Dessert/6 recipes

Old-school peanut butter cream pie with a hidden layer of crumbly peanut butter and powdered sugar at the bottom, topped with vanilla custard and meringue or whipped topping. A diner-counter classic.

No-bake marshmallow candy balls with ground candied cherries and blanched almonds rolled in shredded coconut. A vintage Christmas-tin confection that's chewy, sweet, and oven-free.

Fluffy lemon cheesecake swaps cream cheese for ricotta and lightens up with skim milk and reduced-fat crust. A bright, citrusy dessert with a soft, almost custardy crumb in a graham cracker shell.

Cream cheese butter cookies topped with fresh strawberry halves. A simple thumbprint-style cookie with a tender, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread base and bright berry on top.

A cake mix coffee cake with a coconut cinnamon crumb swirl running through the center and crunchy nut topping, finished with a vanilla glaze. One pan, one hour, zero fuss.

Tender sour cream pastry rolled with apricot jam, walnuts, and raisins into elegant strudel cookies. These make-ahead sweets are perfect for holiday cookie trays.

Fairy cookies made with both powdered and granulated sugar, margarine, and oil for a melt-in-your-mouth texture. A big batch sugar cookie recipe that bakes up light, tender, and crisp.

Pudding cake roll is a light sponge cake rolled around vanilla pudding, dusted with powdered sugar. A lighter, Weight Watchers-friendly take on the classic Swiss roll.

Apple cheddar turnovers: whole baked apples stuffed with brown sugar and cinnamon, wrapped in a sharp cheddar pastry. A New England classic riff on apple-and-cheese.

Marbled chocolate cheesecake with bittersweet chocolate, rum, and sour cream on a graham cracker crust. A swirled two-tone cheesecake baked in a springform pan.

Lemony pie with brown sugar meringue is a Southern chess-pie style filling thickened with cornmeal, topped with caramel-toned brown sugar meringue. Tart custard meets molasses cloud.

Mocha nut butter balls: melt-in-your-mouth Russian tea cake-style cookies upgraded with cocoa, instant coffee, and toasted walnuts. Rolled in powdered sugar while warm for the signature snowy coat.

Rich chocolate bundt cake made with plain yogurt and Dutch-processed cocoa for an incredibly moist crumb. No frosting needed, just deep cocoa flavor in every slice.

Moist Jewish apple cake layers cinnamon-sugared Granny Smith slices into a tube-pan batter made with applesauce and orange juice for an oil-free, dairy-free dessert that stays tender for days.

Sauteed plantains pan-fry ripe yellow plantains in canola oil until golden and caramelized. Three ingredients, ten minutes, the simplest Caribbean side.

Change the look of biscotti with this tasty version that will satisfy anyone's sweet tooth.