Dessert/5 recipes

Microwave coconut-graham pie crust with toasted sweetened coconut, crushed graham crackers, butter, and sugar. A no-bake crust ready in 20 minutes without heating up the oven.

Lady Baltimore cake is a tender white layer cake filled with boiled frosting studded with walnuts, currants and figs. The famous Southern Charleston confection from 1906.

Four-layer spiced chocolate torte filled with apricot jam and frosted with a cocoa-espresso ricotta cream. Warm cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg give this butterless cake a complex, grown-up flavor.

Authentic Chinese almond cookies made with lard for that traditional sandy crumb. Each cookie gets a whole blanched almond pressed in the center and a glossy egg yolk wash before baking. Includes sesame variation.

Lime fluff pie folds whipped chilled evaporated milk into a hot applesauce-and-lime gelatin base for a cloud-light no-bake filling. A retro mid-century freezer pie that makes two.

Jamaican chocolate cake soaked in cinnamon rum syrup, coated in melted semi-sweet chocolate, and studded with almonds. A spiced, boozy Caribbean dessert worth the wait.

A classic chocolate souffle from Eunice Kennedy Shriver's kitchen, made with unsweetened chocolate, a touch of coffee, and billowy whipped egg whites. Elegant enough for any holiday table.

Deep dish blueberry pie with a buttery egg yolk crust, rum-spiked filling, and eight cups of berries baked until bubbling. A top-crust-only pie loaded with fruit and lightly spiced with cinnamon.

Deep-fried fruit cookies with a jelly center, spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, then dusted in powdered sugar. Crispy outside, jammy inside.

Super moist and chocolaty sponge cake with a hint of coffee flavor.

A homemade fudge recipe that is made the greatest combination: chocolate and peanut butter.

Praline sauce made with dark brown sugar, toasted pecans, and vanilla, thickened with cornstarch and skim milk. A lighter take on the classic Southern dessert sauce.

Thai-style sweet sticky rice cooked in coconut milk, soaked overnight for a thick, creamy texture. A simple 2-ingredient dessert base served topped with fresh fruit.

No-bake chocolate cheesecake built on a toasted almond wafer crust with a silky milk chocolate, cream cheese, and whipped cream filling. No oven required.

Lighter cheesecake made with blended cottage cheese and low-fat sour cream on a graham cracker crust. A slimmed-down dessert topped with cherry pie filling or fresh fruit.

Vintage gumdrop squares: chewy brown sugar bars studded with chopped gumdrops and walnuts, finished with a tangy orange butter frosting. A retro Christmas cookie tray treat.