Dessert Recipes

Light pumpkin praline cheesecake: low-fat cottage cheese stands in for cream cheese, wheat germ replaces graham crumbs in the crust, and pumpkin pie spice carries the flavor. Topped with maple-drizzled pecans.

Poke cake loaf soaked with milk and layered with crushed pineapple, whipped topping, and coconut. A tropical twist on the classic poke cake using a yellow cake mix base.

Low-fat strawberry cheesecake swaps cream cheese for pureed cottage cheese folded with gelatin and whipped egg whites for a light, mousse-like filling. Finished with a glossy crushed-strawberry glaze.

Luscious apricot bars layered over a shortbread crust with a chewy brown sugar topping studded with plump apricots and chopped walnuts. A classic two-layer dessert bar rolled in sugar.

Marble pound cake with browned butter, vanilla-almond batter, and cocoa swirl. Uses yogurt and egg whites for a lighter texture in a classic tube pan shape.

Maria's Ischli cookies are Austrian sandwich cookies with ground hazelnuts or almonds, filled with raspberry jam and topped with chocolate icing. A classic European holiday cookie.

Chocolate nut upside-down Bundt cake with a buttery brown sugar walnut crown. Inverts onto a plate showing off a glossy caramel-pecan top layer.

Buttery melt-in-your-mouth cookies made with cornstarch for an ultra-tender crumb, scented with almond and vanilla, then dusted in powdered sugar.

Sourdough gingerbread made with active starter, molasses, ginger, and cinnamon. The tangy starter adds depth to this warm, spiced Alaskan-style cake.

Mexican flag cookies bake a coconut-extract sheet cookie cut into 3x4 rectangles, then decorate with green, white, and red icing stripes plus a chocolate eagle. Cinco de Mayo party favorite.

Praline macaroons from Mississippi: chewy meringue cookies built on whipped egg whites, brown sugar, and toasted pecans, each one crowned with a whole pecan half. Crisp shell, soft center, pure Southern bakery counter.

Mix-in-pan carrot cake: stir all ingredients directly in the baking pan with a fork, no extra bowls or mixers. Spiced with cinnamon and allspice, topped with classic cream cheese frosting.

Chinese mixed fruit dessert with grass jelly cubes, lychee, and mandarin oranges. Refreshing 3-ingredient cold dessert, perfect for hot summer days.

Mocha cream baked custard with melted chocolate, coffee, eggs, and cream, slow-baked in a water bath. Topped with whipped cream, almonds, and grated chocolate.

Mocha toffee crescents are buttery espresso-laced shortbread cookies studded with toffee chips, shaped into crescents and dipped in dark chocolate. Cookie tin showstoppers.

Mom's lemon sponge pie separates as it bakes into a tangy lemon custard layer below and a fluffy cake-like sponge on top. A heritage two-layer pie made with one filling.