Dessert Recipes

Funnel cake: classic state-fair fried batter poured through a funnel in a spiral pattern, fried golden, and dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon. The Pennsylvania Dutch carnival treat.

Classic whoopie pies with soft chocolate cake rounds sandwiched around a fluffy marshmallow cream filling. A New England bakery favorite made from scratch at home.

Silky apricot whip made with overnight-soaked dried apricots, honey, and low-fat yogurt. Four ingredients, a blender, and just 54 calories per serving.

Honey spice ball cookies rolled in oats with cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and a tablespoon of honey. Crackle-topped holiday cookies ready in 30 minutes.

Cream cheese butter cookies topped with fresh strawberry halves. A simple thumbprint-style cookie with a tender, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread base and bright berry on top.

Chocolate chip cherry drop cookies with cream cheese in the dough, maraschino cherries, and a half-cherry crown on each cookie. Holiday-bright bite-sized treats.

hese are perfect for serving with coffee and dessert, and I include them in boxes of home-made assorted cookies for gift giving

Fig garden party cakes layer sponge cake or lady fingers with a homemade dried-fig filling cooked down with peanut butter, butter, and lemon juice. A vintage tea-table dessert with surprising depth.

Gelo di Mellone, a traditional Sicilian watermelon pudding thickened with cornstarch, studded with pistachios, chocolate, and candied citron, finished with cinnamon.

Simple Chinese almond cookies that stay pale and cream-colored, decorated with whole almonds or red food coloring dots. Traditional cookies perfect for celebrations.

Sugar-free fresh strawberry spread made with ripe berries, lemon juice, and unflavored gelatin. Low-calorie, no pectin needed, and ready in 15 minutes. Tastes like real fruit, not jam.

Poke is a Pacific Islands banana and arrowroot pudding baked in squares and soaked in fresh coconut milk. Naturally gluten-free, lightly sweet, with a chewy-silky texture.

Ginger molasses cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar with a crackled top. Loaded with ginger, cloves, and cinnamon for bold spice. Underbake for soft centers or bake full for snaps.

Homemade fondant: a soft, moldable butter-and-sugar candy center ready to flavor, shape, and dip in chocolate. Old-school candy-making in four ingredients, no thermometer needed.

Rich pastry crust made with lard and schmaltz (chicken fat) for an extra-flaky, savory pie shell. The traditional savory pie pastry built on rendered animal fats for unmatched flavor and tenderness.

Raspberry mallow pie blends melted marshmallows, frozen raspberries, and whipped topping into a graham cracker crust. A no-bake berry dessert with pillowy texture and bright tart-sweet flavor.