Dessert/5 recipes

Strawberry cheesecake muffins hide a sweet cream cheese filling and a spoonful of strawberry jam in the middle of an almond-scented brown sugar muffin. Bakery-style brunch treat with a surprise center.

Strawberry squares with a buttery graham cracker crust, real crushed strawberry and Jello filling folded with whipped cream, topped with a sweet cream layer. A chilled no-fuss dessert.

Cranberry fool dessert with homemade orange and star anise cranberry sauce swirled into whipped cream. A make-ahead holiday dessert that chills for up to 6 hours.

Gooey butter cake bakes a yellow cake-mix base under a sweet cream cheese topping that bubbles and cracks like cheesecake on top while staying molten in the middle. A St. Louis classic.

Pistachio torte with 2 cups of finely chopped pistachios and breadcrumbs standing in for flour, lifted with beaten egg whites, and topped with a cup of lemon curd. A proper European-style celebration cake.

Homemade yogurt made with whole milk, cream, and a cooler for incubation. No yogurt maker needed, just a picnic tote and 8 to 10 hours of patience.

Funnel cakes pour a sweet batter through a funnel into hot oil for golden, lacy fried treats dusted with powdered sugar. State-fair classic, ready in 30 minutes at home.

Three-ingredient chocolate almond filling for cakes, pastries, and tortes: melted chocolate, butter, and toasted almonds blended into a spreadable ganache-like filling.

Hot apple pandowdy is an early-American upside-down apple dessert: cinnamon-sugar apples baked under a soft butter cake batter, then inverted and served warm with whipped cream.

Pears De Cacao features pear halves filled with chocolate mint whipped cream, sandwiched back together, and drizzled with Creme de Cacao liqueur.

Kruchiy (Ukrainian fried knot cookies) made with sour cream, egg yolks, and vanilla, tied into knots and deep-fried until golden. Sprinkled with sugar to finish.

Cherry streusel coffeecake with almond-scented batter, cherry pie filling center, and a crunchy almond crumb top. Springform pan dessert, brunch-ready.

Light angel food cake rolled with a tangy lemon cream filling made from sweetened condensed milk and whipped topping. A stunning no-fuss dessert that starts with a box mix.

Flourless chocolate cake baked in a water bath with just five ingredients. Dense, fudgy, and intensely chocolatey with 12 ounces of melted chocolate and a full cup of butter.

Old-fashioned rice krispie date roll cookies made by cooking dates with eggs, sugar and butter into a ball, then mixing with crisp rice cereal and rolling in powdered sugar. A no-bake retro icebox candy.

Party date cake is a big-batch chocolate date loaf topped with sugar, chopped nuts, and chocolate chips. Served warm in slices with whipped cream for a crowd-sized dessert.