Dessert Recipes

Chocolate parfaits layer creamy chocolate pudding, tangy sour cream, crushed chocolate graham crackers, and whipped topping in individual glasses. A no-cook kid-friendly dessert ready in 15 minutes.

Macaroon meets chocolate chip cookie in this co-winner in the drop cookie category, with a twist of cinnamon, nutmeg and mint; it's from Jessica Wall-Valadez of Milwaukee.

Applique cookies stack contrasting chocolate-pepper and sugar cookie doughs, cut in different shapes and glued with egg white before baking, then drizzled with chocolate. A striking two-tone decorating technique.

Gajar ka halwa (carrot halva) is a traditional Indian dessert made by slow-cooking grated carrots in milk for hours until thick and fudgy, then enriched with sugar, powdered milk, and nuts.

Mangos poached in a brown sugar and cinnamon syrup with vanilla, served cooled over vanilla ice cream. A simple, elegant tropical dessert with warm spice notes.

Piña colada pie: a four-ingredient frozen graham-crust pie with piña colada yogurt, crushed pineapple, and whipped topping. The easiest tropical dessert in the freezer playbook.

Fresh blueberry pie with a tangy sour cream custard binding the berries and a crisp buttered breadcrumb crumble on top. Summer dessert with bright berry flavor and creamy texture.

Trinidadian sugar cakes are chewy Caribbean coconut candies cooked in sugar syrup and tinted pink. A traditional street-fair sweet from Trinidad and Tobago.

Fresh glazed strawberry pie with whole berries in a pre-baked crust, coated in a homemade strawberry glaze made from pureed berries and cornstarch. No-bake filling, bright berry flavor.

Dense apricot bars sweetened with maple syrup and loaded with dried apricots, walnuts, and cashews. No eggs, no butter, finished with powdered sugar icing and optional chocolate drizzle.

Special Easter bread made with whole wheat breadcrumbs, candied citron, and orange zest in a bread machine. This sweet, fruit-studded loaf has Old World charm.

No-bake peanut butter cereal clusters made with corn syrup, sugar, and Special K. Just 4 ingredients, no oven, and ready to eat in 25 minutes. A kid-friendly classic.

Soft chocolate drop cookies with cream cheese baked right into the dough and crunchy walnuts in every bite. The cream cheese keeps them tender and slightly tangy for days.

Best lemon meringue pie cooks a clear cornstarch curd with fresh lemon juice and zest, then crowns with vanilla-scented French meringue spread peak-style across the warm filling. The reliable home version.

Homemade grainy mustard with mustard seeds, white wine, vinegar, and a touch of corn syrup. Bold artisan-style condiment that keeps for a month in the fridge.

Lighter cocoa oatmeal cookies made with egg whites and nonfat yogurt instead of whole eggs and butter. Studded with mini chocolate chips and chewy with 3 cups of quick oats. Makes a whopping 66 cookies.