Dessert recipes

Australian melting moments biscuits: cornstarch-tender shortbread cookies sandwiched around vanilla buttercream icing. Makes 30 sandwich biscuits in 2 hours.

Vintage sugar cookies leaning heavy on brown sugar over white with shortening for tender texture and a three-finger ridge press. Makes 48 chewy, caramel-toned cookies.

Macadamia butterballs with chopped chocolate chips and macadamia nuts rolled in powdered sugar. A melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookie that makes five dozen for holiday gifting.

Pecan squares with a buttery shortbread crust and a gooey pecan pie filling baked on a sheet pan. All the flavor of pecan pie in a portable, shareable bar cookie format.

Three-layer red velvet cake with buttermilk, cocoa, and vinegar topped with a cooked flour white icing. Old-fashioned Southern style with an ermine frosting that's not too sweet.

Festive cocoa cards are large chocolate-molasses cookies cut into rectangles and decorated with frosting to look like greeting cards. A fun holiday baking project for kids and adults.

Chocolate Syrup Cake with Chocolate Coffee Frosting recipe

Fat-free chocolate cake made with cocoa powder, egg whites, and corn syrup instead of butter, oil, or whole eggs. Topped with a cocoa-powdered sugar glaze. Rich chocolate flavor, zero fat.

Lacy, golden spiderweb cookies made from a thin batter squeezed through a bottle into a hot skillet. A fun Halloween treat dusted with powdered sugar.

Strawberry rice cream with double-boiler vanilla custard rice folded into whipped cream and fresh strawberries. Lighter and more elegant than standard rice pudding, served chilled.

Deep dark chocolate cake made with cocoa powder and boiling water for intense flavor, topped with a rich chocolate buttercream frosting. Includes the frosting recipe.

Pillowy angel cookies rolled in powdered sugar before baking, with cream of tartar for that signature snickerdoodle-like tang. Soft, fluffy, white as snow.

Market mystery cookies with just five ingredients: butter, dark brown sugar, oats, egg, and vanilla. Cooked in a double boiler, then baked into tiny, crisp, toffee-like wafers.

Easy orange chiffon cake uses an angel food cake mix as a shortcut to a fluffy, citrus-bright chiffon. Folded with whipped egg whites, fresh orange zest, and oil for that classic light-as-air texture.

Rich chocolate cake with cocoa, buttermilk, and a hot-water finish for an extra-moist crumb. The classic one-bowl chocolate sheet cake that bakes up dense, dark, and tender every time.

Crustless walnut fudge pie with melted unsweetened chocolate, butter, and chopped walnuts baked in a pie pan. Dense, rich, and brownie-like. Freezer-friendly.