Dessert/7 recipes

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.

Orange blossom spritz cookies made with butter, orange zest, and vanilla, pressed into decorative shapes and baked until firm. A classic holiday cookie press recipe.

Kahlua fantasy chocolate cheesecake layers a buttery chocolate wafer crust under a silky filling of cream cheese, sour cream, melted semi-sweet chocolate, and Kahlua coffee liqueur. Boozy, dense, and luxurious.

Cinnamon orange crumb crust made with cinnamon graham cracker crumbs, fresh orange zest, and butter. A fragrant, no-bake pie crust ready in 10 minutes flat.

Card gingerbread cookies shaped into playing-card rectangles and scored with lines, made with molasses, brown sugar, ginger, and cinnamon. A vintage rolled cookie for the holidays.

Chocolate mint cookie sandwiches stack slice-and-bake chocolate rounds around a cool mint buttercream, then dip half in semisweet chocolate glaze.

Chocolate red beet cake: deep cocoa cake with mashed beets baked into a moist, tender crumb you'd never guess was hiding a vegetable. An old-school secret-ingredient cake.

Classic Italian pizzelle cookies flavored with anise and vanilla, pressed thin and crisp in a pizzelle iron. A simple batter that refrigerates well for baking anytime.

Sugar-free orange cookies for diabetic-friendly baking. Fresh orange juice and zest carry the citrus brightness, sugar substitute keeps them sweet, and buttermilk gives them a tender, soft-cake crumb.

A creamy cocoa cheesecake on a buttery graham cracker crust, topped with a smooth vanilla sour cream layer. Baked in a springform pan and garnished with fresh fruit. Serves 10 to 12.

Melomakarona (fenekia) are traditional Greek honey cookies made with orange juice, cognac, farina, and walnuts. Baked, dipped in warm honey syrup, and dusted with cinnamon.

Fudgy chocolate layer cake made with a full cup of cocoa powder, brown sugar, and buttermilk for tender, deep-flavored crumb. Frosted with a melted-chocolate buttercream and topped with chocolate curls. The classic two-layer birthday cake.

Old-fashioned blackberry cobbler topped with a buttery shortening-and-cream pastry crust. Hot berry filling pre-bakes briefly before the pastry top goes on for a crisp, golden finish.

Homemade chocolate cannoli with beer-leavened fried shells filled with sweetened ricotta, chocolate chips, toasted walnuts, and orange and lime zest. An Italian pastry shop classic made from scratch.

Melt-away butter cookies with vanilla and almond extract, pressed with a cookie gun and optionally dipped in chocolate with chopped pecans. Yields 7 dozen.

Three-layer apple torte: buttery shortbread crust, sweetened cream cheese filling, cinnamon-sugar apples, and slivered almonds. German-style baked in a springform.