Dessert/8 recipes

New Year's Eve chocolate clock cake stacks three layers of egg-white sponge with stovetop chocolate cream filling and Hungarian chocolate frosting, then iced with a clock face for the midnight countdown.

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.

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.

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.

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

Whole wheat carrot spice quickbread with orange zest, golden raisins, and walnuts. A lighter, warmly spiced loaf that comes together fast with no yeast required.

Easy one-layer chocolate cake made with melted unsweetened chocolate, applesauce, and pecans. Dense, fudgy, and finished with a simple dusting of powdered sugar.

Soft orange juice cookies with fresh OJ in the batter and a tangy orange-glazed top. A vintage church-supper drop cookie with bright citrus flavor in every bite.

Impossible coconut pie: a self-crusting blender pie that magically separates into a crust on the bottom, custard in the middle, and toasted coconut on top. No pastry, no rolling, just pour and bake.

Chinese steamed honey sponge cake with almond powder and fluffy whipped egg whites. This traditional method produces a pillowy, moist crumb without an oven, and the cake resteams beautifully for leftovers.

Fat-free chewy chocolate cookies made with cocoa powder, corn syrup, and egg whites instead of butter. Soft, fudgy, and intensely chocolatey with zero added fat.

Lemon cake mix topped with a sweet ricotta and cinnamon spread that tastes just like cannoli filling. All the Italian bakery flavor with a fraction of the fuss. Dot with cherries for a festive finish.

Ring-shaped orange juice cookies topped with candied cherries or almonds. Delicate bracelet cookies made with oil instead of butter. Dairy-free and freezer-friendly.

A no-bake vanilla wafer crumb crust made with just three ingredients. Press into a pie pan, chill, and fill with your favorite pudding, cream, or fruit filling.

Classic Italian ricotta cheesecake with a buttery shortcrust base and a light, airy filling studded with candied fruit. Torta di ricotta is lighter and more delicate than American cheesecake, baked low and slow until just set.

Christmas cookie slices are old-fashioned icebox cookies: vanilla shortbread dough rolled into logs, chilled, sliced thin, and baked into crisp golden rounds. Make ahead and ready to slice for holiday baking.