Dessert/9 recipes

Carrot and raisin cheesecake on a cinnamon graham cracker crust, spiced with nutmeg and ginger, topped with an orange cream cheese frosting. Carrot cake meets cheesecake in one showstopping dessert.

Microwave strawberry cheesecake lightened with stiffly beaten egg whites for an airy, mousse-like texture. A no-bake-style cheesecake on a zwieback crust with sour cream topping and fresh strawberries.

Nana Keele's carrot cake with crushed pineapple, cinnamon, and nuts, topped with a hot buttermilk syrup that soaks right into the warm cake. A family heirloom recipe.

Buttery carob pound cake made with whole wheat flour and honey instead of refined sugar. Baked in a tube pan until dense, moist, and rich with warm, toasty carob flavor.

Chocolate syrup cake bakes up moist and rich with a thin batter that turns into a fudgy 9x13 sheet cake. A vintage one-bowl dessert built around a full bottle of chocolate syrup.

Hazelnut double chunk cookies with toasted hazelnuts, chopped semi-sweet and white chocolate, and a splash of Frangelico. Half the nuts are ground into a paste that makes the dough incredibly rich and nutty.

Buttery pecan coconut cookie balls with a hint of almond, baked golden and finished with a tropical pineapple honey glaze or a roll in powdered sugar. Makes about 6 dozen bite-sized treats.

Tender cream cheese cookies with lemon zest and a thumbprint of apricot filling, finished with a dusting of powdered sugar.

Swedish apple pie with no bottom crust, just a self-forming buttery cake-like topping over diced apples and nuts. One-bowl dessert ready in under an hour.

Cookies-and-cream bundt cake studded with quartered Oreos and drizzled in a glossy chocolate glaze. A rich, vanilla-based batter with a crunchy cookie surprise in every slice.

Had some puff pastry on hand from the holiday baking, and made this apple strudel. It was great, the puff pastry certainly delivered a much richer result than phyllo pastry that I normally use. No leftover, we ate it all!

German sweet chocolate cream cheese brownies swirl a tangy cheesecake layer through rich German chocolate brownie batter with nuts. Marbled bars in one pan, ready in under an hour.

No-bake French mint cupcakes with melted semi-sweet chocolate, butter, powdered sugar, and peppermint extract frozen in paper cups. Rich, fudgy, and truffle-like with a nutty crunch.

Lemon meringue angel food cake with homemade lemon curd filling and glossy Italian meringue frosting. A three-component showpiece cake for serious bakers who want a stunning result.

Old-fashioned strawberry cake made from scratch with fresh crushed berries folded into the batter and a warm cooked strawberry sauce spooned over every slice. No box mix, no gelatin, just real strawberries.

Babe's Pecan Pie is a classic Southern pecan pie with dark corn syrup, butter, vanilla, and coarsely chopped pecans in a flaky crust. Simple, sticky-sweet, and utterly irresistible at the holiday table.