Recipe Sifter

Nick's peach cobbler tops three and a half pounds of fresh sliced peaches with a tender buttermilk biscuit crust. Cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon zest, and pieces of butter make a syrupy summer dessert.

Instead of white bread, serve these healthy and delicious buttery and soft rolls along with your Thanksgiving dinner!

Pecan tarts with caramel sauce: flaky homemade pastry shells filled with a brown-butter pecan filling, baked golden, then drizzled with silky amber caramel. Individual holiday tartlets worth the effort.

[Note: Bobby Flay, chef of NYC's Mesa Grill, prepared this dessert for a Meals on Wheels benefit meal at the Frontera Grill in Chicago

Decadent chocolate mousse cake: a light, airy chocolate cake kissed with orange liqueur and zest, made by folding whipped egg whites into a rich chocolate batter, then frosted with chocolate mousse.

Three layers of deep chocolate cake get brushed with vanilla sugar glaze while hot, then stacked with mocha buttercream icing spiked with coffee and cocoa.

Millionaire's shortbread with a buttery shortbread base, chewy homemade caramel middle, and a smooth chocolate top. Three layers of British confection in every square.

Dense, buttery sweet potato pound cake with sour cream and warm spices, served with a vanilla bean-cinnamon custard sauce and praline ice cream. This is dinner party dessert that earns a standing ovation.

Meringue madeleines made with whipped egg whites, cake flour, and melted butter. Light as air with crisp edges, best eaten warm straight from the oven.

Two-layer banana cake studded with chopped Butterfinger bars, spiked with dark rum, and coated in a glossy semisweet chocolate ganache. A showstopper that can be made 2 days ahead.

This moist, fluffy, rich and chocolatey cake gives you enough tastiness to let you indulge.

Irish tea cake with cream cheese and buttermilk batter studded with dried currants, finished with a bright lemon glaze. Tender crumb that keeps for days.

Moist chocolate truffle cake with melted semi-sweet chocolate, cocoa, butter, and whipped egg whites. Dense, fudgy, and barely set in the center. Just a dusting of powdered sugar.

Marble pound cake with browned butter, vanilla-almond batter, and cocoa swirl. Uses yogurt and egg whites for a lighter texture in a classic tube pan shape.

Buttery chocolate madeleines with a Kahlua syrup brush for extra moisture. These shell-shaped French cookies stay fresh for days and freeze beautifully.

Orange angel food cake with cardamom caramel sauce and tropical fruit compote of mango, passion fruit, kiwi, and blood orange. A three-part make-ahead showstopper for dinner parties.