Dessert/5 recipes

Diabetic-friendly chocolate bars made with cocoa, sugar substitute, and a hint of cinnamon, topped with melted chocolate chips. Fudgy, rich, and lower in sugar than traditional brownies.

No-bake margarita pie with buttery pretzel crust, fresh lime filling spiked with tequila and triple sec, and clouds of whipped cream.

Rose almond jumbles flavored with rosewater, packed with finely chopped blanched almonds, and dropped in ring shapes. A fragrant, old-fashioned cookie from the Victorian era.

British-style gingerbread men with golden syrup, butter, and warm ginger. Crisp edges, chewy centers, decorated with currants for classic holiday cookies.

No-bake oatmeal cookies with cocoa, peanut butter, and chopped nuts dropped onto wax paper. Ready in 20 minutes with zero oven time. Makes two dozen chewy chocolate cookies.

Apple pie topped with halved marshmallows that brown into golden, gooey peaks under a slow second bake. Tart apples, just sugar and nutmeg, no top crust. The midcentury trick that turns weeknight apple pie into something special.

French lemon pie is a simple rustic tart: a whole wheat butter crust filled with a buttery fresh lemon custard and baked golden. Tart, glossy, and finished in an hour with pantry basics.

Chocolate cinnamon angel food cake made with cocoa powder, cinnamon, and whipped egg whites. A fat-free, light-as-air cake with warm Mexican chocolate flavor.

Diabetic-friendly banana cream pie made with skim milk, only 3 tablespoons sugar, gelatin-stabilized custard, and firm-ripe bananas in a vanilla wafer crust. A lighter take on a classic.

Peanut Butter Ho Ho Cake with a devil's food cake base, fluffy whipped peanut butter filling, and pourable chocolate frosting. A nostalgic, no-fuss dessert that starts with a cake mix.

Apple pudding cake with self-making sauce: a magic one-pan dessert where apples, batter, and boiling water bake together, separating into tender cake on top and silky pudding sauce underneath.

Classic lemon bars with a buttery shortbread crust and a tangy lemon-egg curd top, dusted with powdered sugar. A two-layer dessert with bright citrus snap.

Soft persimmon cookies spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves, loaded with walnuts and raisins. A nostalgic fall baking recipe that puts ripe persimmon pulp to its best use.

Sisibakwat-Okwemin, a Native American sugared cherry dessert simmered in maple sugar syrup. Three ingredients, traditional Okanagan recipe served with bannock.

Grilled bananas cooked in their peels until caramelized and soft, split open and topped with powdered sugar, sour cream, and toasted coconut. A two-ingredient grill dessert.

Luscious lemon pie folds tangy sour cream into a stovetop lemon custard for a creamier, less puckery filling than classic meringue pies. Topped with whipped cream in a baked shell.