Dessert Recipes

Holiday molasses crinkles are spiced sugar-coated cookies with cracked, snowy tops. The water-droplet trick guarantees that signature crinkled surface every time. Soft inside, slightly crisp at the edges.

No one can resist this decadent cake made with hot applesauce and a pinch of cinnamon.

Irish whiskey cake with raisins soaked overnight in Jameson, brown sugar, and a lemon glaze dripping down the sides. Traditional St. Patrick's Day cake with a warming whiskey-soaked crumb.

Lester's fruitcake is a heirloom holiday loaf: pounds of candied fruits, figs, dates, raisins, pecans, and walnuts bound in spiced molasses batter. Slow-baked, brandy-soaked, aged a month.

A quick and easy baked flan recipe that is great served warm or cold.

Maple syrup spice cake with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves baked with buttermilk and plump raisins. A warmly spiced one-pan cake sweetened entirely with real maple syrup.

Pumpkin cookies sweeten with honey instead of refined sugar, fold in raisins, dates, and chopped nuts, and spice with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Soft, cake-like, and made with whole wheat pastry flour. Healthy enough for breakfast.

Molasses ginger snaps with the classic crackled tops that form as the dough balls melt and spread. Warmly spiced with ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, these crisp-edged cookies are a holiday baking staple.

Chewy orange granola cookies loaded with oats, raisins, sunflower seeds, and honey. Flavored with orange juice concentrate, cinnamon, and cloves for a spiced citrus twist.

Red plum spice cake with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves folded into a moist batter studded with chopped plums and nuts. Finished with a cream cheese frosting spiked with reserved plum juice.

Soft molasses cookies spiced with ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. A classic LA Times recipe that bakes up thick, cakey, and deeply spiced.

Low-fat spicy pumpkin pie with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves in a diabetic-friendly filling. Uses calorie-free liquid sweetener with just 2 tablespoons of brown sugar for warmth and depth.

A spiced steamed pudding loaded with dates, apples, and walnuts, served warm with a silky vanilla custard sauce. An old-fashioned British-style dessert for holiday entertaining.

Stack spiced almond biscotti into a stunning edible tree centerpiece, cemented with orange marmalade icing. A holiday baking project that doubles as a gorgeous table display guests can eat.

Toasted nut spice cake with brown sugar meringue baked right on top. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a moist sour milk batter, crowned with a crispy-chewy nut meringue layer that bakes alongside the cake.

Tomato ginger upside-down cake with fresh grated ginger, molasses, brown sugar, and sliced tomatoes baked under a spiced buttermilk batter. Serve warm with whipped cream.