Baked goods recipes

Lemon pucker-up slice-and-bake cookies with fresh lemon zest and juice, a hint of nutmeg, and a crisp, buttery edge. Make the dough ahead and freeze for baking anytime.

Macaroon jam slices made with ground walnuts and egg whites, shaped into logs with a jam-filled channel. A European-style flourless cookie with apricot or raspberry jam.

Marji's fudgies: dense fudgy chocolate drop cookies with cocoa, powdered milk, and a stiff dough that bakes into a brownie-cookie hybrid. Foil-pan baking trick included.

Fig chess tarts with a buttery lemon-scented shortbread shell, filled with brown sugar custard studded with chopped dried figs and walnuts. A Southern chess pie translated into bite-sized tart form.

Classic three-layer white cake with vanilla and almond extract, topped with rich chocolate frosting. A heritage recipe using egg whites for a pure, snowy crumb.

Low-sugar blender brownies made with applesauce instead of butter and sugar substitute for a lighter treat. Chewy, fudgy, and ready in under 30 minutes.

Pull-apart pizza bread made from a French baguette stuffed with pepperoni, bell peppers, pasta sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Baked in foil for a gooey, shareable snack.

Quick loaf bread made with Bisquick, candied fruit, walnuts, and a hint of anise. Mix, pour, bake. A retro holiday bread that couldn't be simpler.

Vanilla sheet cake split and filled with a whipped butter-shortening cream made with evaporated milk. Cut into squares for individual cream-filled cakes that taste like homemade Twinkies.

Mocha toffee crescents are buttery espresso-laced shortbread cookies studded with toffee chips, shaped into crescents and dipped in dark chocolate. Cookie tin showstoppers.

Make-ahead freezer cheese biscuits are a convenient and delicious solution for busy cooks. Prepare the dough, freeze it, and cut it into biscuits baked fresh on demand in a jiffy.

Betty's cheesecake is a light lemon-spiked classic with whipped egg whites folded in for souffle-like texture and a graham cracker crust. Top with cherries or fresh fruit.

Fresh Cherry Pie with a Buttery Cream Cheese Crust recipe

Light, fluffy coconut cupcakes made with coconut syrup, cake flour, and whipped egg whites folded into a scalded milk batter. Topped with guava frosting for a tropical Hawaiian-style treat.

Dairy-free fruitcake with stewed raisins, cinnamon, and nutmeg, made without eggs, butter, or milk. A dense, spiced raisin cake where the stewing liquid adds moisture and natural sweetness.

Meringue chocolate chip cookies: light, crisp meringue cookies dotted with chocolate chips and nuts. Naturally gluten-free, fat-free, and dramatically airy.