Dessert recipe collection

Easy peppermint fudge squares made with chocolate chips, miniature marshmallows and mint extract on an evaporated milk base. No candy thermometer needed; ready to chill in 30 minutes. Yields 2 pounds of fudge.

Light, crisp peppermint meringue cookies made with egg whites, sugar, and crushed candy canes. Slow-baked until dry and melt-in-your-mouth airy.

Peppermint pinwheel cookies with mint extract, rolled into red and white (or green) spirals and sliced. A festive holiday cookie that's all about the swirl.

Pink peppermint stick pie set into a chocolate wafer crust, with a no-bake marshmallow-and-cream filling stained candy-cane red. Topped with crushed peppermint sticks for crunch.

Peppernut pear tart with fanned ripe pears on a lebkuchen-hazelnut frangipane filling in buttery shortcrust pastry, spiked with ginger wine. A stunning British-style autumn dessert.

Classic double-crust apple pie with tart apples, cinnamon, and a whisper of nutmeg. Thinly sliced fruit and a flour-sugar coating give a clean-slicing filling that holds shape after cooling.

Towering chocolate layer cake with whipped cream filling and rich chocolate frosting beaten over ice. Deep cocoa flavor in every bite.

A simple and delicious Christmas pudding made with dried figs, tapioca and toasted walnuts.

All-purpose pie pastry combining vegetable shortening and butter for the best of both fats: shortening for tenderness, butter for flavor. Makes enough for two double-crust pies.

Bourbon pecan pie with cane syrup, dark brown sugar, and a pre-cooked filling for a deeper, less cloying caramel base. Toasted pecans bake into a glossy, crackly top.

Soft persimmon cookies with warming cloves and cinnamon, packed with raisins and nuts. Old-fashioned fall harvest treat.

Soft, cakey persimmon cookies made with ripe persimmon pulp, warm cinnamon, plump raisins and crunchy nuts. An old-fashioned drop cookie and a great way to use up overripe persimmons in autumn.

Persimmon cookies loaded with 2 cups of fresh persimmon pulp, raisins, chopped nuts, and warm spices. A soft, cake-like drop cookie that puts fall's most underused fruit to work.

Persimmon pudding cake, a moist autumn loaf with ripe persimmons, brandy, warm spices, raisins, and walnuts. Served with a brandy ricotta topping for fall holiday gatherings.

Fresh strawberries macerated with thin orange slices, orange juice, and sweet vermouth for a boozy, citrus-kissed fruit dessert. Diabetic-friendly with optional sweetener.

Peter's rum pie layers silky cooked rum custard into a graham cracker crust, finished with whipped cream and grated bittersweet chocolate. A retro icebox dessert with deep dairy richness and a warm spirit kick.