Dessert, Baked Good Recipes

Sour cream chocolate chip cake: a tender, coffee-cake style cake made with cold-cut butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a generous cup and a half of chocolate chips. Sinks slightly in the center as it cools.

Bulls eye cheesecake layers vanilla and mocha batters poured one into the center of the next, baking up into striking concentric rings. A water-bath-baked, crustless cheesecake that wows when you slice it.

Cottage cheese pie is an old-fashioned custard pie with a tangy curd filling lightened by beaten egg whites and warmed with vanilla. A simple, frugal dessert with a creamy texture between cheesecake and custard.

Molasses cookies are soft, chewy spice cookies rolled in sugar before baking, with cinnamon, ginger, and cloves balancing rich molasses. Crinkly tops, chewy centers, classic holiday cookie tray staple.

Reese's peanut butter cup cheesecake on a chocolate cookie crust with chunks of candy folded into the filling and a sour cream topping. Make-ahead dessert for any crowd.

Bourbon eggnog pie: chiffon-style holiday dessert with custard spiked with bourbon and brandy, lifted with whipped egg whites and folded with whipped cream. Topped with more whipped cream and grated nutmeg.

Grated Granny Smith apples and warm spices bake into a tender brown-sugar cake, pierced and drenched in a buttery brown-sugar glaze. Walnut crunch and frozen vanilla yogurt finish each slice.

No-bake refrigerator cheesecake made with cottage cheese cooked in a double boiler with lemon juice, cornstarch, and folded egg whites. Light, tangy, and set in a cinnamon graham crust.

Peanut butter bon bons: soft, chewy peanut butter cookie balls coated in melted milk chocolate. A chocolate-peanut butter treat that looks fancy but uses simple pantry ingredients.

Rocky Road refrigerator cake layers fudgy coffee-spiked brownies with whipped cocoa cream, mini marshmallows, and chopped walnuts. A make-ahead chocolate dessert that turns richer and sliceable after a night in the fridge.

Impossible apricot pie: blend, pour, bake. Self-crusting custard pie with canned apricots and a glossy apricot-preserve glaze. Crustless and effortless.

Simple lemon cheesecake with cream cheese, fresh lemon juice and zest, baked until barely set, then chilled: bright citrus tang in three easy steps with whipped cream and lemon slices.

Whole wheat herb bread with cottage cheese, scallions, dill, and V8 juice: soft yeast loaves enriched with eggs, kneaded until elastic, and baked until golden hollow-sounding.

A buttery base complements the crunchy almond and lemon topping in these feather-light bars.

Elegant almond paste cookies piped into logs, baked until golden, then dipped in chocolate and chopped almonds. Bakery-style treats perfect for gift-giving.

Rice Krispies treats elevated with nougat candy bars, marshmallows, toasted almonds, and butter. No-bake squares with chewy-crispy texture.