Dessert recipes

Rhubarb ripple is an old-fashioned cobbler style dessert with tart baked rhubarb, a cinnamon stick, and a pecan-studded biscuit top. Rustic, deeply pink, and ideal with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Oven-fried bananas ready in 10 minutes with just butter and bananas. Serve savory with salt and pepper as a side dish, or sweet with cinnamon and sugar as a quick low-fat dessert.

Sweet cinnamon fettuccine is a dessert pasta: egg noodles rolled and cut by hand, scented with cinnamon and lemon zest, then deep-fried into crispy golden ribbons. Dust with powdered sugar for an Italian fairground treat.

Hazelnut succes cake: two crisp hazelnut-meringue discs sandwiched with silky praline buttercream, crusted with crushed praline. A classic French patisserie showstopper.

Plains peach honey: a thick, clear old-fashioned Southern peach spread made with just two ingredients, ripe peaches and brown sugar. No pectin, no lemon, pure peach flavor.

Slow-simmered strawberry-rhubarb compote with just four ingredients cooked low for hours until thick and jammy. A versatile fruit topping for yogurt, ice cream, or toast.

Deep-fried cranberry jelly fritters with a light, crispy batter. Canned cranberry jelly gets cut into strips, dredged, battered, and fried golden. A quirky, crowd-pleasing holiday snack.

This rich crumb topping keep well on the pantry shelf or in the refrigerator. Halve the recipe if you use crumbs sparingly.

Applesauce fudgy brownies use applesauce, egg whites, and a splash of Kahlua to slash the fat without losing the dense chew. Cocoa-forward, peanut butter accent, no oil.

Classic French chocolate mousse with Cognac, semi-sweet chocolate melted with coffee, and stiff egg whites folded in for airy richness. Unmolded and served with whipped cream.

Russian-style fried batter puffs made from choux dough with a hint of orange zest, drizzled in warm honey and dusted with cinnamon. Light, airy, and crispy on the outside. Makes about 28 puffs in just 30 minutes.

Rich homemade chocolate sauce made with unsweetened chocolate, butter, and evaporated milk. Smooth, glossy, and stores in the fridge for weeks.

French chocolate pots de creme: silky individual chocolate custards made with heavy cream, semi-sweet chocolate, egg yolks, and a hint of Kahlua. The classic French dinner-party finale, no oven required.

Honey mustard balsamic vinaigrette with Dijon, garlic, and a kick of hot sauce. A sweet-tangy, emulsified salad dressing that takes 5 minutes and beats anything store-bought.

Mocha icing whips butter, powdered sugar, cocoa, egg yolk, and coffee into a silky chocolate-coffee frosting for cakes and cupcakes. Three-ingredient base, ready in minutes.

Rich chocolate mousse made with semisweet chocolate, Kahlua, instant espresso, whipped cream, and a splash of Grand Marnier. Silky, intensely chocolatey, and spiked with coffee and orange.