Recipes with sugar

Joe Froggers, the giant New England molasses cookies. Spiked with rum, dark with molasses, warmed with ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice. Roll, cut big, bake.

Peanut fudge is old-school stovetop chocolate fudge made with milk, corn syrup, and unsweetened chocolate, beaten to the classic soft-ball stage and loaded with salted peanuts.

Soy-grilled whole fish marinated in soy sauce, sherry, ginger, and garlic. A simple Asian-inspired grill recipe with a sweet-savory glaze that caramelizes over hot coals.

Layer cookies with a buttery shortbread base topped with a crisp brown sugar meringue and chopped nuts. The egg yolks go in the bottom layer, the whites become the chewy topping.

Cranberry raisin pie pairs tart cranberries with sweet raisins in a vanilla-scented filling, baked between two pastry crusts. The raisins balance the cranberries' sharp bite, no extra spices needed.

Caramelized onion focaccia made with bread machine dough, topped with sweet butter-softened onions, garlic, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Golden, cheesy, and irresistible.

Crispy Chinese-style honey chicken with cornstarch batter, double-fried until golden, drizzled with ginger-garlic honey sauce. Restaurant takeout flavors at home with wok technique.

Chinese toffee-coated apples and bananas with crispy batter and caramel sesame coating. Deep-fried fruit dunked in ice water creates a shatteringly crisp candy shell.

Classic devil's food cake made with real melted unsweetened chocolate, two sugars, cake flour, and folded egg whites. Dark, moist, and deeply chocolatey from scratch.

Icy melon freeze made with pureed honeydew, orange juice, and sugar. Frozen, beaten fluffy, then frozen again for a light, refreshing no-churn sorbet.

Rich, fudgy brownies made with real unsweetened chocolate, butter, and pecans, topped with a homemade chocolate icing. Baked in a jelly-roll pan for thin, chewy squares.

Meltaway coconut shortbread cookies with butter, shortening, and flaked coconut, sliced from a chilled log and dipped in powdered sugar. Crumbly, tender icebox cookies.

Nut wedges with a cinnamon-honey nut filling sandwiched between flaky pie crust rounds, baked golden and drizzled with melted chocolate. A bakery-style pastry treat.

Greek poached oranges in spiced mavrodaphne wine syrup with bay leaf and clove. A jewel-toned, make-ahead dessert that lets winter citrus shine without the oven.

Tropical ice punch blends mashed bananas, crushed pineapple, orange juice, and maraschino cherries into a frozen base. Add ginger ale and white wine to serve.

Southern gems muffins made with cornmeal, graham flour, and brown sugar for a sweet, hearty quick bread. A classic Southern recipe that bakes up golden in just 25 minutes.