Dessert/5 recipes

Chocolate crossword cookies: thick, chewy chocolate bar cookies loaded with chocolate chips, baked in a pan and cut into squares. A bake-sale favorite with a brownie-cookie hybrid texture.

Buttery slice-and-bake cookies studded with chopped almonds or hazelnuts, then dipped in melted chocolate. Crisp, nutty, and elegant enough for a holiday cookie box.

Three-layer butter pecan cake filled with rich, from-scratch burnt-sugar caramel, frosted in buttercream and crusted with pecans. A classic Southern caramel cake worth the fuss.

Peanut butter cup cookies: soft peanut butter cookie dough baked in mini muffin tins, with a whole mini peanut butter cup pressed into each one straight out of the oven. A melt-in-the-middle Christmas favorite.

Beehive cookies are chewy, golden drop cookies made with honey, shredded coconut, walnuts, and chopped dates. Naturally sweet with no refined sugar, ready in 30 minutes.

Moist chocolate truffle cake with melted semi-sweet chocolate, cocoa, butter, and whipped egg whites. Dense, fudgy, and barely set in the center. Just a dusting of powdered sugar.

These buttery, crumbly, moist and chocolaty brownies will knock your socks off.

Four-layer coconut cake with coconut filling spread between each layer. A classic Southern layer cake made with shortening for a tender, fine crumb.

Slice and bake chocolate chip cookies with a make-ahead freezer dough. Shape four logs, freeze for up to 6 months, and bake fresh cookies anytime in 10 minutes.

Red and black raspberry pudding cake with fresh and frozen berries simmered into syrup and spooned over a buttery cake batter. The berries sink while baking, creating a soft pudding-cake top.

Oatmeal orange-walnut cookies use yogurt instead of egg for a soft, tender crumb. Brightened with grated orange zest and crunchy walnuts. Lower-fat than classic oatmeal cookies, ready in 40 minutes.

Fudgy cocoa brownies piled high with marshmallows, peanut butter chips, and crushed cookies, then topped with a thick chocolate peanut icing. A bake sale showstopper.

Mock pavlova is a sugar-free Aussie meringue dessert using artificial sweetener. Crisp shell, marshmallow heart, and fresh kiwi slices, all under 100 calories per portion.

A rich, fudgy Southern chocolate sheet cake made with real Coca Cola, buttermilk, and miniature marshmallows baked right into the batter. Topped with a warm cocoa cola icing that soaks in while the cake is still hot.

Dark cocoa cookies stuffed with two full cups of chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Makes 54 soft, fudgy drop cookies with a deep chocolate flavor that hits from the very first bite.

Frozen white chocolate mousse cake with a vanilla wafer crust, Grand Marnier whipped cream, chopped pistachios, and fresh raspberry sauce. An elegant make-ahead dessert.