Dessert/4 recipes

The famous $250 cookie loaded with chocolate chips, grated chocolate bars, oatmeal ground to powder, and chopped nuts. A legendary urban legend cookie recipe that actually delivers.

3-step chocolate cheesecake: cream cheese filling studded with semi-sweet chocolate chips, baked in a graham cracker crust. The 5-minute mix-and-bake dessert that beats most boxed mixes.

Italian macaroons made from almond paste kneaded with egg whites and sugar, baked into chewy, fragrant amaretti-style cookies. A short rest before baking gives them their crackly top and tender center.

Chocolate heart sandwich cookies with almond extract, pink buttercream frosting, and a peek-through cutout center. A Valentine's Day baking project with show-stopping results.

Chewy oat crumble bars layered with a thick, glossy blueberry filling brightened with lemon juice. A nutty brown sugar base does double duty as the topping. Makes 15 bars.

Kaleidoscope slice-and-bake cookies with red, green, and plain dough rolled together for a colorful Christmas pattern. Freezer-friendly holiday cookies that store up to 6 months.

Low fat lemon pudding cake separates as it bakes into a tender sponge top and silky lemon-curd bottom. Light dessert with skim milk and only one tablespoon of fat.

Soft almond cookies made with egg whites, almond extract, and topped with toasted almonds. Lower fat, lightly sweet, and tender with a delicate crumb.

Frozen raspberry souffle with strained berry puree, framboise liqueur, and billowy whipped cream. Assembled tall in a collared dish so it rises above the rim like a baked souffle.

Three-ingredient flourless peanut butter cookies. Just peanut butter, sugar, and one egg. Naturally gluten-free, ready in 22 minutes. The classic dorm-room dessert.

Gooey butter cake layers a tender shortbread crust beneath a buttery, corn-syrup-rich filling that bakes into the iconic St. Louis dessert with crisp edges and a soft, almost custardy center. Dust with powdered sugar and slice into squares.

Fudgey German chocolate sandwich cookies pair two chewy chocolate cookies with a buttery coconut-pecan caramel filling. The flavors of classic German chocolate cake reimagined as a portable cookie.

It's easy to satisfy your sweet tooth with this cake that has chunks of Snickers in every bite.

Silky chocolate mocha cream pie topped with golden meringue. A from-scratch custard filling with real chocolate and coffee, baked in a flaky crust.

Eggnog layer cake is a tender, nutmeg-scented two-layer cake made with dairy eggnog and topped with cooked-custard eggnog buttercream spiked with rum. A Christmas showpiece cake.

Apfeltorte: German apple cake with whole peeled apples baked into a butter cake, their cores stuffed with rum-soaked raisins and chocolate. Finished with apricot glaze and powdered sugar.