Dessert/9 recipes

Jumbles are old-fashioned filled sandwich cookies, two rolled rounds enclosing a smear of grape jelly with three peek-a-boo windows cut into the top. Vintage pantry treat.

Silky Chinese almond pudding made with rice flour, almond powder, and sliced dates. Served warm with a melted ice cream consistency, this elegant dessert comes together in 30 minutes.

Butterscotch dandy cake folds homemade hard-ball butterscotch syrup into a tender two-layer cake, then crowns it with a cooked brown sugar buttercream. A real-deal Southern butterscotch cake from scratch.

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.

Hungarian poppy seed wafers with fresh orange zest, allspice, and a smooth powdered sugar glaze. Piped butter cookies with warm spice and citrus flavor.

Cream cheese snowflake cookies with lemon zest, topped with powdered sugar icing and edible glitter. Delicate, buttery Christmas cutout cookies that sparkle.

Irmik helvasi: Turkish semolina halva infused with saffron milk, butter-toasted pistachios, and sweetened with sugar. A warm, fragrant dessert ready in 30 minutes.

Classic Girl Scout-style trefoil shortbread cookies with butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Roll-and-cut sugar cookies for the trefoil cutter, makes 4 dozen.

Buttery shortbread-style nut cookies with almond extract and chopped nuts, shaped by hand into rustic finger rolls. Tender, crumbly, and lightly sweet.

Poppy seed tea cake with sour cream, almond extract, and cinnamon, baked in a tube pan. A buttery, tender cake with nutty seeds and a delicate crumb from cake flour.

Quince and cranberry compote slow-cooked with cloves, allspice, cinnamon, and orange zest. The quince turns deep pink after two hours and gets balanced with balsamic vinegar.

Soft sour cream cookies with a sugar-pressed top, made from simple pantry staples. The sour cream keeps them pillowy and tender for days.

Sweet noodle kugel with egg noodles, raisins, walnuts, and lemon juice baked until golden with a bread crumb topping. A classic Jewish comfort dish for holidays or any day.

One-bowl brownies made with melted unsweetened chocolate, butter, and chopped nuts. Fudgy, rich, and minimal cleanup with the chocolate melted right in the mixing bowl.

Homemade mint jelly with fresh mint leaves, vinegar, sugar, and pectin. A classic condiment for roast lamb that sets up crystal clear and bright green in about 20 minutes.

Fruit solitaire tarts with orange-scented butter pastry shaped like playing card suits, filled with cherry and blueberry pie filling. A festive New Year's Eve dessert.