10,000 creamy recipes

A favorite throughout the South, chess pie takes its name from the description given by a cook who was asked what sort of pie it was, and replied, "jes pie, honey."

Light snickerdoodles made with margarine, skim milk, and egg whites for less fat than traditional recipes. Rolled in cinnamon sugar with that classic cream of tartar tang.

Orange custard cookies are mini tartlets with buttery shortbread shells filled with an almond-orange flower water custard, baked in muffin tins. Two dozen elegant bite-sized desserts with a Mediterranean fragrance.

Warm blueberry cake with lemon zest, served straight from a springform pan with boozy whipped cream. Tender crumb bursting with juicy berries in every slice.

Pan-seared sea scallops in a cranberry ginger cream sauce with vermouth, orange zest, and fresh gingerroot. An elegant single-serving seafood dish.

Israeli-style crustless cheesecake with tangy leben, whipped egg whites, and a vanilla pudding topping. A light, airy baked cheese cake that's tall, fluffy, and not overly sweet.

Curried cold asparagus soup with chicken broth, egg yolks, and cream, lightly spiced with curry powder and brightened with a squeeze of lemon. Elegant chilled spring soup for first courses.

French meringue strips with a buttery shortbread base topped with vanilla meringue, cinnamon sugar, and chopped almonds. Elegant bar cookies that yield 8 dozen.

Chocolate meringue pie with a silky cooked custard filling and a billowy sweetened meringue topping baked golden. The diner-counter classic done from scratch with unsweetened chocolate for that unmistakable old-fashioned cocoa flavor.

Ultra rich turtle pie with a caramel-pecan filling made from sweetened condensed milk and a glossy chocolate ganache top. Six ingredients, no extra oven time once the shell is baked.

Buttery pecan shortbread cookie balls dipped in vanilla frosting and rolled in tinted coconut. Melt-in-your-mouth tender, baked low and slow, and perfect for holiday cookie exchanges. Makes 48.

Individual baked chocolate fig puddings with cocoa, stewed California figs, and vanilla, topped warm with marshmallows and walnut halves. A vintage dessert with old-fashioned charm.

Old-school stovetop fudge made with semisweet chips, German sweet chocolate, milk chocolate, marshmallow cream, and toasted nuts. Boil for exactly eight minutes and let the chocolate do the rest.

Paintbrush sugar cookies decorated before baking with egg yolk paint in bright colors. A fun roll-and-cut cookie with almond extract, great for kids and holiday baking.

Light-as-air sourdough chiffon cake with a subtle tang from sourdough starter, brightened by lemon juice and vanilla. Baked in a tube pan for sky-high lift and a cloud-soft crumb.

Turtle pie layers a pecan-chocolate cookie crust with melted caramel, silky chocolate ganache mousse, and clouds of whipped cream. No-bake-ish dessert that pulls all the candy-bar flavors into one chilled pie.