Recipe Sifter

Vintage ribbon cake: plain vanilla and spiced molasses batters layered in stripes with a tart lemon-raisin filling between. An old-fashioned American cake worth reviving.

Chewy molasses oatmeal cookies with pecans, raisins, cinnamon, and cloves, drizzled with melted chocolate. Three cups of oats give these a hearty, old-fashioned chew.

Greek oil cake (gliko tapsiou me ladi) is a dairy-free, egg-free spice cake made with olive oil, orange juice, walnuts, and raisins. Naturally vegan and Lenten-friendly.

Orange spice muffins with whole wheat flour, sour cream, fresh orange zest, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Topped with cinnamon sugar for a warmly spiced holiday breakfast.

Oyster house apple pie with a flaky butter-shortening crust and a pre-cooked spiced apple filling. Old-tavern recipe with a glossy clove-and-cinnamon glaze.

Pepparkakor, the thin and snappy Swedish spice cookies layered with ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg over deep molasses. Sliced from chilled logs and baked crisp. A classic Scandinavian Christmas treat.

Poor Man's Cake: a Depression-era boiled raisin cake spiced with cinnamon, cloves and allspice. No eggs, no milk, no butter. Just pantry basics, lard and the magic of plumped raisins.

Date drop cookies studded with chopped dates and walnuts and warmly spiced with cinnamon and cloves. A drop-and-bake batter with no chilling or rolling, ready for the cookie jar in well under an hour.

Red plum spice cake made with plum baby food for moisture, cinnamon, cloves, and vegetable oil baked in a Bundt pan. A dense, spiced oil cake with a clever shortcut ingredient that keeps it moist for days.

Greek semolina cake with almonds soaked in cinnamon-orange syrup, scored into diamonds. Traditional Mediterranean dessert.

Old-fashioned oatmeal cookies loaded with figs, nuts, and warm spices create hearty, chewy treats perfect for holiday baking or lunchbox snacks.

Shaker honey almond cake bakes a spice-warmed honey-sour cream batter under a crown of almonds, then ripens 2 days for deeper flavor. Heritage New England keeping cake.

Spiced apple pie with cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cloves, and allspice in a flaky double crust dressed with pastry leaves. Bakery-quality dessert with deep autumn warmth.

Spiced banana cake loaded with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, topped with a crunchy cinnamon-walnut crumble. Baked in a springform pan for an impressive, warmly spiced dessert.

Spiced biscotti with cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and a surprising kick of white pepper. Crunchy, warmly spiced Italian cookies built for dunking in coffee or tea.

Spiced sheet cake with brown sugar and warm spices gets topped with walnut meringue frosting that bakes on for a crunchy, marshmallow-like finish.