Dessert Recipes

Fat-free pineapple upside down cake delivers all the caramelized fruit and tender crumb of the classic without butter or oil. Egg whites and corn syrup do the work, no compromise on flavor.

Chewy oat bran raisin cookies made with egg whites instead of whole eggs and vegetable oil instead of butter. A lighter oatmeal cookie with nuts and fiber.

No-cholesterol chocolate cake gets its tender crumb from a surprising swap: cholesterol-free mayonnaise stands in for eggs and butter. One bowl, no creaming, deep cocoa flavor with a moist tight crumb.

Ranger Joe cookies pack everything but the kitchen sink: rolled oats, Rice Krispies, coconut, pecans, and chocolate chips into one chewy, crunchy, candy-bar-of-a-cookie. The classic Texas ranch-house cookie that bakes off four dozen at a time.

Chocolate mug cake for one, mixed and microwaved right in the mug in about 5 minutes. No oven, one dish, and a warm, fudgy chocolate cake whenever a craving hits.

Peanut butter puffs made with phyllo dough folded into crispy triangles around a sweet peanut butter filling, then drizzled with melted chocolate and chopped pecans.

Sugarplum cookies with dried or candied fruit hidden inside each ball of vanilla sugar cookie dough. Topped with creamy frosting and colored sugar for Christmas cookie trays.

An old-fashioned chocolate meringue pie with a rich cocoa pudding filling cooked from scratch and a tall, glossy meringue. Two simple tricks keep the meringue from weeping or shrinking.

Impossible buttermilk pie forms its own crust while it bakes. Just blend buttermilk, sugar, eggs, melted butter, Bisquick and vanilla, pour, and the magic happens in the oven.

Old-fashioned pound cake with shortening, six eggs, and no leavening. Vanilla and almond extract give this dense, tender tube cake its signature flavor.

Moravian sugar cookies rolled paper-thin and baked until crisp at the edges. Buttermilk keeps the dough tender while an overnight chill makes it rollable to 1/16-inch thickness for that signature wafer-like snap.

Oatmeal apple cake with three cups of oats, chopped apples, brown and white sugar, cinnamon, and nuts. A dense, hearty cake that's more oat than flour with chunks of apple throughout.

Yellow poke cake soaked in thick pineapple syrup, layered with vanilla pudding, homemade whipped cream, and flaked coconut. Needs 24 hours to chill, worth every minute of waiting.

A fruit-packed bundt cake with bananas, crushed pineapple, applesauce, and chopped nuts spiced with cinnamon. Stir-together batter, no mixer needed. Moist, dense, and dusted with powdered sugar.

Shortcut Italian sheet pan biscotti baked in a 9x13, sliced, and broiled golden. Six ingredients, 30 minutes, and you've got a tray of crispy-edged cookies with zero fuss.

Frozen no-bake blueberry pie with a creamy sweetened condensed milk filling, tangy lemon juice, and whipped topping layered with blueberry pie filling in a shortbread crust. 20 minutes to assemble, then just freeze and serve.