Dessert/6 recipes

Mocha toffee crescents are buttery espresso-laced shortbread cookies studded with toffee chips, shaped into crescents and dipped in dark chocolate. Cookie tin showstoppers.

Rich, dense classic cheesecake with two pounds of cream cheese, sour cream, and butter, baked low and slow then cooled in the oven for a crack-free top. Crustless, ready for any topping.

Flourless chocolate espresso cake baked in a water bath with a pound of butter, two types of chocolate, and a fresh raspberry puree sauce. Dense, fudgy, and gluten-free.

An intensely dark chocolate sheet cake made with strong black coffee and buttermilk, topped with a rich "Hundred Dollar Frosting" of melted chocolate, butter, walnuts, and a surprising touch of lemon juice.

Orange balls are a no-bake holiday classic: crushed vanilla wafers mixed with butter, powdered sugar, frozen orange juice concentrate, and pecans, rolled in coconut for a bright citrus bite.

No-bake lemon-ginger cheesecake with a gingersnap and vanilla wafer crust, gelatin-set cream cheese filling, and lemon curd swirl. Bright citrus and warm ginger in every slice.

Old-fashioned Christmas sugar cookies made with a full pound of butter, sour cream, and baking soda. The dough chills overnight for easy rolling and clean cookie cutter shapes.

Peach and sour cream tart with fresh-poached peaches arranged in a sweet pastry shell, filled with a sour cream custard, and topped with sliced almonds. A classic French-style summer fruit tart.

Fresh pineapple fruit salad served in hollowed-out pineapple shells with a Grand Marnier lemon syrup. A stunning presentation with seasonal fruit, sliced apples, and fresh cream.

Fresh blueberry pie with a clever twist: whipped cream lines the bottom and sides of the baked shell before the cooked-and-fresh berry filling pours in. Three hours of chilling sets it into a cool, lush slice.

A show-stopping heart-shaped cake for Valentine's Day made from one square and one round cake, frosted in pink vanilla buttercream and covered in tinted coconut. Decorated with gumdrop hearts and fruit roll bows.

Santa sandwich cookies are slice-and-bake oat shortbread rounds sandwiched with tinted vanilla frosting and rolled in holiday sprinkles. A festive Christmas icebox cookie, fun to decorate.

Palm Beach pineapple squares: a chocolate walnut cake base topped with a lemon-scented pineapple layer, baked together into one tropical dessert bar.

Apple raspberry pie with a flaky lard crust, Granny Smith apples, fresh raspberries, cinnamon, and warm spices. The lard crust freezing method creates shatteringly tender layers.

Buttermilk chocolate cake split and filled with coconut-pecan cream, then blanketed in sour cream chocolate frosting. A Southern showpiece worth every step.

Classic almond biscotti are twice-baked Italian cookies made with whole-wheat and white flour, turbinado sugar, eggs, vanilla, and toasted almonds. Crisp, dunkable, and made for coffee.