Dessert recipes

Finikia are Greek torpedo-shaped semolina cookies scented with orange and cinnamon, baked golden then dipped in a honey-cinnamon syrup and rolled in sesame or walnuts. Traditional Christmas melomakarona.

Rich, fudgy chocolate cake hiding a gooey caramel filling baked right inside. Sour cream keeps it impossibly moist while melted caramels and condensed milk create a buttery surprise layer.

Enjoy this creamy, rich and decadent cheesecake that's made with cream cheese and mascarpone.

Solothurner Nusstorte, a Swiss hazelnut torte with piped meringue-nut discs, a buttery sponge layer, and hazelnut buttercream. An elegant three-component European pastry.

Orange coconut chews packed with dates, shredded coconut, and fresh orange zest in a brown sugar base. Chewy, golden bar cookies with a tropical citrus twist.

Empanadas de fruta filled with spiced dried fruit, raisins, pine nuts, and warm cinnamon-clove-nutmeg filling, deep-fried in a flaky homemade dough until golden and crispy.

Fresh pear pie with sliced pears spiced with mace, baked in a single crust under a brown sugar streusel topping. Classic fall fruit pie with crumb crown.

Flaky pie pastry using both shortening and butter for the best of both worlds. Stand mixer method cuts fat into flour in 30 seconds. Makes two crusts.

Upside-down apple gingerbread with caramelized apples over a dark, molasses-rich gingerbread cake spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. A warming autumn dessert.

Got his recipe in an email. From the Harvest restaurant, Cambridge, MA

Mock apple pie made with peeled, sliced zucchini under a buttery crumb topping. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice complete the apple illusion. The pie bakes inside a paper bag for an even, juicy finish.

This classic New York-style cheesecake starts with a ready-made graham cracker crust for simplicity, then bakes rich cream cheese filling topped with sweetened sour cream. The two-temperature baking creates creamy texture without cracks.

Strawberry rhubarb pie with a cinnamon sugar crumb topping, thickened with quick tapioca for clean slices. The classic spring fruit pie with a crackly streusel finish.

Apricot walnut crescent cookies with a flaky sour cream pastry rolled around apricot preserves and ground walnuts, dusted with powdered sugar. An Eastern European holiday classic.

Pumpkin crunch with a spiced pumpkin custard base topped with dry yellow cake mix, chopped pecans, and drizzled melted margarine. A dump cake with a crunchy, buttery top.

Georgia peach shortcake with cinnamon-brown sugar biscuit layers, pecan pieces, sliced ripe peaches, and almond-flavored whipped cream. Southern summer dessert at its peak.