Dessert/4 recipes

Spiced gingerbread with cinnamon, mace and nutmeg, brightened with orange zest and brandy, studded with raisins. A moist, dense holiday loaf perfect for Christmas tea trays.

Wholesome sweet potato cookies made with whole-wheat flour, oats, coconut, wheat germ, and chopped nuts, sweetened with honey and brown sugar. Soft, chewy, and spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. Makes 4 dozen.

Hazelnut and apricot biscotti, traditional twice-baked Italian cookies studded with toasted hazelnuts and dried apricots. Crisp, dunkable, and perfect alongside espresso or vin santo.

Glazed apple gem cookies: small drop cookies with chopped apple, raisins, and nuts, dipped in apple juice glaze while warm. Soft, spiced, and packed with fall flavor.

This is one of those "ooooof!" cakes. Between the chocolate ganache and the chocolate mousse filling you might break out in some butter sweats, but it is very worth it. The cake is fluffy and moist, the mousse cool and airy, and the ganache smooth and creamy. A great show off cake for special occasions. Best of all, really easy to make!

Chewy chocolate peanut butter chip cookies bake up soft in the center with deep cocoa flavor and a full bag of peanut butter chips folded through the dough. A drop-and-bake batch cookie ready in 30 minutes.

Sourdough chocolate cookies, a discard recipe with rolled oats, unsweetened chocolate, and a splash of rum. Rolled and cut with cookie cutters for shaped cookies that taste like a tangier brownie.

If you're looking for a low-fat snack, try this scrumptious treat that will satisfy your sweet tooth.

Elvis Presley's sweet potato pie sweetened with brown sugar and nutmeg, bound with evaporated milk and eggs, and built with a russet potato slipped into the mash for old-school Southern body.

Light almond sponge cake layers stack with blueberry ricotta filling and whipped cream, then get crowned with fresh berries for a patriotic red, white, and blue celebration dessert.

Easy layered buckeyes with a peanut butter and powdered sugar base topped with melted chocolate, pressed into a pan and cut into squares. All the flavor of buckeye candy without rolling individual balls.

Lester's fruitcake is a heirloom holiday loaf: pounds of candied fruits, figs, dates, raisins, pecans, and walnuts bound in spiced molasses batter. Slow-baked, brandy-soaked, aged a month.

A rustic pie-cake hybrid loaded with diced apples and pecans, baked in a pie plate and served warm with rum butter sauce and whipped cream.

Norwegian cookies (biscotti-style) with chocolate chips and a cinnamon sugar topping. Dough baked in long rolls, then sliced diagonally into crisp strips. One batch makes four dozen.

Flourless chocolate almond torte with ground almonds and unsweetened chocolate, served on a pool of fresh strawberry sauce. A dense, gluten-free European-style dessert.

Broiled banana chocolate pudding with instant chocolate pudding topped with sliced bananas and brown sugar caramelized under the broiler. A 4-ingredient, low-fat dessert.