Dessert recipes

Ginger-almond florentines: thin, lacy caramel cookies with crystallized ginger, toasted almonds, and citrus zest, finished with a smooth chocolate coating on the flat side.

Pineapple zucchini cake loaded with crushed pineapple, grated zucchini, pecans, and raisins. A moist, oil-based sheet cake with tropical-garden flavor that uses up summer zucchini.

Soft pumpkin cookies with white chocolate chips, pecans, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Baked low and slow for a cakey, tender fall cookie.

Crispy baked polenta triangles topped with roasted red peppers, fresh basil, and Parmesan. A light, low-fat Italian appetizer with golden crunch and creamy center.

Almond paste macaroons studded with coconut and walnuts, piped into rosettes and crowned with candied cherries. Chewy, fragrant Italian-style cookies for the holiday tin.

Southern jam cake with blackberry jam, buttermilk, raisins, and pecans baked low and slow in three spiced layers. Topped with a boiled cream frosting that drips down the sides just like it should.

Fruit puffed cookies made with angel food cake mix, dried fruit, and pecans. Just 4 ingredients for light, airy cookies that puff up golden in under 10 minutes.

Red plum spice cake made with plum baby food for moisture, cinnamon, cloves, and vegetable oil baked in a Bundt pan. A dense, spiced oil cake with a clever shortcut ingredient that keeps it moist for days.

Crispy, chewy, loaded cookies packed with oats, crushed cornflakes, shredded coconut, and chopped pecans. Flatten with a sugar-dipped glass for crackly edges. Makes 4 dozen in just 30 minutes.

French apple cake with poached apples topped in a light, flourless almond batter with lemon zest and whipped egg whites. Served lukewarm with custard or cream.

Coconut pecan pie with a buttery egg custard filling, flaked coconut, and chopped pecans baked in a flaky crust. A Southern-style pie with a lemon-vanilla twist and golden, chewy top.

Lacy Florentine cookies made with ground pecans and coconut, sandwiched together with melted dark chocolate. Thin, crispy, and freezer-friendly for up to a month.

Italian double-baked chocolate biscotti with toasted almonds, cocoa, espresso powder, and a surprise hint of ginger and white pepper. Crisp, dark, and dunk-ready.

No-bake French cocoa balls rolled in cocoa and powdered sugar. Just five ingredients, no cooking, and ready in 15 minutes. A simple chocolate truffle-style candy with pecans.

Chocolate nut-filled cookies with a chocolate syrup and pecan filling sandwiched between two rolled dough circles. A window-topped sandwich cookie sealed with fork tines.

Carrot coconut cake made with a yellow cake mix, fresh carrots, orange juice, and a broiled coconut-pecan topping with brown sugar and butter.