Dessert Recipes

Banana rum sherbet made with yogurt, dark brown sugar, lime juice, nutmeg, and chopped almonds. A tropical frozen dessert churned in a food processor, no ice cream maker needed.

Chinese-style caramel fried apples or bananas battered and deep-fried, then coated in crackly spun sugar with sesame seeds. Dipped in ice water for a shatteringly crisp shell.

Soft peanut butter cookies studded with toffee bits, topped with vanilla icing and a crunchy toffee chip crown. Three layers of flavor in every bite. Makes 2 dozen.

A silky, no-bake blueberry mousse sweetened with real maple syrup. Just 4 ingredients and no gelatin needed for this elegant, airy dessert that serves 8.

A no-bake cheesecake with a whole wheat crust, creamy cottage cheese and banana filling, and fresh grapefruit on top. Light, tangy, and set with gelatin for a refreshing lower-calorie dessert.

Piped kiss-shaped meringues dried overnight in the oven, then dipped in melted semisweet chocolate. Light as a snowflake and stunning on a holiday cookie tray.

Fluffy pink grapefruit frosting is a seven-minute frosting made with egg whites, sugar, and grapefruit juice beaten over a double boiler into billowy, citrus-scented peaks.

Low-fat ricotta cheesecake with ginger and nutmeg on a Grape Nuts crust, set with agar instead of eggs. A no-bake, lighter cheesecake topped with fresh strawberries.

Fresh figs poached in port and creme de cassis, the wine reduced to a glossy syrup, served over vanilla frozen yogurt. An elegant, low-fat dessert with deep berry and fig flavor from just a few ingredients.

Chilled nectarine yogurt dessert blended with honey, almond extract, and gelatin. Light summer dessert that sets in stemmed glasses for an elegant finish.

Four ways to shape holiday butter cookie dough: cutouts with egg paint, spritz cookies, chocolate caramel marbles, and coconut macaroon wreaths. One dough, endless options.

No-bake chocolate oatmeal coconut cookies made on the stovetop with cocoa, sugar, margarine, and milk. Drop by spoonful or press into a pan and refrigerate to set.

Fresh strawberry pie with a pureed berry glaze thickened with tapioca, poured over whole berries in a flaky pie shell. No-bake filling, no gelatin, just real fruit.

Hot cherry fruit compote baked with rum, curry powder, candied ginger, and brown sugar. A retro holiday side dish for ham or turkey, or chill and serve as dessert with ice cream.

Fruit sparkles are a fizzy sugar-free jello dessert made with sparkling water or club soda and fresh fruit. A light, low-calorie summer treat.

Fresh tortoni made with vanilla ice cream, whipped topping, almond extract, and chopped almonds. A no-bake Italian frozen dessert in individual cups.