Dessert/4 recipes

Mango passion fruit gelato blends fresh mango puree with tangy passion fruit nectar and half-and-half for a creamy tropical frozen dessert. Churns up in minutes with no egg yolks.

A marbled banana Bundt cake with swirls of chocolate fudge rippled through a moist banana batter, finished with a cocoa drizzle. Lighter than it looks, made with skim milk and just 1/4 cup oil.

White chocolate cheesecake with an almond-oat-graham cracker crust. Whipped egg whites folded in create an airy, cloud-like texture. Slow-cooled to prevent cracking.

Apricot and cardamom bars with dried apricot, apricot nectar, and unsweetened applesauce in the batter, finished with a sweet apricot glaze drizzle. Low-fat and done in 45 minutes.

Elegant cranberry twist on Peach Melba with poached peach halves, vanilla ice cream, and a pureed cranberry-kirsch sauce. A stunning dinner party dessert served in stemmed glasses.

Fermented mincemeat made with venison or beef tongue, suet, apples, dried fruit, red wine, cider, and brandy. A six-to-eight-week crock cure transforms the ingredients into the deep, boozy filling of old hunting cabin Christmas pies.

Sweet potato pie with mashed yams, cream, vanilla, and a bright squeeze of lemon. The Southern Sunday-supper dessert that splits the difference between custard pie and pumpkin.

Slow cooker rice pudding with bourbon stirred in after cooking, plus golden raisins, lemon zest, nutmeg, and vanilla. Creamy, hands-off, and served lukewarm with sweetened whipped cream.

Amish friendship bread cake with a cinnamon-oat-nut streusel layered through the middle and on top. Uses friendship starter for a tangy, moist crumb under a crunchy topping.

Lemon and white chocolate mousse parfaits layered with fresh strawberries in tall glasses. An elegant make-ahead dinner party dessert built from lemon curd mousse and creamy white chocolate mousse.

Caramel apple cheesecake on a graham cracker crust with a gooey caramel layer, cinnamon-apple cream cheese filling, and a caramel-apple-pecan topping. A fall showstopper dessert.

Peppernut pear tart with fanned ripe pears on a lebkuchen-hazelnut frangipane filling in buttery shortcrust pastry, spiked with ginger wine. A stunning British-style autumn dessert.

Two desserts in one: a baked pecan pie base topped with a silky blended chocolate filling and whipped cream. Three luxurious layers in a single pie crust.

From-scratch German chocolate cake with sweet chocolate melted in boiling water, buttermilk batter with folded egg whites, and a coconut-pecan frosting cooked on the stovetop.

Chewy banana oat bars with cinnamon and raisins, made with no butter, no oil, and egg whites only. A wholesome grab-and-go snack or breakfast bar that cuts into 24 squares.

Sour cream apple pie in a nutty oatmeal cookie crust made with whole wheat flour, sesame seeds, and honey. Tart apples with cinnamon and nutmeg get a tangy custard drizzle that bakes up golden.