Dessert/5 recipes

Almond macaroons made from a single egg white meringue folded with sliced almonds and old-fashioned oats. Light, crispy, naturally gluten-free, and just 7 ingredients.

Kourabiedes are traditional Greek butter cookies with ground almonds and brandy, dusted heavily in powdered sugar. Fragile, sandy, and meant for celebrations.

Fudgy chocolate cupcakes with a cream cheese and chocolate chip filling, topped with sugared chopped almonds. The eggless cocoa batter stays moist while the almond crunch on top adds a nutty, caramelized bite.

Chewy almond paste macaroons with crackled tops and tender centers, baked from a homemade four-day-aged paste of blanched almonds and egg whites. The classic Italian-style cookie before the French sandwich version took over.

Tall honey cake (lekach) baked with 1¼ cups honey and a full cup of strong coffee for moisture and depth. Walnut-studded with warm spices, traditional for Rosh Hashanah and the Jewish New Year.

Buttery shortbread bars layered with tart raspberry jam, crowned with glossy meringue studded with toasted almonds and coconut shreds.

Buttery cinnamon nut squares baked low and slow with a shortbread-like base topped with egg white glaze and pressed pecans or almonds. A crisp, spiced bar cookie that ships and stores beautifully.

Mocha cake is a spiced coffee loaf studded with raisins, currants, and citron. Brewed coffee, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice create a warmly spiced fruitcake for any occasion.

Cherry Cheesecake Tarts with Buttery Almond Pastry recipe

Instead of being hard, dry spice cookies, these are soft, moist spicy cookies with a medium hot disposition. Their heat is derived from ground Jamaican Scotch Bonnet peppers.

Honey cardamom coffee cake with sour cream, an almond-brown sugar streusel topping, and a cinnamon icing drizzle. Tender, fragrant, and sweetened entirely with honey instead of white sugar.

Dense, moist brown sugar pound cake baked low and slow in a tube pan with maple flavoring and chopped pecans. A full package of brown sugar gives this Southern-style cake its deep caramel richness.

Italian almond-hazelnut biscotti twice-bake to crisp dipping cookies with lemon zest, almond extract, and toasted nuts. Lower-fat traditional Italian style, keeps a month in a tin.

Silky Middle Eastern milk pudding with slivered almonds, cardamom, and saffron. Elegant chilled dessert (firnee) garnished with bright green pistachios.

Apple dump cake layers canned apple pie filling under a butter pecan cake mix and chopped pecans, topped with sliced butter. No mixing required, five-ingredient dessert.

Spiced biscotti with cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and a surprising kick of white pepper. Crunchy, warmly spiced Italian cookies built for dunking in coffee or tea.