Dessert/9 recipes

Mocha pecan balls rolled in powdered sugar, made with espresso, cocoa powder, butter, and chopped pecans. A coffee-chocolate twist on classic snowball cookies.

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.

Giant sunflower-shaped cookie with heart-shaped petals around the edge, frosted center sprinkled with chocolate chips and sunflower seeds. A showstopping party dessert you slice into wedges.

Touchdown football cake: a round yellow cake mix transformed into a football shape with milk chocolate frosting and piped vanilla laces. The Super Bowl party showpiece kids and adults both love.

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.

Four-layer double-chocolate torte with unsweetened chocolate cake, chocolate filling, and whipped cream frosting in alternating layers. A tall, impressive celebration cake with intense chocolate flavor and a light cream finish.

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.

Maple-frosted golden cake layers a tender butter-yellow sponge under a fluffy boiled maple frosting made with pure maple syrup and beaten egg whites. Old-fashioned bakery style.

Date bars with whole dates stuffed with pecans pressed into a brown sugar and sour cream batter. A touch of ginger and a dusting of powdered sugar finish them off.

A puffed, soufflé-like baked pudding with semi-sweet chocolate, ground almonds, kirsch, and whole sour cherries. Beaten egg whites give it lift while the cherry brandy brings authentic Black Forest flavor.

Pastel tres leches Aldaco soaks a tender sponge cake in evaporated, condensed, and whole milk with a splash of rum for a creamy Mexican classic best made the night before.

Lemon butter wafers are thin, lacy butter cookies scented with fresh lemon zest and ground almonds. Perfect with tea or sandwiched with raspberry jam.

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.

Winter pie cooks raisins, finely chopped carrot, and apple with cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg in a spiced syrup, baked between two crusts. Thrifty old-fashioned mincemeat-style pie without the meat.

Spice and nut thumbprint cookies with ground pecans, cinnamon, and jam filling. Buttery shortbread-style cookies with a fruity center, perfect for holiday baking.

Orange almond cookies with chopped almonds and orange zest in the dough, a thumbprint center filled with a whole blanched almond, and an egg wash for golden shine.