Dessert Recipes

Instead of the raisins, this Apple Strudel uses dried cranberries instead. It's also lighter, crispier and easier to make by using phyllo pastry instead of typical thick pastry.

This old fashioned fruit cake is a classic. Candied fruits, rum, molasses and all kinds of spices make the cake rich in flavor.

Just like little fruitcakes! I soaked my fruit in the bourbon overnight. Easy recipe to put together and great way to use extra fruit from making my fruitcakes.

Low fat pumpkin cookies. Pumpkin, cranberry and pecans make these soft flavorful cookies that are perfect for Thanksgiving. I've lowered the amount of saturated fat, lowered the amount of sugar and switched the whole wheat flour to boost fiber.

Old-fashioned spice cake loaded with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger, plus chopped nuts and plump raisins baked into a tender loaf with a wooden-skewer-clean crumb.

Greek apple pastry rolled in flaky phyllo with cinnamon-spiced apples, walnuts, and currants. Buttery, golden, dusted with powdered sugar while hot for that signature shattering crackle. A traditional milopita from the Greek table.

This moist, buttery and flavorful applesauce pound cake is always a winner at our place, we make it very often, sometimes after main course, sometimes we just have it as our coffee cake with some coffee or tea. It is a wonderful and delightful cake :)

Old-fashioned blackberry jam cake with warm spices, pecans, and raisins topped with silky caramel icing. Southern heritage cake with allspice, cloves, and buttermilk crumb.

"A tall, impressive cake that showcases the flavors and smells of the holidays. A three-layer extravaganza with a touch of molasses and shredded apple to keep it moist. It fills the house with a fragrance that beats the most expensive holiday-scented candle. It will be talked about long after the party is over." Source: The Pastry Queen Christmas, by Rebecca Rather

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.

Spiced pumpkin custard fills mini tart shells, then gets topped with a broiled pecan-sugar crust. These two-bite holiday tarts balance creamy filling with crunchy caramelized nut topping.

Rich West Indian Christmas cake soaked in rum and sherry with dried fruits, warm spices, and browning for deep color. Start the fruit a month ahead for a dense, boozy holiday cake worth the wait.

Old-fashioned mincemeat pie filling made with real ground beef, apples, raisins, cider, and warm baking spices. A blue-ribbon recipe that freezes in batches so you're always ready for pie season.

Christmas spice cookies: rolled-and-cut holiday cookies with ginger, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and molasses. Soft or crunchy depending on bake time. Makes four dozen.

Traditional mincemeat with real beef and suet, the way it was made for centuries before the meatless version took over. Currants, raisins, apples, brandy, and warming spices simmer into a deeply flavored pie filling. Yields 80 servings.

Individual fruitcake cupcakes studded with dates, golden raisins, pecans, and citrus zest, soaked in brandy and topped with a pineapple chunk. Just 2 tablespoons of brown sugar in the whole batch. Diabetic-friendly holiday baking at its finest.