Recipe Sifter

Sour cream Christmas cut-out cookies with a tender, slightly tangy dough, finished with a buttery coffee frosting. Makes 6 dozen cookies. Chill dough overnight for clean edges when cutting shapes.

Russian tea cakes with a buttery shortbread base, a thumbprint of jam or chopped walnuts, and a snowfall of powdered sugar. Holiday cookie tin classic.

Tender fried doughnuts packed with melted unsweetened chocolate and buttermilk tang, drizzled with vanilla icing. Deep-fry to golden perfection in just 3 minutes per doughnut.

Classic German Lebkuchen: spiced honey bars with almonds and candied citrus peel, glazed with lemon icing and dotted with cherries. Centuries-old Nuremberg Christmas tradition.

Low-fat carrot fig cake that replaces oil and butter with pureed dried figs for moisture. Loaded with grated carrots, crushed pineapple, and raisins, drizzled with a simple pineapple juice glaze.

Melomakarona are Greek honey-soaked cookies with orange zest, cinnamon, cloves, and brandy. Baked until golden, dipped in hot honey syrup, and topped with chopped nuts.

Norwegian molasses cookies rolled in sugar and baked until crackled and flat. Made with brown sugar, molasses, and egg substitute. Top with confectioners' sugar glaze and sprinkles for a festive touch.

Tender sour cream sheet cake with black walnut flavoring, topped with a quick-cook caramel frosting loaded with chopped nuts. One pan, one hour, and a frosting that comes together on the stovetop.

Traditional German Stollen loaded with candied citron, angelica, golden raisins, and blanched almonds in a buttery, cardamom-spiced yeast dough. Dusted with powdered sugar for a festive holiday bread.

Instead of cupcakes, try these fluffy, light and delicious friands that are made with egg whites, almond meal and strawberries.

Fudgy sheet pan brownies made with unsweetened chocolate, sour cream, and walnuts, then slathered with a glossy chocolate icing while still warm. Big batch, big flavor, gone fast.

Cranberry and lemon star in this winning drop cookie with fluffy frosting from Liz Bannon of Port Washington, which was adapted from a recipe in a Taste of Home cookbook.

Greek baklava with buttery cookie dough rolled around spiced nuts and phyllo, soaked in honey-lemon syrup for layers of crisp pastry and rich almond filling.

Moist gingerbread cake sweetened with molasses and applesauce, no butter or oil added. Whole wheat and white flour blend with buttermilk for tender low-fat texture and warm spice.

Homemade pumpkin spice doughnuts fried golden from a pumpkin puree dough warm with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, then dipped in a maple glaze. Cake-style donuts for fall mornings and Thanksgiving dessert.

Pumpkin Bundt cake with warm pumpkin pie spice and a glossy dark chocolate glaze drizzled over the top. Moist, autumnal, and perfect for a fall dessert table.