Dessert/9 recipes

Lighter honey vanilla cheesecake made with reduced-fat cream cheese, cottage cheese, and fat-free ricotta on a gingersnap crust. Sweetened with honey instead of sugar and baked with steam for a silky, crack-free top.

Fudgy chocolate espresso bars with cocoa, instant espresso, and chopped pecans, topped with a whipped chocolate chip frosting. Rich, dense, and deeply caffeinated.

Soft-baked bars with apples, cranberries, and nuts baked into orange-scented batter, then frosted with tangy orange cream cheese icing. Perfect for holiday cookie trays.

Wartime impossible pie from South London with one batter that splits into crust, custard, and filling as it bakes. Use it sweet with coconut and vanilla, or savoury with canned tuna or salmon and frozen vegetables. Pantry magic.

Classic double-crust apple pie with a from-scratch butter pastry, thinly sliced green apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Includes a homemade pie dough recipe for flaky, golden results.

Homemade golden peach butter with cinnamon, cloves, and lemon zest. Slow-simmered from ripe peaches and water bath canned for pantry storage. A beautiful holiday gift or toast topper.

Quick sauteed apples with amaretto glaze, raisins, and toasted almonds. Warm, boozy dessert ready in 15 minutes, topped with whipped cream.

Flourless chocolate cake folded with whipped egg whites and a splash of Grand Marnier, baked low and slow for three hours into a dense, glossy gluten-free dessert.

Classic Southern sweet potato pie with boiled sweet potatoes whipped smooth with butter, sugar, cinnamon, evaporated milk, eggs, and vanilla. This recipe makes two pies, because one is never enough.

Tahini Oatmeal Date Cookies with Pecan and Raisin recipe

Fruitcake biscotti studded with dried cranberries, tart cherries, candied orange rind, and almonds. Twice-baked for that signature crunch with lemon and almond extract.

Quick chocolate zucchini picnic cake: devil's food cake mix supercharged with shredded zucchini, chocolate pudding mix, walnuts, and coconut. One bowl, no frosting, travels like a champ. Garden abundance meets chocolate cake in the best way.

Boozy Southern Comfort bundt cake with a buttery liqueur glaze and crunchy pecans. Semi-homemade, impossibly moist, and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser for any gathering.

I always do them, not only at Chrsitmas, sometimes I change some kinds of nuts, or use blueberries or strawberries, all go well!

Cranberry-swirled cheesecake on an Oreo chocolate crust with orange zest, ribboned filling, and a tart cranberry topping. A stunning holiday centerpiece that cuts like a dream.

Loaded drop cookies packed with chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut, oatmeal, nuts, and candy-coated chocolates on top. These kitchen sink cookies have everything but the sink.