Old-fashioned nut-free fruitcake with candied cherries, pineapple, grape jelly, and warm spices. Baked low and slow in three pans. Safe for nut allergies.
Oatmeal pumpkin cookies fold pumpkin puree, rolled oats, chocolate chips, raisins, and nuts into a cinnamon-spiced dough. Drizzle with lemon glaze or top with chocolate candies. Makes 96.
A wholesome quick bread made with whole wheat flour, oat bran, molasses, buttermilk, chopped dates, and walnuts. No yeast needed. Makes 5 mini loaves that freeze beautifully.
Funnel cake: classic state-fair fried batter poured through a funnel in a spiral pattern, fried golden, and dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon. The Pennsylvania Dutch carnival treat.
Create-a-casserole: a customizable baked pasta with your choice of meat, tomato sauce, and cheese. A flexible pantry dinner that uses up leftover cooked beef or chicken in 30 minutes of oven time.
Blackberry and raspberry muffins with a pecan brown sugar streusel topping. Lemon zest in both the batter and the crumble adds a bright citrus note.
Light, puffy souffleed crepes made with beaten egg whites folded into a classic crepe batter. Cook in a crepe pan or bake as a flat souffle, then fill with fruit, brandy, or vanilla.
A simple lemon-scented butter cake split in half, layered with vanilla pudding, fresh berries, and clouds of whipped cream. Old-school German Erdbeertorte energy with minimal effort.
Berlinerkranzer are buttery Norwegian Christmas wreath cookies scented with orange, brushed with sugared egg white and trimmed with candied cherry holly berries. A delicate Scandinavian holiday tradition.
Vasilopita, a traditional Greek New Year's cake with a lucky coin baked inside, topped with slivered almonds and sesame seeds. Rich butter cake with whipped egg whites.
Rich flavor and a moist texture with warm cinnamon and allspice.
Flourless walnut cake topped with a rich coffee cream made from dark chocolate, Madeira, and whipped cream. A European-style frozen dessert garnished with crystallized flowers for an elegant finish.
Apple cheese pie: thinly sliced apples baked in a cream cheese pastry crust under a sweet cottage cheese custard. A two-cheese, two-temperature bake topped with whipped cream.
Welsh cocklecakes deep-fried in a light batter with parsley, served alongside warm laverbread and lemon. A traditional coastal Welsh dish with crispy, briny fritters and seaweed.
Caramel apple dessert with diced apples and crushed pineapple folded into a cooked custard and whipped topping, topped with crushed peanuts. A creamy, no-bake fruit salad with crunch.
Granny Smith applesauce tarts with golden hot-water pastry shells filled with honey-sweetened, lemon-brightened chunky applesauce. A lighter, old-fashioned dessert.