Dessert/9 recipes

Oatmeal lace cookies from a 1930s recipe with just seven ingredients. Thin, crispy, and caramelized with no flour at all. Quick or regular oats, never instant.

A four-layer chocolate butter cake with ganache filling, whipped cream frosting, and a glossy dark chocolate glaze poured over the top. Bakery-level elegance made at home.

Choux pastry puffs studded with chocolate chips and dusted with powdered sugar create elegant French-inspired cookies that look harder to make than they are.

Old-fashioned walnut pound cake started in a cold oven for a tall, even crumb. Buttery vanilla base studded with finely chopped walnuts, baked in a tube pan.

Brownie cookies are roll-and-cut chocolate cookies with melted semi-sweet and unsweetened chocolate, walnuts, and a tender, fudgy bite. Doubles as a press-in crust for ice-cream pies.

Impossible coconut pie: a self-crusting magic pie that separates into custardy filling, golden top, and chewy crust as it bakes. Just dump everything in a blender, pour, and bake.

Winner of the 1991 Michigan Chocolate Cake Contest Created by Linda Theil

Raisin bourbon pie folds whiskey-soaked golden raisins into a creamy chiffon custard set with gelatin in a flaky shell. A boozy Southern-style chilled pie for grown-up dessert tables.

Cookie brittle with chocolate chips and walnuts pressed into one pan, baked, then snapped into snappy shards. Sugar-substitute friendly with crisp, candy-like edges.

Soft chocolate oatmeal cookies made with cocoa, yogurt, and chocolate extract instead of butter. Low-fat, slightly puffy, and rich in chocolate flavor without the guilt.

Peachy pinwheels swirl a soft butter cookie dough around a nutmeg-spiced dried peach filling, then slice and bake into spiral cookies. A pretty pinwheel cookie for the holiday tin.

Fudgy cocoa brownie cookies packed with chocolate chips, baked just until set for a soft, chewy center. Brown sugar and cocoa powder deliver intense chocolate flavor in every bite.

Old-fashioned peanut squares with a light sponge cake base, iced and rolled in ground peanuts for a crunchy, nutty finish. A classic vintage church-supper treat.

No-frost chocolate chip cake with chopped dates soaked in hot water for natural moisture and sweetness. Chocolate chips and nuts sprinkled on top before baking eliminate the need for frosting.

Rich, fudgy Mississippi mud cake loaded with coconut, crunchy nuts, and gooey marshmallow cream under a thick cocoa frosting. A Southern classic that's sinfully easy to make from scratch.

Italian-style ricotta cheesecake with orange zest and buttermilk on a ginger graham cracker crust. Lighter than cream cheese cheesecake with a delicate, fluffy texture.