Dessert recipe collection

Barbara Bush's signature chocolate chip cookies with a quirky splash of hot water in the dough that yields a crisp-edged, soft-centered cookie. A small-batch White House classic.

Basbousa bil loz (Egyptian almond basbousa) cooks toasted semolina and almonds with butter, then thickens with lemon-scented sugar syrup. A stovetop Middle Eastern dessert.

Easy one-bowl apple brunch cake with cinnamon, brown sugar, and loads of diced apples stirred right into the batter. A dense, moist cake that comes together with minimal effort and no mixer needed.

Brown sugar cookie dough with butter, egg yolk, vanilla, and brandy. A versatile piped or spooned wafer cookie base that bakes thin, crispy, and golden in under 10 minutes.

Basic butter cookies with just 5 ingredients: flour, cornstarch, powdered sugar, butter, and walnuts. Melt-in-your-mouth shortbread-style cookies baked low and slow.

A flexible basic vanilla cake template using cake flour, sugar, baking powder, eggs, and your choice of mix-ins. The starting point for chocolate chip, fruit, or layer cakes.

Basic graham cracker cheesecake crust: three ingredients pressed into a springform pan and chilled. The blueprint no-bake crust that swaps to gingersnap or chocolate wafer for any cheesecake variation.

Basic chocolate cake made with melted unsweetened chocolate, buttermilk, and cake flour for a moist, tender two-layer cake. A reliable foundation for any frosting.

Homemade chocolate sauce with semi-sweet chocolate, butter, sugar, and a splash of vanilla. Glossy, pourable, and shelf-stable for 6 months in the fridge. The make-ahead dessert sauce that beats every jarred version.

Classic roll-and-cut butter cookies with brown sugar, vanilla, and just 7 ingredients. A versatile dough for cutout shapes, including a pink candy cane twist variation.

Cream cheese cookies with lemon zest, tender and buttery with a subtle tang from the cream cheese. A versatile roll-and-cut dough with just six ingredients. No eggs needed.

Fudgy chocolate roll-out cookies made with melted unsweetened chocolate and brown sugar. A rich, dark cookie dough that rolls, cuts into shapes, and bakes in under 10 minutes for a deeply chocolatey result.

Basic holiday butter cookies with a tender, melt-in-your-mouth crumb from cornstarch in the dough. This versatile base recipe can be rolled, cut, or shaped into any holiday cookie you want.

Four ways to shape holiday butter cookie dough: cutouts with egg paint, spritz cookies, chocolate caramel marbles, and coconut macaroon wreaths. One dough, endless options.

Basic pastry pie crust: four-ingredient single crust from flour, salt, vegetable shortening, and cold water. The simplest flaky pastry to master for homemade pies and tarts.

Lower calorie pie shell with less shortening than traditional crusts. Three simple ingredients, one hour chill, and a flaky crust for any pie recipe.