Dessert/2 recipes

Eggless chocolate cake using vinegar and skim milk for tender, moist layers. A wartime-style two-layer cake with a light chocolate whipped frosting. Sixteen servings of nostalgia.

Scots shortbread with just three ingredients: flour, butter, and powdered sugar. Kneaded, patted thin, and baked low and slow until golden and crumbly.

Pecan pudding baked in a custard cup in the microwave: dark corn syrup, egg, and chopped pecans in a buttered cup, dusted with powdered sugar. Pecan pie filling in individual pudding form.

Frosted lemon bars made in the microwave with fresh lemon zest and a tangy lemon frosting. Soft, cakey cookie bars ready in under 30 minutes.

French pear pie with sliced Bartlett pears, orange juice concentrate, and a cinnamon-ginger crumb topping. A rustic, crumble-topped fall dessert with warm spice.

Painted sugar cookies decorated with vibrant egg-yolk paint before baking, set on a no-leavening rolled cookie that holds its shape and color. A craft-and-bake project for kids and holidays.

Scotch shortbread with a hint of almond extract: butter, powdered sugar, and flour pressed into a slab, fork-marked, and baked golden. Traditional Scottish shortbread squares for tea time.

Flaky biscuit dough rolled with sour cherries, sliced into pinwheels, and baked golden. Served warm with a homemade cherry sauce and ice cream or sherbet.

Molasses crinkle cookies bake into chewy spiced rounds with a sugary, crackled top, deeply scented with cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. A lower-fat take using egg whites and soft margarine.

Warm blueberry cake with lemon zest, served straight from a springform pan with boozy whipped cream. Tender crumb bursting with juicy berries in every slice.

Warm chocolate cake on top, gooey pudding sauce underneath creates a magical self-saucing dessert that forms two distinct layers as it bakes.

Chocolate chess pie: classic Southern chess pie with cocoa, evaporated milk, and butter. Six-ingredient custard pie with a crackly top and rich fudgy center.

Microwave fudge made in just 2 minutes with milk chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate, and sweetened condensed milk. Velvety smooth, no candy thermometer needed, and loaded with chopped nuts.

Fattigmann, a traditional Norwegian fried cookie flavored with cardamom, lemon zest, and brandy. Diamond-shaped, paper-thin, and dusted with sugar.

Jam cake with caramel icing, a three-layer Southern spice cake built around blackberry jam, cinnamon, and allspice, blanketed with soft-ball-stage caramel icing made from brown sugar, butter, and cream.

Orange potato bread with fresh orange juice, orange zest, riced potatoes, and chopped nuts. A moist, citrusy quick bread where potato keeps the crumb tender for days.