Dessert/8 recipes

Neiman Marcus seven layer cake is a legendary Texas department-store dessert: seven paper-thin vanilla cake layers stacked with chocolate butter frosting. Stately, showy, and engineered for special occasions.

Macadamia nut tartlets in a buttery shortbread cup with dark corn syrup filling and a nut half on top. Two-bite pecan pie energy with a tropical, buttery nut twist.

Sophisticated apple pie with sharp cheddar cheese baked right into the crust. The filling simmers apples in port wine, apple juice, and lemon zest. Lattice top for elegant presentation.

Sour cream blueberry brunch cake with poppy seeds, lemon zest, a cinnamon-blueberry filling, and powdered sugar glaze. Baked in a springform pan for easy serving.

Marbled pumpkin cheesecake squares swirl a tangy cream cheese topping into a spiced pumpkin batter built with prune puree instead of butter or oil. Lower-fat fall dessert with cinnamon, ginger and clove.

Chocolate coconut pie with a fudgy semi-sweet chocolate filling and flaked coconut, baked in a flaky crust. Like a brownie meets a coconut macaroon meets pecan pie.

Frozen fruit yogurt popsicles made with just three ingredients: yogurt, fresh or frozen fruit, and honey. No ice cream maker needed.

Coffee-soaked sponge cake set with gelatin and sweetened condensed milk for a chilled, custardy coffee dessert. Four ingredients, no baking required if you start with a store-bought sponge.

These delicious and melted in your mouth cookies don't last long.

Snickers bar brownie cake with a German chocolate cake mix crust, melted candy center, and crumbly chocolate streusel top. Four-ingredient dump cake magic.

Easy chocolate-covered cherry cookies from a brownie mix: fudgy chocolate drop cookies studded with pecans and maraschino cherries, baked just until set for a soft, brownie-like center. A quick holiday cookie.

Vintage ribbon cake: plain vanilla and spiced molasses batters layered in stripes with a tart lemon-raisin filling between. An old-fashioned American cake worth reviving.

Sweet potato pie with evaporated milk, cinnamon, and a surprise hit of lemon extract. Old-fashioned Southern dessert with a custardy filling and a deeply browned crust.

Kris Kringle no-bake bars layer crisp rice cereal with peanut butter and corn syrup, topped with melted chocolate and butterscotch chips. Six ingredients, 30 minutes, no oven needed.

A frozen no-bake chocolate orange pie with cream cheese, condensed milk, and orange juice concentrate in a chocolate crust. Swap in Grand Marnier or Cointreau for a boozy twist.

Two-layer diabetic-friendly brownies with an unsweetened coconut bottom and a chocolate top, made with sugar substitute. Low-fat, mailable, and perfectly portioned into 32 small bars from one 8-inch pan.