Recipe Sifter

Toasted bread spread with a brown sugar, butter, and flaked coconut topping, then baked into a sticky-sweet breakfast treat. Four ingredients, 20 minutes start to finish.

Low-fat cocoa almond biscotti made with egg substitute and chocolate syrup instead of butter. Crisp, twice-baked Italian cookies with deep chocolate and almond flavor.

Cocoa cream pie with a from-scratch chocolate pudding filling made from cocoa powder, milk, and cornstarch in a baked pie shell. Topped with whipped cream after chilling 6-8 hours.

Low-fat cocoa spice cake made with applesauce instead of oil, egg whites only, and a hint of cinnamon. A lighter chocolate cake that still bakes up moist and satisfying.

No-bake cocoa cream candy balls rolled in cocoa and powdered sugar with walnuts, milk, and vanilla. Old-fashioned chocolate truffles made without cooking in 10 minutes.

Coconut chocolate cheesecake with unsweetened chocolate for bittersweet depth, flaked coconut, and a brandy sour cream topping on graham cracker crust. Three layers of rich, dense indulgence.

No-bake chocolate walnut cream balls rolled in cocoa-dusted powdered sugar. Five ingredients, no cooking required, and ready in 20 minutes. Old-fashioned bonbon-style sweet for the holiday tin.

Four-layer coconut sour cream cake with a fluffy whipped topping filling and shredded coconut all around. Make-ahead Southern dessert that gets better as it sits.

Coconut pecan pie with a buttery egg custard filling, flaked coconut, and chopped pecans baked in a flaky crust. A Southern-style pie with a lemon-vanilla twist and golden, chewy top.

Pecan shortbread cookies shaped into little ovals and rolled in powdered sugar. Only 4 ingredients, no eggs, mixed by hand, and they melt in your mouth. A Mexican wedding cookie cousin that makes 4 dozen.

Versatile cold cherry soup with white wine vinegar, cinnamon, and heavy cream. Serve as chilled soup with sour cream or flip to dessert with sweetened whipped cream. Makes 2 quarts to feed 10.

Whole roasted chicken stuffed with garlic under the skin, cooked in one pot with carrots and potatoes. Five ingredients, zero fuss, dinner done.

Cookie brittle with chocolate chips and walnuts pressed into one pan, baked, then snapped into snappy shards. Sugar-substitute friendly with crisp, candy-like edges.

Simple homemade pizza dough with just five ingredients: flour, yeast, olive oil, sugar, and salt. Knead by hand or food processor for chewy, bubbly crusts every time.

Chilled cherry soup with white wine, sour cream, cinnamon, and optional brandy. A silky, sweet-tart Hungarian-style cold soup made from fresh cherries.

Cool cucumber sandwich on toast with crispy bacon, tomato, and Italian dressing. A quick no-cook lunch ready in 5 minutes with just 5 ingredients.