998 night recipes

Sunny cocoa drop cookies are light chocolate-orange cookies made with corn oil spread and sour cream, then finished with a glossy cocoa drizzle. Lower-fat drop cookie, four dozen per batch.

"A tall, impressive cake that showcases the flavors and smells of the holidays. A three-layer extravaganza with a touch of molasses and shredded apple to keep it moist. It fills the house with a fragrance that beats the most expensive holiday-scented candle. It will be talked about long after the party is over." Source: The Pastry Queen Christmas, by Rebecca Rather

Flaky, buttery pastry triangles filled with jam and kissed with orange zest. A classic Austrian cookie that uses hard-cooked egg yolks for an impossibly tender dough.

Pepper biscotti with black pepper, toasted walnuts, orange zest, and almond extract. An Italian twice-baked cookie with grown-up complexity and a subtle peppery kick. Perfect with coffee or red wine.

Christmas crackers are sweet honey-wheat holiday cookies stamped with cookie cutters and sprinkled with sugar. Makes 45 crispy-edged rectangles for gifting or dipping.

Oats cranberry muffins use prune puree instead of oil or butter, keeping them low in fat but moist and tender. Hearty oats, tart cranberries, and just egg whites make a wholesome muffin that doesn't taste like a compromise.

A buttery base complements the crunchy almond and lemon topping in these feather-light bars.

Parmesan bread with a full cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano baked into the dough, plus a hint of cayenne. A savory yeast bread with an egg white glaze and slashed top.

Sour cream apple pie folds tart apples into a vanilla custard, then bakes under a buttery almond topping. Tangy, creamy, crunchy on top, and refreshingly free of heavy spices.

Pinto bean fudge blends strained beans with chocolate chips, marshmallows, and nuts for a surprisingly creamy candy. No one will guess the secret ingredient.

Salt-free homemade barbeque sauce with molasses, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and liquid smoke. Big smoky-sweet flavor for low-sodium diets without tasting like it's missing anything.

Grilled lamb kofta seasoned with cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, and allspice, served with a creamy tahini yogurt sauce. Spiced Middle Eastern skewered lamb kebabs ready in 30 minutes.

Prune Armagnac gingerbread is a deeply spiced holiday cake loaded with brandy-soaked prunes, three forms of ginger, molasses, and a coffee kick. Served with crème fraîche.

Black-eyed pea cakes with smoky adobo cream and melty Monterey Jack. An 18-minute vegetarian main that fries up crisp on the outside with a tender, cumin-spiced center.

Upside-down chocolate cake baked over a brown-sugar caramel with apricot halves and maraschino cherries. Cocoa-rich cake flipped onto the platter for a glossy fruit top.

Salty pretzel sticks and light beer come together in this easy bread machine loaf with a crispy crust and soft, chewy crumb. A hint of ginger and baking soda gives it that classic pretzel-shop flavor right from your countertop.