Dessert/7 recipes

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.

Solothurner Nusstorte, a Swiss hazelnut torte with piped meringue-nut discs, a buttery sponge layer, and hazelnut buttercream. An elegant three-component European pastry.

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.

Homemade hot fudge sauce with unsweetened and semi-sweet chocolate, butter, corn syrup, and vanilla. A thick, glossy ice cream topping ready in 20 minutes.

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 rhubarb strawberry pie with a flaky shortening crust, fresh fruit filling spiced with cinnamon and cloves, and a sugared lattice top. The classic spring-into-summer pie baked in a square dish.

Holiday chocolate butter cookies with cocoa, almond extract, and just 6 ingredients. Perfect for cookie presses, rolling into balls, or decorating with melted chocolate and sprinkles.

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

Low-fat no-bake cheesecake built on cottage cheese and gelatin, topped with fresh strawberries and raspberries. Heart-shaped Valentine's-ready dessert that skips the cream cheese and the oven.

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.

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.

Layered dessert pie with a creamy peanut butter base and a baked dark chocolate ganache top in a buttery pie shell. Two textures, two flavors, one classic combo.

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.