Dessert/4 recipes

Eggnog chiffon pie, an airy brandy-spiked custard set with gelatin and lightened with whipped egg whites, dusted with fresh nutmeg in a flaky homemade crust. A Christmas dessert worth the fuss.

Light and airy cantaloupe chiffon pie with pureed and cubed melon, fluffy egg white meringue, and whipped cream in a pie shell. A retro summer dessert that floats off the fork.

Fresh strawberry frosting made with real strawberry puree and fluffy beaten egg whites. A light, fat-free cooked frosting with bright berry flavor that holds stiff peaks.

Fried apple pies are hand-held Southern hand pies with spiced apple filling tucked into a homemade dough, deep-fried golden and dusted with powdered sugar. Served warm with vanilla ice cream.

French cream pie is a vintage sour cream and raisin filling spiced with cinnamon, cooked custard-style in a double boiler, then chilled in a baked shell and crowned with billowy whipped cream.

Sour cream coffee cake is a tender, moist brunch cake with a cinnamon-walnut sugar topping layered both through the middle and on top. Sour cream keeps the crumb soft and fine, with a gentle tang.

Natilla creme, a traditional Latin American egg custard made with scalded milk, flour, and folded egg whites. Topped with nutmeg or served chilled over guava slices.

Chewy drop cookies loaded with chocolate-covered raisins and toasted almonds. Makes 5 dozen in just 25 minutes. A fun, crunchy cookie that kids love to help bake.

A traditional Welsh double-crust rhubarb tart with spiced lard pastry scented with cinnamon and mixed spice. Dead simple, properly old-fashioned, and adaptable to any seasonal fruit.

Frangelico cheesecake with hazelnut liqueur blended into a rich cream cheese filling on a graham cracker crust. Just 6 ingredients for a boozy, nutty, crowd-pleasing dessert.

Microwave apricot-strawberry compote in white wine and cranberry juice with crystallized ginger and lemon zest. A no-sugar-added fruit dessert ready in minutes.

Easy Graham Cracker Toffee Cookies: a 4-ingredient bake-sale shortcut where buttery toffee pours over graham crackers and toasted pecans. Crisp, candy-like, ready in 30 minutes.

Lemon sugar cookies with fresh lemon juice, rolled thin and cut into shapes for Christmas or any occasion. A buttery cutout cookie with bright citrus flavor.

Tyler pie with a creamy egg-and-butter custard kissed with vanilla and lemon, baked into a flaky crust until set and golden. The old Southern chess pie variation named for the Texas town.

Crispy fried lemon rosette cookies made with a rosette iron, evaporated milk batter, and a dusting of powdered sugar. Light as air with lacy edges.

Key lime pie from the Pierhouse in the Florida Keys, a custardy filling of sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks and tart key lime juice in a graham cracker crust. Finished with a reduced lime syrup glaze.