Dessert Recipes

Grandma's apple cake loaded with 4 cups of chopped apples and nuts in a moist, cinnamon-spiced oil batter. No mixer needed, baked in a tube pan and dusted with powdered sugar.

Caramel pecan apple pie with a double crust, drizzled with caramel ice cream topping and sprinkled with chopped pecans right out of the oven. A simple twist on classic apple pie.

Concentration candy cookies: brown sugar-pecan cookies topped with matched pairs of colored candy-coated chocolates. A clever kids' memory-match game cookie for parties.

De Luxe rennet custard, an old-fashioned milk-based pudding set with rennet and dressed up with cranberry sauce, toasted coconut, orange segments, raspberries, walnuts, and pineapple. A vintage dessert that tastes like an ice cream sundae, minus the freezer.

Diabetic pumpkin custard: a sugar-free single-serve pumpkin custard sweetened with saccharin and baked in a water bath. A light fall dessert for anyone watching carbs.

Lighter tiramisu made with cooked egg whites, mascarpone, reduced-fat cream cheese, brandy, and espresso-soaked ladyfingers. No raw eggs, layered in a trifle bowl, and chilled overnight.

Candy shop cookie pizza bakes soft chocolate chip cookie dough into one giant round, ready to slice into wedges and pile high with your favorite candy. A fun party dessert that's basically a build-your-own cookie cake.

Chocolate oatmeal chippers: spiced chocolate chip oatmeal cookies with cinnamon, nutmeg, pecans, and quick oats. Chewy center, crisp edges, classic drop cookie.

Linzer torte builds a press-in almond and clove dough into a tart shell, then crowns with raspberry preserves, fresh berries, sliced almonds, and a powdered sugar dust. Austrian classic from the city of Linz.

Moist, low-fat chocolate cake made with pureed prunes instead of butter and topped with a tangy orange glaze. Deeply chocolatey with barely any fat, and no one will guess the secret ingredient.

Buttery thumbprint cookies filled with jelly or preserves and rolled in powdered sugar. A tender shortbread-style cookie with chopped nuts and vanilla.

No-bake fresh peach pie with ripe peach wedges arranged in a swirl pattern, glazed with melted apricot preserves on a graham cracker crust. A summer dessert that lets perfectly ripe peaches do all the work.

Soft Southern cream cookies made with sour cream for a pillowy, cake-like texture. Pressed flat with a cinnamon-sugar coated glass and baked until barely golden.

Mocha cake with chocolate buttercream frosting. An airy sponge cake soaked in orange syrup, filled and frosted with a coffee-chocolate buttercream made from Italian meringue.

Reduced-sugar oatmeal cake with rolled oats, raisins, molasses, and warming cinnamon and nutmeg. Egg whites and a sugar substitute keep things lean. The lighter take on a Southern church-supper classic.

Mini carrot cakes with chutney, coconut, walnuts, and warm spices baked in mini muffin tins. Topped with cream cheese frosting for bite-sized party treats.