Dessert recipes

Homemade fortune cookies with cake flour, egg whites, and vanilla, folded warm around personal messages. A crisp Chinese-American treat that turns dessert into a paper-tucked surprise.

Texan fried pies stuffed with spiced dried apricot filling in a flaky, vinegar-laced pastry. Hand-held, golden-fried, and dusted with sugar. A classic Southern dessert from scratch.

Lemon cream dream: a no-bake layered dessert with lemon cookie crust, lemon pudding-cream cheese filling, whipped topping, and fresh strawberries and blueberries. A summer crowd-pleaser for six.

British rhubarb fool with stewed rhubarb, orange, and a light fromage frais or yogurt fold-in. Tart-sweet pink dessert that's lighter than a traditional cream fool. Spring on a spoon.

Cocoa sponge cake hearts cut from a sheet pan, dusted with powdered sugar, and plated with pools of raspberry sauce and chocolate syrup. A stunning Valentine's Day or special occasion dessert for 8.

Cherry pineapple dump cake: the legendary five-ingredient potluck dessert. Dump canned fruit and yellow cake mix in a pan, dot with butter, scatter nuts, and bake. No mixing bowl required.

Light lemon blitz cake with a tangy lemon curd filling made from skim milk, and a yogurt whipped topping frosting. A low-point layered dessert that tastes rich without the guilt.

Rich lemon chiffon pie with whipped cream and gelatin-set lemon curd folded together in a baked shell. A bright, airy citrus dessert with a cloud-like texture and tart finish.

Lemon meringue pie with a tangy, buttery curd in a flaky shell, topped with a cloud of toasted meringue. The classic Southern dessert that earns its place at every Sunday supper.

Cactus honey sherbet swirls magenta prickly pear juice with peeled peaches, wildflower honey, lemon, and a fold of whipped cream for a Southwestern frozen dessert that lands somewhere between sorbet and ice cream.

Mocha layer cake built with cake flour, cocoa, and strong brewed coffee, sandwiched with sweetened whipped cream folded with dates and nuts. A vintage two-layer dessert dusted with powdered sugar.

Shaker sugar pie: brown sugar caramelized at the bottom of a flaky shell, topped with vanilla cream and butter, baked into a silky no-egg custard. American religious tradition meets Sunday dessert.

Easy lemonade pie folds frozen lemonade concentrate and lemon zest into whipped topping for a 3-ingredient no-bake summer dessert. Set in a graham crust or sliced from a baking dish.

Chocolate mousse torte tops a deep devil's food cake with a silky coffee-liqueur chocolate mousse and a cloud of whipped cream. A make-ahead chocolate dessert with a grown-up Kahlua kick.

Chocolate bar brownie sundaes layer fudgy toffee-studded brownies with Heath-bar vanilla ice cream and a homemade caramel sauce. A make-ahead, three-part dessert where every component is built from scratch.

Chocolate raspberry cream torte: a light chocolate wacky cake layered four high with raspberry jam and pink raspberry cream filling. An impressive-looking dessert made with pantry staples and no eggs.