Dessert Recipes

Semolina halwa sweetened with sugar syrup, cooked in ghee, and perfumed with cardamom and rosewater. Studded with pistachios and almonds, then cut into diamond shapes.

Chocolate cake made with pureed red beets and melted unsweetened chocolate. Incredibly moist, deepens in flavor overnight, and finished with a simple powdered sugar dusting.

Drop sugar cookies with cardamom or nutmeg, soft and tender with lightly browned edges. No rolling or chilling needed. Makes six dozen and freezes beautifully.

This no-baking cheesecake is creamy, rich and smooth, fresh berries give the fruity and refreshing taste.

Loaded drop cookies packed with chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut, oatmeal, nuts, and candy-coated chocolates on top. These kitchen sink cookies have everything but the sink.

Rocky road cake: a moist devil's food bundt loaded with chocolate chunks, marshmallows, raisins, and nuts. Mayonnaise in the batter keeps every slice tender and rich.

Granny Smith apple pie packs tart sliced apples between flaky shortening crusts with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and lemon zest, finished with a honey-spiced whipped cream on the side.

Simple butter cookies that earned honorable mention: just butter, sugar, flour, and vanilla rolled in sugar and stamped flat, no chilling or cutting required for crisp golden edges.

Fresh raspberry pie where most of the berries stay uncooked, suspended in a glossy cooked raspberry glaze in a baked crust. Bright, fresh, and barely-cooked, finished with sweetened whipped cream.

Triple-chocolate cheesecake with a crushed cookie crust, rich semi-sweet filling, and a silky chocolate-orange liqueur frosting. Baked low and slow for a dense, fudgy center that'll ruin you for ordinary desserts.

Cinnamon apple noodle kugel with sautéed Golden Delicious apples, pecans, raisins, and whipped egg whites. A light, airy take on the classic Jewish noodle casserole.

Fallen chocolate souffle cake: a dense, fudgy flourless-style cake of bittersweet chocolate, almond, and egg whites that puffs then collapses into a crackled top. An elegant, almost gluten-free dessert.

Maple sponge cake with just 4 ingredients: maple syrup, eggs, flour, and optional vanilla. A light, airy tube cake with no butter, no sugar, sweetened entirely by real maple syrup.

Traditional German sand tarts rolled paper-thin, cut into diamonds, brushed with egg white, and topped with cinnamon sugar and a pecan half. Crispy, buttery holiday cookies.

Soft chocolate drop cookies packed with maraschino cherries and topped with a glossy chocolate frosting. Buttermilk keeps them tender. Makes 4 to 5 dozen in about 30 minutes, so they're built for holiday cookie trays and bake sales.

Fresh fruit medley with apples, bananas, oranges, and grapes tossed in orange juice concentrate, topped with a spiced yogurt-ricotta sauce. A light, diabetic-friendly dessert.