Recipe Sifter

Autumn dessert cake, a moist hazelnut and pecan torte topped with juicy plums and brushed with a lime marmalade glaze. Nutty, fruity, and barely any flour, finished with a scatter of almonds.

Applesauce oatmeal raisin cookies use applesauce in place of half the fat for a chewier, lower-fat cookie. A soft-baked oatmeal raisin with brown sugar warmth and plump fruit.

Coconut macadamia nut cookies are buttery slice-and-bake shortbread loaded with shredded coconut and Hawaiian macadamia nuts, then dusted twice in powdered sugar for a snowy, tea-time-perfect crumb.

Cranberry orange bread folds whole tart cranberries and chopped nuts into a quick bread brightened with fresh orange juice and zest. A Christmas-classic loaf that gets better the day after baking.

Filled cookies sandwich a sweet raisin filling between two rounds of tender vanilla shortbread, sealed with fork tines and baked golden. Old-fashioned American lunchbox classic, like a homemade fig newton.

Funnel cake batter is poured through a funnel into hot fat in a swirling spiral, fried until golden, then dusted with confectioners sugar. The state-fair classic, made at home.

Yuletide chocolate chip cookies loaded with candied cherries, currants, pecans, and almonds. A festive holiday cookie with brandy flavoring and warm pumpkin pie spice that ages beautifully in the cookie tin.

Slice and bake sugar cookies: a make-ahead dough rolled in wax paper and chilled, then sliced and baked into tender cookies. Yields nearly eight dozen.

Bacon cheese muffins fold crumbled bacon, sharp cheddar, and crunchy nugget cereal into a batter enriched with the rendered bacon drippings. Savory breakfast muffin with surprise crunch baked into every bite.

Homemade bagels made with potato water for extra softness and chew. Boiled in sugared water then baked until golden - this classic method delivers that glossy, crispy crust. Makes 30 bagels.

Hearty ground beef chili with kidney beans and tomatoes baked under a golden cornmeal crust. A satisfying one-dish meal that feeds six with bold, homestyle flavor.

A show-stopping 4-layer banana cake with stiff meringue folded into the batter, filled with vanilla custard, and frosted with a silky cooked flour-butter frosting laced with almond extract. This is banana cake at its most dramatic.

Soft banana sour cream bars baked in a jelly roll pan with ripe bananas, butter, and vanilla. A tender sheet pan cookie bar that makes a generous batch for sharing.

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.

Banana Spice Lemon Drops are soft drop cookies with cinnamon and cloves, topped with a bright lemon butter frosting. A 3-dozen batch in 30 minutes with an unexpected banana-citrus flavor contrast.

Rich, buttery banana bread with a full cup of melted butter, chopped nuts, and a generous helping of ripe mashed bananas. Makes one large loaf or two smaller ones. Freezes beautifully.