Recipe Sifter

Better than sex cake is a four-layer chocolate-pecan icebox dessert: a buttery pecan shortbread crust, sweet cream cheese, chocolate pudding, and whipped topping. A make-ahead potluck legend.

Halloween beef stew with flour-crusted meat, potatoes, carrots, and peas in a creamy thyme-coriander broth, served inside a carved pumpkin shell for a spooky seasonal showstopper.

Three-layer creme de menthe brownies with a fudgy chocolate base, green mint buttercream middle, and chocolate chip glaze on top. A retro holiday favorite that freezes well.

Cranberry pumpkin bread with chopped pecans, pumpkin pie spice, and a tangy orange-allspice glaze drizzled on top. A moist, festive quick bread perfect for fall baking and holiday gifting.

Sourdough pizza bread for the bread machine with pepperoni, parmesan, basil, and oregano baked right into the dough. All the flavors of pizza night in a sliceable loaf.

Traditional Sicilian fruit-filled pastries stuffed with figs, dates, chocolate chips, nuts, and warm spices, glazed with a lemon icing. A holiday cookie tray showstopper.

Lots O' Apple Cake is a fruit-forward one-bowl sheet cake loaded with five cups of fresh apples, warm cinnamon, honey, and chopped nuts. A fall baking staple.

PB&O snackers: chewy peanut butter oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips, warm cinnamon, and nutmeg. A hearty snack cookie that beats any coffee-shop version.

Sweet yeast dough built with buttermilk, butter, and a blend of white and whole-wheat flours. The workhorse base for sticky buns, cinnamon rolls, and tender breakfast pastries with a soft, pillowy crumb.

Lemon bars with an oat-brown sugar crumble crust and a tangy sweetened condensed milk lemon filling. Crumbly, creamy, and tart in every bite.

Old-fashioned molasses cookies with candied citron, chopped nuts, cloves, and cinnamon. Rolled thin, cut out, and baked crisp. A heritage holiday cookie.

Persimmon cream pie with a custard of egg yolks, cream, and ripe persimmon pulp, crowned with a sticky pecan praline crumble. The fruit must be jelly-soft for the right honeyed flavor.

Herb-oatmeal bread baked in a clay pot with sage, basil, pine nuts, poppy seeds, and sesame. A crusty, hearty loaf with whole wheat and sour cream in the dough.

Pumpkin orange cake: moist sheet cake with canned pumpkin, orange juice concentrate, and zest, finished with a citrus glaze. Fall flavors with a bright twist on standard pumpkin spice.

No-knead refrigerator bread with mashed potatoes and eggs for an exceptionally soft, golden crumb. Make-ahead dough rests up to 3 days in the fridge before baking.

Slow cooker sausage and bean casserole with pineapple chunks, brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar. Dump it in, set it, and forget it for 7-10 hours.