Dessert Recipes

Chocolate applesauce cake with just five pantry ingredients. No eggs, no dairy, no butter. Moist, fudgy crumb from unsweetened applesauce and real chocolate.

Lotsa chocolate cake is the classic doctored-cake-mix bundt with devils food mix, instant fudge pudding, sour cream, and a full bag of chocolate chips. Dense, moist, foolproof.

French pear tart with almond frangipane, kirsch-soaked apricot glaze, and vanilla-poached pears. Crushed macaroons fold into the pastry cream for chewy depth, finished with green pistachios.

Frosted date ring cake: spiced buttermilk-oat cake studded with dates and nuts, baked in a mold and finished with orange buttercream and candied cherries. Holiday cake with vintage charm.

Linzer torte builds a press-in almond and clove dough into a tart shell, then crowns with raspberry preserves, fresh berries, sliced almonds, and a powdered sugar dust. Austrian classic from the city of Linz.

Mediterranean almond cookies made with ground almonds, egg whites, and candied cherries. Low-temperature baked treats dusted with powdered sugar and optional rosewater.

State fair zucchini cake: a spiced sheet cake with shredded zucchini, walnuts, and golden raisins, topped with a lemon cream cheese frosting. Blue-ribbon classic.

Three-layer chocolate caramel bars with a fudgy brownie base, gooey pecan caramel topping, and a lacy semi-sweet chocolate drizzle. Makes 54 bars that store beautifully for 10 days. Think homemade turtle candy in cookie bar form.

Chocolate mousse cake with semisweet chocolate, orange liqueur, and whipped egg whites folded into a rich batter. Part one covers the cake layers with a thin, flaky crust.

Cocoa thumbprint cookies rolled in sugar and filled with creamy peanut butter frosting. Loaded with chocolate chips and a sweet PB center. Makes 4 dozen irresistible little buttons.

Soft drop cookies made with mashed cooked carrots and finished with a warm orange glaze. The vintage Depression-era cookie that still makes sense today.

Baked bananas with lime juice and brown sugar caramel sauce. Use slightly underripe bananas, baste as they cook, and you get a glossy tropical dessert ready in 30 minutes with just 4 ingredients.

A delicious dessert pudding made with rainforest limes, lemon myrtle and macadamia nuts.

No-bake rice cereal rolls with crunchy peanut butter, marshmallow cream, and crispy rice cereal, rolled into balls and dipped in melted chocolate. A 4-ingredient treat.

Canned apple pie filling made with tart sliced apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a cornstarch sugar syrup. Water bath canning recipe yields 6 quarts, each jar fills a two-crust pie.

An intensely dark chocolate sheet cake made with strong black coffee and buttermilk, topped with a rich "Hundred Dollar Frosting" of melted chocolate, butter, walnuts, and a surprising touch of lemon juice.