Dessert/4 recipes

Layered banana pudding made from scratch with brown sugar custard, whipped cream, sliced bananas, and optional walnuts. Rich, creamy, and no box mix needed.

Brown sugar shortbread cookies baked in a springform pan with a cinnamon sugar topping, cut into 12 tender wedges. Butter, brown sugar, flour, and warm spice in every crumbly bite.

Dense, buttery sour cream pound cake loaded with mini chocolate chips and baked in a fluted tube pan. Six eggs, a full cup of butter, and sour cream create a velvety, tight crumb. Dust with powdered sugar and slice thick.

Sour cream sugar cookies are soft, puffy, and rolled in sugar before flattening and baking. The sour cream keeps these tender for days with a slight tang that balances the sweetness.

Cold chocolate souffle with semi-sweet chocolate chips, sweet red wine, whipped cream, and meringue set with gelatin. A dramatic chilled dessert that rises above the dish.

Pumpkin pecan pie combines spiced pumpkin custard with a broiled brown sugar pecan crumble topping. The best of both Thanksgiving pies in one slice, with five warm spices.

Light snickerdoodles made with margarine, skim milk, and egg whites for less fat than traditional recipes. Rolled in cinnamon sugar with that classic cream of tartar tang.

Stovetop cantaloupe custard pie with pureed melon cooked into a thick, silky filling, poured into a baked shell, and topped with fresh whipped cream. Simple, old-fashioned, and full of melon flavor.

Mocha butterball cookies with cocoa, instant coffee, chopped nuts, and a powdered sugar coating. No-spread, no-chill cookie dough ready to bake in 25 minutes.

Old-fashioned chocolate layer cake with cocoa, instant coffee, and buttermilk frosted with sweetened whipped cream. A tender, not-too-sweet chocolate cake with a light, airy frosting.

Soft drop cookies bursting with chopped cranberries, fresh apples, cinnamon, and orange zest. This big-batch recipe makes 4 dozen fruit-studded cookies with a cakey, tender crumb.

Alice's white cake is a tender vanilla and almond-scented layer cake leavened with whipped egg whites for an airy, snowy crumb. The kind of from-scratch white cake that makes box mixes look amateur.

Ice cream crunch bars layered with vanilla ice cream between a crunchy mix of crisp rice cereal, toasted coconut, nuts, brown sugar, and melted butter. A no-bake frozen dessert.

Chewy ginger molasses cookies with crackled sugar tops and soft, spice-packed centers. Cinnamon, ginger, and clove make these the cookie that defines fall and holiday baking.

Fig envelopes made from biscuit dough folded around chopped figs, brushed with egg wash, and baked until golden. A simple, old-fashioned fruit-filled pastry pocket.

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.