10,000 sugar recipes

One day I ran out of the ingredients, and so I got creative. What I came up with, I looooove. I call it Mediterranean Chicken a la Crock-Pot.

Granny's boiled fruit cake: an old-fashioned eggless, butterless loaf made by simmering raisins with sugar and shortening, then folding into spiced flour. Plump, moist and Christmas-ready.

Fat-free cranberry orange muffins use corn syrup and egg whites instead of butter or oil for a tender no-fat muffin packed with fresh cranberries and bright orange zest.

High-fiber whole wheat buttermilk pancakes brightened with a hit of orange zest. Nutty, tender, and naturally wholesome. A 30-minute breakfast that feels indulgent.

Because the chocolate is the star in this recipe, spring for the good stuff, like Valrhona or E. Guittard. You can enjoy the muffins as a snack, or at brunch with some crème fraîche or clotted cream instead of normal muffin accompaniments.

Looking for gluten-free cookies, give these buttery and nutty almond cookies a try. They are flakey yet tasty, you will be impressed by these lovely treats.

Applesauce blueberry muffins use unsweetened applesauce and egg substitute for a low-fat tender crumb, plus bran flakes for fiber and a hint of cinnamon. Lighter breakfast muffin that holds together without butter or oil.

Jewel cookies (thumbprint cookies) rolled in chopped pecans, baked with a center depression, and filled with jelly or a maraschino cherry. A vintage Christmas cookie tin staple.

This is a traditional salad dressing with a tangy flavor. You can make it diet-friendly by substituting low calorie or no calorie sweetener for the sugar.

Slow-baked country ham with a brown sugar, honey, dry sherry, and Dijon mustard glaze applied three times for a sticky, caramelized crust. The centerpiece for any holiday feast.

Homemade whole wheat crackers: a nutty, crisp copycat-style cracker with wheat germ, brown sugar, and butter. Rolled thin on the sheet pan, scored into squares, and baked in 8 minutes flat.

Crab-apple jelly made with just two ingredients: fresh crabapples and sugar. No added pectin needed because crabapples are naturally high in pectin. A classic old-fashioned preserve with a gorgeous ruby color.

Butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, marshmallows and nuts. Guarenteed to satisfy every sweet tooth.

Gingered shrimp noodle soup with snap peas, radishes, and a zippy rice vinegar broth, ready in 15 minutes from a packet of soup noodle mix. Fast weeknight dinner with real crunch.

Pugach pie - Eastern European filled yeast bread with your choice of cabbage, potato, or sauerkraut filling, sealed and rolled flat, then brushed with browned butter.

Vegan pumpkin or squash pie with silken tofu, honey or maple, molasses, and a hint of coriander and almond extract. Egg-free and dairy-free, with custard-like texture from blended tofu.