Recipe Sifter

The tops of these chewy cookies are puffy and cracked.Packed full of chocolate flavor and so good.Be sure not to overbake them.

Caramel apple pie recipe loaded with chopped Jonathan or Rome apples, melted caramel candies, gooey caramel topping, and toasted pecans baked into a buttery crust.

Banana chocolate chip bars with whole wheat flour, mashed ripe bananas, and mini chocolate morsels, dusted with powdered sugar. A bake-and-share sheet bar that yields a crowd.

Dark chocolate sea salt cookies, intensely cocoa-rich slice-and-bake sables studded with bittersweet chocolate and flecked with fleur de sel. Slightly underbaked for a soft, fudgy center and a salty-sweet finish.

Yellow split pea soup simmered with a ham bone, carrots, celery, and thyme for 3 hours until thick and smoky. A hearty, old-fashioned soup that turns a leftover ham bone into a full meal.

Scotch mock apple pie: a Depression-era trick that uses soda crackers, lemon juice, and warm spices to taste exactly like apple pie. No apples required.

Philadelphia-style soft pretzels with a chewy, dense bread interior and a glossy egg-washed crust crusted with coarse salt. Four ingredients, baked in a hot oven for street-cart authenticity at home.

Pfeffernusse-style German pepper cookies with white pepper, cinnamon, mixed spice, candied peel, and lemon zest. Small, puffy spice balls dusted in powdered sugar.

Fallen chocolate souffle cake: a dense, fudgy flourless-style cake of bittersweet chocolate, almond, and egg whites that puffs then collapses into a crackled top. An elegant, almost gluten-free dessert.

Homemade blue corn tortillas from just three ingredients: blue cornmeal, boiling water, and flour. Earthy, nutty flavor with a striking blue-purple color on a hot griddle.

Bomma's heirloom date nut cookies made with beaten egg whites, chopped dates, and pecans. No butter needed! Light, chewy, and naturally sweet. Makes 60 cookies.

Traditional German braune bohnen: green beans tossed in a dark brown roux gravy with clove-studded onion and bay leaf. A savory-sweet side dish that turns simple beans into something extraordinary.

Not sure why it's called monkey bread, but I'm very sure that nobody can resist this delicious dessert-like bread. It's buttery and fluffy inside, and crispy outside. When you add chocolate chips in, hmmm...

Christopsomo: a traditional Greek Christmas bread with semolina, citrus zest from oranges and tangerines, currants, golden raisins, and a warming blend of cinnamon, anise, coriander, and cloves.

Buttery pecan shortbread cookie balls dipped in vanilla frosting and rolled in tinted coconut. Melt-in-your-mouth tender, baked low and slow, and perfect for holiday cookie exchanges. Makes 48.

Chocolate cookies with powdered sugar coating. Very chocolaty, yum!