Recipe Sifter

Jam cake with caramel icing, a three-layer Southern spice cake built around blackberry jam, cinnamon, and allspice, blanketed with soft-ball-stage caramel icing made from brown sugar, butter, and cream.

A spiced sheet cake packed with grated carrots, mashed bananas, toasted coconut, and pecans. Warm cloves and mace set it apart from ordinary carrot cake. Cuts into 24 squares and freezes well.

Instead of eating direct from the cob, try this scrumptious recipe that's easy to follow!

Oatmeal chocolate chip sheet cake with a boiling-water oat soak for a tender, moist crumb. Topped with walnuts and extra chips for a crackly crust.

Hazelnut butter balls: tender, melt-in-your-mouth cookies loaded with chopped toasted hazelnuts, rolled in powdered sugar while warm. A buttery, nutty riff on the classic snowball cookie that disappears off any holiday tray.

Chewy peanut butter chip bars with deep cocoa brownie batter and pockets of peanut butter chips. A jelly-roll pan recipe that yields four dozen fudgy chocolate bars.

Homemade orange honey mustard with dry mustard, apple cider vinegar, honey, and fresh orange zest. Cooked in a double boiler and aged overnight for a bright, tangy condiment.

Chewy butterscotch brownies (blondies) with dark brown sugar, melted butter, and vanilla in a one-bowl, six-ingredient recipe. Rich, toffee-flavored squares that take 10 minutes to mix and bake golden.

Crispy-edged oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with pecans, made with shortening for that old-school chew. Three cups of oats, loads of brown sugar, and five dozen reasons to preheat your oven.

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.

Old-school lard pie crust with egg, vinegar, and a touch of brown sugar. One batch yields four disks for double-crust pies. The flakiest crust comes from cold lard worked into the size of tiny peas.

Summer rhubarb crisp with a cinnamon-sugar streusel baked over tart fresh rhubarb until bubbly and golden. Six-ingredient old-fashioned dessert served warm with cream or ice cream.

A moist tube cake where grated apples meet cocoa, cinnamon, allspice, and chocolate chips. Baked low and slow for a dense, spiced crumb that's part apple cake, part chocolate cake, and entirely irresistible.

A self-saucing cocoa espresso pudding cake that creates its own hot fudge layer as it bakes. Boiling water poured over the batter before baking does all the work. Serve warm for 6 to 8.

Three-layer cranberry cheese bars with a buttery oat crumble crust, tangy cream cheese filling, and whole berry cranberry sauce on top. Makes 24 bars for holiday baking trays.

Double chocolate chip cookies with cocoa-rich dough, buttermilk for tang and tender texture, and semi-sweet chocolate chips throughout. Soft-set centers and chewy edges every time.