Dessert recipes

New England apple pie with a butter pastry, crumb topping, and heritage apples like Northern Spy or Rhode Island Greening. Cinnamon and lemon zest brighten the filling, and a two-stage bake browns the crust without burning.

Gluten-free shortbread made with rice flour, cornstarch, powdered sugar, and butter. Four ingredients, no wheat flour needed, and the texture is just as sandy and melt-in-your-mouth as traditional shortbread.

Sugar-free apple pie sweetened entirely with concentrated frozen apple juice instead of added sugar. A diabetic-friendly double-crust classic spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, baked golden in under an hour.

Frozen lemon mousse terrine with whipped cream, beaten egg whites, and gelatin, sliced and served with a vibrant black currant sauce. Light, elegant, and make-ahead friendly.

Platanos con crema: warm butter-softened bananas sprinkled with sweet sherry and sugar, topped with vanilla whipped cream. A quick Latin American dessert ready in minutes.

Original red velvet cake with old-school ermine frosting: tender buttermilk crumb tinted deep red, finished with the cooked-flour boiled milk icing that came before cream cheese took over.

Old-fashioned blackberry pudding with a simple batter that rises up around the berries as it bakes, finished with a sugar crust on top. Homestyle comfort in an 8x8 pan.

Vintage 5-ingredient mayonnaise cookies with no eggs, milk, or butter. Real mayo does all the heavy work for soft, tender sugar cookies with a classic fork-pressed top.

Feathery fudge cake: a light, airy two-layer chocolate cake with melted unsweetened chocolate and a creaming-method batter. Tender, fluffy crumb that takes any frosting beautifully.

Walk to school cookies: buttery slice-and-bake shortbread with chopped pecans, dusted with powdered sugar. Make-ahead icebox cookies sturdy enough to survive a backpack and lunchbox.

Classic buttermilk spice cake with cinnamon, cloves, and a pinch of black pepper. A vintage McCall's recipe with brown and white sugar for deep, warm flavor.

An old-fashioned steamed pudding studded with fresh blueberries, made with bread crumbs for a soft, cakey texture. Serve warm with your favorite sweet sauce for a nostalgic homestyle dessert.

Low-fat pumpkin raisin cake made with egg whites, no butter, and pumpkin pie spice. Served with a strained yogurt cream sauce for a lighter fall dessert.

Dirt dessert layers crushed Oreo cookies, chocolate pudding, and whipped topping in a flower pot for a fun no-bake treat. Add gummy worms for the full effect.

Traditional poppy seed kolache with a buttery almond dough and homemade filling of poppy seeds, honey, dates, and nuts. A Czech-style pastry that makes 60 pieces.

Granny's lemon bundt cake doctored with apricot nectar, oil, and eggs, finished with a tart lemon-juice and powdered sugar glaze. A vintage cake-mix classic that bakes up moist and citrus-bright.