Recipe Sifter

Persimmon cookies loaded with 2 cups of fresh persimmon pulp, raisins, chopped nuts, and warm spices. A soft, cake-like drop cookie that puts fall's most underused fruit to work.

Sauteed shrimp with a curried banana sauce made from pureed bananas, apple, curry powder, cardamom, and ginger simmered in chicken stock. An elegant fusion dish.

Rolled molasses cookies spiced with cinnamon and ginger, cut into shapes and baked until firm. A classic roll-and-cut cookie with deep, dark molasses flavor and a crisp edge.

Taffy apple pizza on a giant sugar cookie crust topped with peanut butter cream cheese, sliced Granny Smith apples, caramel drizzle, and chopped peanuts. A party-size dessert.

Overnight cinnamon coffeecake made with frozen dinner rolls, butterscotch pudding mix, brown sugar, and pecans. Assemble in 5 minutes the night before and bake fresh for breakfast.

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

Danish-inspired cabbage casserole layered with seasoned ground beef in tomato sauce spiced with cinnamon, cloves, thyme, and basil. A hearty, budget-friendly baked dinner with Scandinavian warmth.

Zucchini quick bread with two cups of grated zucchini, cinnamon, vanilla, and chopped nuts baked into a moist, oil-based loaf. The best way to use up summer zucchini.

Bizcochitos are the official state cookie of New Mexico: lard-based shortbread perfumed with anise and sweet wine, dusted in cinnamon sugar, and baked into delicate flaky rounds. The traditional Christmas and wedding cookie of the Southwest.

Whole grain carrot muffins sweetened with honey and molasses, packed with bran, raisins, and pureed fresh carrots. High-fiber breakfast muffins made in a food processor.

Peach dessert cake with fresh peaches baked into a lemon-scented batter, topped with cinnamon sugar and chopped nuts. Serve warm with whipped cream for a summer treat.

Whole wheat banana pancakes with warming spices, walnuts, and honey. Hearty silver dollar-sized breakfast ready in 25 minutes.

Ground beef spaghetti Parmigiana with corn, tomato sauce, and a pinch of cinnamon over butter-Parmesan tossed pasta. A unique weeknight comfort dinner ready in under an hour.

Invisible oatmeal cookies: small, soft drop cookies packed with raisins, chopped dates, pecans, warm cinnamon, and nutmeg. Called "invisible" because they disappear from the cookie jar fast.

Upside-Down Pineapple-Raisin-Carrot Cake bakes a spiced carrot batter over caramelized pineapple rings and raisins in a cast iron skillet. Two classics in one.

Capirotada, the traditional Mexican bread pudding layered with cheese, raisins, and a warm cinnamon-clove syrup. A Lenten dessert that's sweet, savory, and spiced all at once.