Dessert/9 recipes

A four-layer cheesecake masterpiece: walnut-graham crust, dense cream cheese filling, silky sour cream topping, and whole strawberries drenched in a Cointreau-spiked raspberry glaze. Plan ahead; it needs 2 to 3 days to reach peak flavor.

Rich chocolate layer cake with cocoa, hot coffee, and a hint of almond extract. Colette's recipe bakes into two moist 9-inch layers that are begging for your favorite frosting.

Skip the rolling pin. This press-in crust gets layered with raspberry jam, creamy cheesecake filling, and cinnamon-dusted apple slices fanned in a pinwheel. Easier than pie, literally.

No-bake rocky road chocolate creme pie loaded with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips in a chocolate cookie crust. A pudding-mix shortcut dessert that comes together in 20 minutes plus a quick chill.

A surprising sweet-savory pie layering sautéed zucchini with caraway seeds and lemon zest beneath a rich, buttery lemon custard. The kind of old-fashioned garden pie that turns zucchini skeptics into believers.

Moist two-layer chocolate cake with a bright orange zest frosting. Boiling water in the batter creates an extra-tender crumb. Drizzle with orange liqueur for special occasions.

Italian chocolate cookies with cocoa, cinnamon, cold coffee, and grape jelly in the dough. An old-world recipe with no eggs that makes a huge batch of soft, cakey cookies.

Flourless chocolate decadence cake with melted chocolate, cocoa, and a glossy ganache glaze. Dense, fudgy, and naturally gluten-free with a truffle-like center.

Dense one-bowl apple cake with orange juice, almonds, and apple pie spice for a simple everyday dessert that's moist and tender from chopped whole apples.

Flourless walnut cake topped with a rich coffee cream made from dark chocolate, Madeira, and whipped cream. A European-style frozen dessert garnished with crystallized flowers for an elegant finish.

Mediterranean almond cookies made with ground almonds, egg whites, and candied cherries. Low-temperature baked treats dusted with powdered sugar and optional rosewater.

Cats Tongues (Langues de Chat) are delicate French butter cookies piped into thin finger shapes with browned edges and a pale, crisp center. Made with just butter, powdered sugar, egg whites, and flour.

Old-fashioned chocolate sheet cake with a boiled cocoa frosting that goes on while everything's still hot. Buttermilk keeps it moist, chopped nuts add crunch. Ready in under an hour.

Mayonnaise spice cake with raisins, cinnamon, cloves, and chopped nuts. No eggs or butter needed. The mayo keeps this old-fashioned cake incredibly moist with a tender, spiced crumb.

Pecan tassies with cream cheese pastry shells filled with brown sugar, pecans, and egg. Bite-size pecan pies baked in mini muffin tins until golden and set.

No-bake Special K cereal cookies made with peanut butter, sugar, corn syrup, and crispy rice cereal. These crunchy, sweet clusters come together on the stovetop in under 15 minutes with just a handful of pantry staples.