Dessert Recipes

Jam tarts press tender cream cheese pastry around dollops of fruit jam for bite-size, flaky tea-time pastries with golden browned edges. A 7-ingredient throwback for the cookie tin.

Low-cal pineapple cheese pie blends low-fat cottage cheese, crushed pineapple, and gelatin into a crustless baked cheesecake-style pie sweetened with sugar substitute. A diabetic-friendly dessert.

Poke is a Pacific Islands banana and arrowroot pudding baked in squares and soaked in fresh coconut milk. Naturally gluten-free, lightly sweet, with a chewy-silky texture.

Fave dolci, Italian almond cookies shaped like fava beans with ground almonds, orange flower water, lemon zest, and cinnamon. A traditional Southern Italian sweet.

Rich chocolate cake: single 8-inch buttermilk cocoa layer cake finished with bittersweet chocolate glaze. Can be split for a filled two-layer version.

Two-layer chocolate cheesecake with a dark chocolate base and creamy vanilla top in a chocolate cookie crust. The Kraft Philly classic with no springform required.

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.

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

Chocolate bourbon balls are no-bake holiday treats made with crushed vanilla wafers, walnuts, honey-sweetened melted chocolate, and a splash of bourbon. A Southern Kentucky tradition.

Blueberry-peach meringue shell filled with almond cream custard and topped with fresh sliced peaches and blueberries. A light, elegant, show-stopping summer 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.

This scrumptious side dish is made from carrots, cardamom seeds and cashews.

Kahlua brownies with unsweetened chocolate, coffee liqueur, and instant coffee, topped with a boiled chocolate icing and scattered semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Two-layered Thai steamed coconut cups with a dark brown sugar coconut base and a creamy white coconut cream topping. A traditional vegetarian Thai dessert made with rice flour, naturally gluten-free.

Little snow people cookies: holiday snowman cookies shaped from festive dough with three stacked balls, decorated with mini chocolate chip eyes, cinnamon candy buttons, and peanut butter cup hats.

Used in drinks, desserts and all kinds of recipes. A staple of any confectioners repertoire.