Dessert Recipes

Orange balls are a no-bake holiday classic: crushed vanilla wafers mixed with butter, powdered sugar, frozen orange juice concentrate, and pecans, rolled in coconut for a bright citrus bite.

Classic almond biscotti are twice-baked Italian cookies made with whole-wheat and white flour, turbinado sugar, eggs, vanilla, and toasted almonds. Crisp, dunkable, and made for coffee.

Irish curd cake: a traditional sieved cottage cheese cheesecake in a shortbread crust with lemon zest and a sugar-butter glaze. Light alternative to heavy American cheesecake.

Brandy-laced bundt pound cake served with a saffron-tinted lemon curd. The classic 1-1-1 pound cake gets a boozy lift, while saffron steeped in lemon juice turns the cream sunset gold.

Foolproof meringue that never weeps or shrinks, stabilized with a cornstarch paste mixed into the egg whites. Golden brown in 30 minutes on any cream pie.

Amaretto cookies fold flaked coconut, chopped almonds, and amaretto liqueur into a stiff egg white meringue base. Crisp-outside, chewy-inside macaroon-style drops with a grown-up almond-liqueur backbone.

Slice-and-bake vanilla wafer cookies with powdered sugar, butter, and cream of tartar. Make the dough ahead, chill, slice thin, and bake crispy in 10 minutes.

Peachy cinnamon coffee cake uses a cinnamon muffin mix, canned peaches, and the included swirl packet for a fast-from-scratch-tasting cake baked in about 30 minutes. A weekend brunch shortcut.

Hidden treasure chocolate chip cookies made with graham cracker crumbs, coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and semi-sweet chips. Tastes like a magic bar in cookie form.

Chewy oatmeal cookies packed with dates, apples, raisins, and pecans, naturally sweetened by simmered fruit. These keep for days in the fridge and make grab-and-go snacks.

Chocolate zucchini bread with melted unsweetened chocolate, grated zucchini, cinnamon, and chopped nuts baked into a rich, moist loaf. Uses the garden glut deliciously.

Layered whole wheat crumb cake loaded with cinnamon-walnut streusel and finished with a powdered sugar drizzle. Wholesome enough for breakfast, sweet enough for dessert.

Old-fashioned chocolate pudding cake bakes with a cocoa batter on top and a brown sugar water layer that transforms into hot fudge sauce underneath. Drizzled with raspberry jam.

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.

Paradise salad: a molded lemon Jello salad with sour cream, cottage cheese, and crushed pineapple. A retro gelatin dessert-salad that chills into a creamy, tangy mold.

Bisochos (also known as Ka'ak or Crozettes), traditional Sephardic sesame-coated bread rings with anise, fennel, or coriander seed. Crisp, nutty, and dipped in egg before sesame.