Dessert/5 recipes

This cut-out cookie from Bev Bosveld of Waupun is dressed up with chewy oats and crushed peppermint for a pleasing result.

Mini cream cheese tarts on vanilla wafer crusts topped with cherry pie filling. No-roll, no-fuss bite-sized cheesecakes that bake in just 15 minutes.

Saffron kulfi pops simmer whole milk with sugar until reduced by half, then bloom saffron threads in hot water and freeze in cones or cups. Authentic Indian frozen dessert without an ice cream maker.

A feather-light cheesecake lightened with whipped egg whites for an airy texture, on a cinnamon zwieback crust, finished with a sour cream, crumb, and almond topping. Far lighter than dense New York style.

No-bake chocolate almond pie with a crunchy chocolate-almond shell, marshmallow mousse filling, and whipped cream. Chills overnight for a silky, fudgy slice.

Mocha spice roll cake is a warmly spiced sponge rolled around billowy coffee-cocoa whipped cream, then frosted and fork-scored to look like a bark log. A holiday-ready bûche de Noël with cinnamon, clove, and allspice woven through.

Impressive apple pie with cinnamon crust, sour cream filling, and crunchy walnut-brown sugar topping. Three distinct layers of flavor and texture.

Lots of apples and nuts make a filling rich snacking cake.

Almond-raisin biscotti, twice-baked until crisp, with toasted almonds, plump raisins and bright orange in two forms. A coffee-dunking Italian cookie made airy by folding in whipped egg whites.

Bailey's fudge cake is a dense, boozy single-layer chocolate cake spiked with Irish cream and chocolate syrup, finished with a sour cream Bailey's glaze and chocolate-dipped pecan halves. Showpiece dessert, low effort.

Dark chocolate buttermilk cupcakes filled with whipped white chocolate ganache. These cream-filled chocolate cupcakes are tender, moist, and hideously good, with a surprise center in every bite.

Pumpkin macaroons made with ground pecans, coconut, pumpkin puree, and maple syrup. Light and chewy egg white cookies sweetened naturally without refined sugar. Baked low and slow.

Paris-Brest style cream puff pastry: piped pâte à choux rings baked with slivered almonds, split and filled with pastry cream, dusted with powdered sugar. A French patisserie classic at home.

Grandma Rose's blueberry cake folds flour-coated blueberries into a buttery sheet cake topped with cinnamon sugar. Old-fashioned family recipe that serves 24, perfect for potlucks.

Creamy chocolate cheesecake with a salty pretzel crust, dense cocoa filling, and a tang of sour cream. The sweet-salty dessert that disappears at every potluck.

A rich cocoa bundt cake with a sweet coconut macaroon filling swirled through every slice and finished with chocolate glaze. Two classics, one spectacular cake.