Dessert/7 recipes

Pumpkin-shaped Halloween cake bakes two fluted bundts, fills them with a pecan cream filling, and stacks them into a sphere iced in orange buttercream with a green ice cream cone stem. A novelty cake kids love.

Honey pear upside-down cake: tender pears glazed with honey, cinnamon, and orange zest under a soft orange-scented cake. Butter-free upside-down cake with real fall-dessert energy.

A rich, moist double-chocolate layer cake with sour cream, cocoa powder, and a full bag of chocolate chips folded into the batter. Dom DeLuise's famous recipe that lives up to its outrageous name.

Jewelled fruitcake studded with candied cherries, pineapple, dried apricots, and pecans in a mincemeat batter with sweetened condensed milk. A festive holiday cake.

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

I made this chocolate chip pecan pie with a homemade buttery and flakey pie crust. When it hit the dinner table, it vanished within a flash, so the pie must be good then :)

Italian gocci di cioccolata, chocolate drop cookies spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, baked soft and finished with a glaze. Old-world Italian drop cookie with warm holiday flavor.

Soft, cakey persimmon cookies made with ripe persimmon pulp, warm cinnamon, plump raisins and crunchy nuts. An old-fashioned drop cookie and a great way to use up overripe persimmons in autumn.

Three-layer cake with two chocolate buttermilk layers and a yellow layer, sandwiched with caramel filling and topped with rich chocolate frosting. Show-stopper celebration cake.

The name of these triple chocolate cookies says it all- or almost. Serve them only to guests who you don't want to have leave- ever!

Southern Carolina apple cake packed with 3 cups of diced apples and chopped nuts, finished with a warm brown sugar butter sauce poured right over the top. Dense, moist, and deeply comforting.

Classic Swedish spritz cookies made with butter, almond extract, and a simple cookie press. Crisp, buttery, and ready in 20 minutes with chocolate and nutty variations included.

Buttery shortbread cookies topped with caramel, coated in melted chocolate, and pressed with chopped pecans. Homemade Turtle-style candy cookies that make a gorgeous gift box treat.

Decadent fudge pie with amaretti cookie crust and rich chocolate filling spiked with amaretto. Dense, brownie-like texture with a boozy almond edge.

No-bake fresh peach pie with ripe peach wedges arranged in a swirl pattern, glazed with melted apricot preserves on a graham cracker crust. A summer dessert that lets perfectly ripe peaches do all the work.

Buttery thumbprint cookies filled with jelly or preserves and rolled in powdered sugar. A tender shortbread-style cookie with chopped nuts and vanilla.