Dessert/7 recipes

Polenta blueberry cakes are tiny lemon-glazed muffins with cornmeal grit, buttermilk tang, and juicy blueberries folded through. A make-ahead dessert or brunch bite for a crowd.

Peanut butter and jelly streusel bars with a brown sugar PB cookie base, strawberry jam middle, and oat-crumble topping. The lunchbox sandwich reinvented for the cookie tray.

Orange-Banana Bundt Cake with fresh orange zest, mashed bananas, sour cream, and a coconut-lined pan for a tropical twist on banana cake. Food processor method.

Halloween spiderweb cheesecake is a no-bake creamy vanilla cheesecake on chocolate crust, decorated with a piped-and-pulled chocolate web. A spooky kid-friendly dessert ready to chill in 10 minutes.

A spiced chocolate apple bundt cake with diced green apples, currants, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, finished with a brandy-cinnamon glaze. Moist, warmly spiced, and perfect for fall baking.

Cranapple snack bars with fresh cranberries, sliced apples, walnuts, and silken tofu in a honey-sweetened cinnamon batter. A naturally sweetened fruit bar with no refined sugar.

Pineapple carrot coffee ring with whole wheat flour, bran, sunflower seeds, raisins, and crushed pineapple bound by yeast and honey. A hearty, nutritious ring loaf for breakfast or brunch.

PB&O snackers: chewy peanut butter oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips, warm cinnamon, and nutmeg. A hearty snack cookie that beats any coffee-shop version.

Southern sweet potato pie with mashed sweet potatoes, warm spices, and a brightening splash of fresh lemon or orange juice. Pecan halves on top add Southern charm. The two-stage bake delivers a custard that sets without cracking.

Tropical cheese bars with coconut rum cream cheese filling, crushed pineapple, and a brown sugar almond crust topped with toasted coconut.

Friendship Fiesta Cake hides mashed pinto beans in a spiced bundt cake with apples, raisins, nuts, and a vanilla glaze. Moist, dense, and nobody guesses the secret.

This chocolate cake includes bananas both in the cake and creamy sauce.

A layered yeasted coffee cake with potato dough, cinnamon-sugar filling, and chopped almonds. Circles of soft dough are stacked and twisted into a show-stopping breakfast centerpiece glazed with powdered sugar icing.

Sweet potato pie with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a flaky shell, finished with a decorative ring of pecan halves and a dollop of whipped cream. The yogurt in the custard adds tang and lift that traditional milk-only versions miss.

Irish potato cake with mashed potatoes, melted chocolate, pecans, and raisins baked in a bundt pan. A spiced, dense cake where the potatoes keep every slice incredibly moist.

Fall harvest spice cake with apple butter, maple buttercream frosting, and a decorative topping of walnuts, almonds, apricots, cranberries, and raisins. A stunning autumn centerpiece.