Dessert/8 recipes

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.

Baked key lime pie with a tangy custard filling of egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, and tart lime juice in a buttery graham cracker crust. Topped with vanilla whipped cream and lime slices.

Triple chocolate pie with a from-scratch chocolate crust, airy chocolate chiffon filling with unsweetened chocolate, and grated semi-sweet chocolate on whipped cream. Three chocolates, one show-stopping pie.

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.

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 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.

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.

Fairy cookies made with both powdered and granulated sugar, margarine, and oil for a melt-in-your-mouth texture. A big batch sugar cookie recipe that bakes up light, tender, and crisp.

Rich cocoa-swirled cheesecake meets gooey coconut pecan frosting in this German chocolate cake hybrid. Crisp chocolate cookie crust, velvety filling, and sticky caramel topping loaded with toasted nuts.

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.

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.

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.