Dessert/3 recipes

Capirotada, the traditional Mexican bread pudding layered with cheese, raisins, and a warm cinnamon-clove syrup. A Lenten dessert that's sweet, savory, and spiced all at once.

Cranberry cheesecake with a vanilla wafer crust and a glossy strained cranberry topping. Tart-sweet jewel finish over creamy filling, perfect for holiday tables.

This recipe is great for using up any leftover yogurt and over ripe bananas.

A simple and easy to make fudge recipe using only pantry staples.

Old-fashioned Pennsylvania Dutch pickled pears: whole or sliced pears poached in spiced apple cider vinegar syrup with cloves and cinnamon. Traditional canning recipe for the holiday relish tray.

No-bake cheesecake with cream cheese, sour cream, and whipped topping folded into graham crust: 8 minutes of mixing, 4 hours of chilling, topped with fresh strawberries.

A festive red velvet cake made with German chocolate cake mix and sour cream, topped with a cooked flour frosting and handmade marzipan holly leaf decorations.

A layered Snickers pie with a graham cracker crust, fudge brownie layer loaded with chopped candy bars, and a creamy vanilla cream cheese topping with milk chocolate.

Flourless-style chocolate loaf cake spiced with cinnamon, lifted with whipped egg whites, and drenched in a glossy mocha sauce. A dense, fudgy slice with espresso depth.

Lime squares with shortbread crust: tangy lime curd-style filling over a buttery shortbread base, finished with powdered sugar. The cousin of lemon bars, tinted pale green for visual punch.

Fruited cream puffs: shortcut pate a choux made with pancake mix, filled with ice cream and topped with sweetened strawberries. Ten elegant frozen desserts from pantry staples.

Soft drop cookies bursting with chopped cranberries, fresh apples, cinnamon, and orange zest. This big-batch recipe makes 4 dozen fruit-studded cookies with a cakey, tender crumb.

Layers of angel food cake, sweetened cream cheese, whipped topping, and fresh strawberries under a shimmering strawberry jello glaze. A no-bake showpiece for any gathering.

Banana ginger cake with 2 teaspoons of ground ginger baked in a 9-inch square pan, topped with spiced whipped cream. A lighter snack cake using margarine and skim milk.

Lovelight chiffon yellow cake: feather-light two-layer yellow cake with a meringue folded into the batter for extra airiness. Classic 1950s tender-crumb cake.

Petite cheesecakes baked in mini muffin tins with a vanilla wafer base and cherry pie filling on top. Bite-sized, freezer-friendly, and perfect for parties and potlucks.