Dessert Recipes

Classic savayar (savoiardi), Italian ladyfinger cookies piped from a sponge batter of egg yolks, whipped whites, sugar, and flour. Crisp outside, tender inside, the perfect tiramisu builder or dessert dunker.

A rich chocolate bar cake made with melted chocolate candy bars and chocolate syrup for double chocolate depth, plus buttermilk for a tender crumb and pecans for crunch. Baked in a tube pan, no frosting needed.

Fresh strawberry pie with a glossy cornstarch glaze made in the microwave. Whole berries folded into a cooked strawberry filling, chilled until set. No oven needed for the filling.

Lower-fat banana cake with pureed prunes replacing most of the butter, nonfat vanilla yogurt, and egg whites. A moist sheet cake that cuts the fat without losing flavor.

Triple-chocolate biscotti with Dutch cocoa, semi-sweet chips, and a dipped white chocolate base. Toasted hazelnuts, dark coffee, and twice-baked crunch make these the dunking cookie for serious chocolate lovers.

Holiday mincemeat with chopped beef, suet, apples, sour cherries, dried fruit, and broken nuts simmered slowly with brandy and warming spices. A massive 48-serving batch for Christmas baking and gift-giving.

Easy, moist and tasty coffee cake is perfect with a cup of coffee in the afternoon!

Spiced rhubarb-strawberry pie with a hint of pumpkin pie spice setting it apart from standard versions. Lattice-topped and baked hot for bubbling juice and golden crust. A spring classic with autumn warmth.

Classic summer pudding made with fresh strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries layered with white bread in ramekins, pressed overnight, and unmolded into jewel-toned individual desserts. Just 7 ingredients.

Go-to brown sugar slice and bake cookies: a freezer-friendly cookie log that slices straight from frozen onto the baking sheet. Tender, caramel-sweet, and ready to bake any time you need cookies fast.

Light, airy coffee cheesecake with ricotta, instant coffee, and fluffy egg whites on a honey-sweetened zwieback crust. A no-bake style set with gelatin for smooth, mousse-like slices.

This is actually my pumpkin pie filling, but I prefer it without the pastry and it is better for me. No great amount of fat in this one.

Loosely related to a dessert from the English-speaking islands of the West Indies, this makes a wonderful - and legal - winter fruit pudding. Despite its richness, it has next to no fat and, if you use eggs modified with omega 3 oil, it couldn't be more nutritionally sound.

Mini cheesecakes baked in cupcake liners with a vanilla wafer crust, cream cheese filling, and fresh fruit on top. A 5-ingredient, individual-sized cheesecake dessert.

Traditional British Christmas plum pudding: a dense steamed pudding rich with suet, dried fruit, candied orange, and brandy. Made weeks ahead to mellow, then reheated and flamed for the holiday table.

Strawberry rhubarb pie with a cinnamon sugar crumb topping, thickened with quick tapioca for clean slices. The classic spring fruit pie with a crackly streusel finish.