Dessert/4 recipes

This rich and delicious pie is made with chocolate cookie crumbs, corn syrup and semi-sweet chocolate.

Buttered rum pound cake: a tall, tender sour cream pound cake with vanilla and lemon notes, lightened by whipped egg whites folded in at the end. A Southern holiday classic for slicing and sharing.

Light apricot almond cake made with ground almonds, egg whites, and fresh apricot slices on top. No egg yolks, no heavy batter, just a tender, airy French-style fruit cake served warm.

Heath bar cookie bars with crushed toffee candy, pecans, and brown sugar in a streusel-topped batter baked in a pan. A chewy, butterscotch-flavored bar cookie with candy crunch.

Apples, tangy cranberries, and pears under a granola-type crust can be served in small glass bowls for an inviting holiday meal conclusion.

Creamy peanut butter fudge made in just 15 minutes with brown sugar, marshmallows, and vanilla. No candy thermometer stress, just smooth, melt-in-your-mouth squares.

Brown sugar blondies loaded with butterscotch chips and chopped nuts. No cocoa, all caramel and vanilla. The butterscotch cousin to classic chocolate brownies.

Chocolate Cheesecake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting recipe

Use this recipe with peaches, sour cherries or pineapple with equally good results.

Chocolate cherry cheesecake with a cherry liqueur-spiked filling, chocolate wafer crust, and glossy cherry pie filling on top. Melted chocolate chips and heavy cream create a silky, truffle-like texture. A make-ahead showpiece that needs 24 hours to set.

Cioccolata cheesecake is an Italian-style crustless ricotta cheesecake spiked with rum, cocoa and a whisper of chocolate flavoring. Lighter and tangier than cream cheese versions, with a dense, custardy crumb and a cocoa-dark top.

Banana Pudding Splits are a lighter take on the classic, with low-fat chocolate yogurt pudding, fresh banana, pistachios, whipped topping, and a cherry. Diabetic-friendly and ready in 20 minutes.

Thanksgiving sweet potato pie with egg-white-only spiced filling in a flaky phyllo crust topped with chopped chestnuts. The lighter holiday pie that swaps butter pastry for crackly phyllo layers.

Easy chocolate cheesecake pie set on a vanilla wafer-cocoa crust with a sweetened condensed milk and melted chocolate filling. Dense, fudgy cheesecake without a springform pan in sight.

Old-fashioned blackberry cobbler topped with a buttery shortening-and-cream pastry crust. Hot berry filling pre-bakes briefly before the pastry top goes on for a crisp, golden finish.

I have made this pie several times, and everytime is a hit. The pineapple and coconut is a great combination. Very tasty pie.