Dessert Recipes

Pecan pudding baked in a custard cup in the microwave: dark corn syrup, egg, and chopped pecans in a buttered cup, dusted with powdered sugar. Pecan pie filling in individual pudding form.

Italian ricotta cheesecake with candied orange and lemon peel, golden raisins, and a splash of amaretto in a shortbread crust. Lighter and less sweet than American cream cheese cheesecake, dense in a softer way.

Apple crumb cake with a buttery shortbread-style base and crumb topping made from one mixture. Tart cooked apples sandwiched between two crisp golden layers.

Classic Italian anise biscotti with toasted almonds and anise seeds infused in Sambuca or Pernod. Twice-baked until crisp and dry, built for dunking into espresso or Vin Santo.

These rich and decadent brownies are perfect for Valentine's Day.

Berlin Doughnuts (Bismarks) are classic German jam-filled yeasted doughnuts with rum extract and orange juice in the dough, deep-fried and sugared. Makes 12 pillowy doughnuts.

Baked on the outside - chocolate lava in the middle. Simple to make - my children make them from scratch (I think it has a lot to do with licking the mixing bowl).

This delightful dessert is so good, the crust is buttery and flakey, and the pear-almond filling is scrumptious and juicy.

A crunchy crust with chocolate and butterscotch topped with a soft and fluffy cream cheese filling.

Mint spritz cookies with peppermint extract and green food coloring pressed into festive shapes with a cookie press. A crisp, buttery holiday cookie ready in 30 minutes.

Fat-free carrot cake made with yogurt, egg substitute, and wheat germ instead of oil and eggs. Topped with a light cream cheese frosting spiked with almond extract and lemon.

Classic ranger cookies packed with crisp rice cereal, flaked coconut, and chopped dates for triple texture in every bite. Crunchy outside, chewy middle. Bakes a batch in about 25 minutes.

Braune Zucker Platzchen, traditional German brown sugar cookies with cinnamon, cloves, orange zest, raisins, and nuts. Spiced drop cookies that store well in airtight tins.

Orange cappuccino drop cookies with strong coffee, melted chocolate, and sour cream topped with an orange zest frosting. Soft, cake-like mocha cookies with a bright citrus finish.

Brown sugar apple squares with a buttery crumb base, sour cream batter, cinnamon, and chopped apples. The secret? They taste even better the next day. Makes 12.

Buttery macadamia nut biscotti with half the nuts ground into the dough and half left whole. Twice-baked for a crisp, crunchy cookie with rich tropical flavor.