Dessert/6 recipes

Delicately flavored orange cookie cups, topped with an orange, almond-paste filling.

Checkerboard cookies made easy with a fudge marble cake mix: build a black-and-white checkerboard from vanilla and chocolate dough strips, chill, slice and bake. A showy slice-and-bake cookie without the fuss.

A no-bake chocolate icebox cake layered with cubed pound cake and mocha-spiked chocolate pudding set with gelatin. Chill, slice, and serve. The easiest chocolate dessert you'll ever make.

Coconut cheesecake builds a creamy, coconut-scented filling on a cottage cheese base, bakes it gently in a water bath, then crowns it with a sour cream and coconut topping. A lighter, tropical twist on classic cheesecake.

Two-ingredient Grape-Nuts pie crust made with just cereal and orange juice. No baking, no butter. Press into a pan and freeze for a crunchy, low-fat base.

Rich chocolate cookies with a gooey caramel candy hidden inside, topped with chopped pecans and drizzled with melted fondant. Makes 4 dozen stuffed cookies.

Easy citrus cranberry cake spoons alternating light yellow and deep red batters into a loaf pan, using cranberry juice, orange zest, and cranberry-orange relish for marbled holiday color. A festive boxed-mix shortcut perfect for tea or gifting.

Buttery melt-in-your-mouth cookies made with cornstarch for an impossibly tender crumb. Rolled in powdered sugar and pressed with a fork, they practically dissolve on your tongue.

Homemade teething cookies with just three ingredients: eggs, sugar, and flour. Baked hard in a doughnut shape for little hands to grip and gnaw on safely.

Molasses ginger bars with brown sugar, raisins, and a dusting of powdered sugar. Soft, chewy gingerbread-style cookie bars from a big-batch 13x9 pan that cuts into 36 pieces.

Friendship cake starter made with pineapple, cherries, and peaches layered with sugar and brandy over six weeks. A fermented fruit base for holiday fruitcakes.

Strawberry banana ricotta cheesecake blends ricotta with strawberries and bananas, sweetened with apple juice concentrate, on a Grape Nuts crust. A lighter no-sugar-added dessert.

Make your own irresistable chocolate cake with this simple recipe that is extremely easy to follow and understand.

Sugar-free peppermint chocolate cake made with unsweetened chocolate, peppermint extract, and granulated sugar replacement. A diabetic-friendly chocolate cake with a cool mint kick.

Lightened key lime pie made with fat-free condensed milk, gelatin, and whipped skim evaporated milk. Graham crust, tart lime filling, and tiny piped meringues perched on lime slices.

Apple cake with caramel sauce loaded with cinnamon, pecans, and fresh apples. A simple one-bowl batter topped with buttery brown sugar caramel poured on hot from the oven.