Recipe Sifter

Old-fashioned chocolate cream pie with a silky stovetop cocoa custard thickened with cornstarch, finished with butter and vanilla and poured into a baked crust. Classic chocolate pie, no meringue mix required.

Lemon cornmeal cake with a hot lemon glaze and crushed blueberry sauce. A rustic single-layer buttermilk cake with a tender crumb and gritty cornmeal bite, finished with bright citrus shine.

Special Easter bread made with whole wheat breadcrumbs, candied citron, and orange zest in a bread machine. This sweet, fruit-studded loaf has Old World charm.

Classic pecan melt away cookies made with cake flour and unsalted butter for an ultra-tender, powdered-sugar-dusted shortbread. Drop cookies that dissolve on the tongue in seconds.

Mini bacon cornbread muffins baked with real bacon fat, then piped with a spicy honey cream cheese and chive frosting. A savory bite-sized crowd-pleaser for parties.

Chocolate thumbprint cookies with a double-chocolate base and a creamy peanut butter filling in the center. A bakery-style cookie that looks fancier than it cooks.

Rolled oatmeal cookies with whole wheat flour, dried fruit, and buttermilk. Thin, crispy cut-out cookies made with oil instead of butter, no eggs required.

Light, puffy souffleed crepes made with beaten egg whites folded into a classic crepe batter. Cook in a crepe pan or bake as a flat souffle, then fill with fruit, brandy, or vanilla.

Lemon fritters: puffy, golden drop fritters fried until crisp and showered with a bright lemon sugar sauce. An old-fashioned skillet dessert done in 30 minutes.

Light sponge cake flavored with coffee, cocoa, and finely chopped nuts. Made with separated eggs for an airy texture, perfect for special occasions.

Fluffy apricot salad dressing made with apricot nectar, eggs, and whipped cream for a fruity, custard-like topping. A retro gem that transforms any fruit salad into something special.

Orange-almond sour cream cake with chocolate chips, orange flower water, and a Grand Marnier orange syrup soaked into the warm crumb. A dense, fragrant Bundt cake that keeps for days and freezes for months.

Chocolate drop cookies are soft, cake-like buttermilk cookies made with melted unsweetened chocolate and chopped walnuts. An old-fashioned drop cookie recipe that yields 3 dozen.

Lemon chocolate bars with a cocoa shortbread base, silky lemon curd middle, and bittersweet orange ganache on top. Three layers of contrasting flavor in every rich bite.

It was nice and moist, if a tad on the heavy side. The recipe is actually for cupcakes, but can make one big layer. The frosting is outstanding, a definite keeper.

Fresh ginger muffins: bakery-style buttermilk muffins packed with finely chopped fresh ginger candied with sugar, plus fragrant lemon zest. The classic Marion Cunningham recipe, with serious ginger bite.