward. The recipe I had years ago called for a dollop of sour cream as a garnish. That worked for me.

Buttery walnut biscotti inspired by Chez Panisse, laced with Cognac and vanilla. Twice-baked to a golden crunch, these elegant cookies bring California fine dining to your cookie jar.

Angel pound cake combines the richness of a butter pound cake with a lighter, more tender crumb. Made with butter, shortening, and a hint of lemon extract, baked in a tube pan for an hour and 15 minutes.

Three-layer coconut cake with a tangy lemon-lime curd filling and clouds of sweetened whipped cream frosting. A bakery-worthy showpiece with bright citrus contrast against tender vanilla layers.

Pumpkin spice cheesecake with graham crust and broiled coconut-almond crunch topping. Impressive fall dessert that requires 4 hours of chilling before serving.

Enjoy the taste of pumpkins with this scrumptious cookie that is perfect for a snack in between meals.

Coffee toffee pie with a chocolate-walnut shortbread crust and a silky uncooked chocolate-coffee mousse filling, topped with Kahlua-spiked whipped cream. A retro showstopper.