Dessert
3848 recipes found
New York Maple-Walnut Cheesecake
Why doesn't maple syrup find its way to American cheese platters the way chestnut honey does to Italian ones? We think it works particularly well with subtle, creamy cheeses, a conviction that inspired our riff on a classic New York cheesecake.
Maple-Walnut Blondies
An autumnal riff on classic blondies, these are a treat for the true maple fanatic. Adding maple syrup to the batter and toasting the walnuts in maple syrup gives the blondies double the maple flavor, while a splash of bourbon in the batter mellows the sweetness. Make sure to underbake these slightly: The key to moist, chewy blondies is to take them out just before they’re fully baked. Refrigerate the blondies for optimal chewiness; they're especially good straight from the fridge.
Peanut Butter No-Bake Bars
These bars are perfect for when you’re craving a peanut butter cup, but can’t quite get to them. Inspired by buckeyes, they have that same fudgy-salty-sweet vibe, but with a layer of caramelized flavor from letting the butter turn golden brown after it melted. You can make these treats in just about any size pan, even a mini muffin tin for that true peanut butter cup feel. Cut them into bars or squares with a knife, or use cookie cutters to make cute shapes if you need a project for the kids. Or even the adults, because that sort of thing never gets old.
Yakgwa (Honey Cookies)
These not-too-sweet Korean honey cookies, fried and then soaked in gingery syrup, are uniquely soft and chewy on the outside and flaky on the inside. Called yakgwa (yak meaning “medicine” and gwa meaning “confection”), these treats originally from the Goryeo dynasty (918-1392) are seeing a resurgence in popularity from Seoul to the world, thanks to social media. Traditionally served on Korean festival days like Chuseok and Seollal, birthdays and ancestral rites like jesa, the anniversary of a loved one’s passing, yakgwa are also an encapsulation of Korea’s dessert history. At a time when sugar was not a main sweetener, sweetness was achieved with ingredients like rice syrup and honey, paired with ginger and cinnamon. Enjoy these on their own with a cup of tea or try them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, which lends balance to the sticky sweetness. For a vegan option, the honey can be swapped with maple syrup for incredible results.
Sour-Cream Coffee Cake
Here is a classic coffee cake with a tender crumb and a crunchy streusel topping that comes together in about an hour. It's quite rich, so your serving sizes don't need to be large.
Pound Cake With Brown Butter and Pecans
This twist on a traditional pound cake takes the ordinary and turns it into something extraordinary, making the longtime favorite taste like a buttery, nutty maple-glazed doughnut. Beyond being delicious, it’s also a great way to use up any pecans, rescuing them by toasting them and tossing them in a sweet glaze. (If you like, you can also use a mix of pecans and walnuts.) It’s a big cake, great for a crowd, and a little goes a long way. But it keeps well in the fridge and is especially nice heated up for 15 seconds in the microwave.
Pecan Pie Brownies
Topping a panful of brownie batter with honey-spiked pecan pie filling adds a gooey sweetness and crunch to the fudgy bars beneath. You can substitute any other nut for the pecans: Walnuts, almonds, pistachios, cashews or a combination will all work perfectly. This recipe calls for an 8-inch square pan, but, if you only have a 9-inch square pan, shave a few minutes off the baking time.
Strawberry Jelly Cake
This layer cake is affectionately referred to as “Grandma’s Cake” by many Southerners. Using jelly as the filling and the frosting is a wonderful way to add fruity flavor to a cake year-round. The jelly seeps into the cake, so there’s no need to brush on a simple syrup to keep it moist. This recipe uses cake flour, which has less protein than all-purpose flour and yields a more tender crumb. But it can be prone to clumping. Sift it into the mixing bowl, or use a whisk to aerate it and break up any lumps. “Frost” the sides of the cake with jelly or buttercream, or just let it drip down the sides. When making this cake in the summer, you can top it with sliced fresh strawberries.
Pumpkin Fudge Torte
With a texture that falls somewhere between pudding and ganache, this bittersweet torte is silky smooth and very rich. The whipped cream topping, run through with spiced pumpkin purée, is a fluffy contrast to the torte’s denseness. You can make the torte two days ahead. Store it, well wrapped, in the refrigerator, then let it come to room temperature before serving.
Parsnip Sheet Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting and Ginger
Like carrot cake, parsnip cake is lightly spiced, exceedingly moist and slathered with cream cheese frosting. This version, adapted from Susan Spungen’s cookbook, “Open Kitchen,” is less sweet than most. In her original recipe, Ms. Spungen candies slices of fresh ginger root to make a spectacular presentation, but store-bought crystallized ginger tastes just as spicy-sweet and delicious.
Blender Chocolate Mousse
This recipe for chocolate mousse made in a blender comes via the pastry chef Natasha Pickowicz, who got it from a cook named Monica Stolbach, who in turn got it from her mother-in-law, who got it from a Junior League cookbook published in the 1980s. Straightforward, adaptable and extremely satisfying, it’s one of those recipes that you want to pass along to as many people as you can. Instead of separating the egg yolks and whites, this technique simply involves pouring hot sugar syrup into a blender with chocolate and whole eggs, then folding that mixture into softly whipped cream. The resulting texture is so creamy and rich, it doesn’t need anything at all, though you can top it with extra whipped cream, if you like.
Salted Pretzel Brownies
Sprinkling flaky sea salt on brownies makes their bittersweet nature pop; it’s the kind of flavor contrast that keeps you coming back for more (as if the brownies themselves weren’t enough). Here, pretzels work in the same way, adding crunch and a toasty character as well. Hiding beneath the brownie batter, a graham cracker and crushed pretzel crust gives the bars a cookielike appeal run through with salted caramel notes. Go ahead and try to eat just one.
Almond, Black Pepper and Fig Cake With Tamarind Glaze
This cake celebrates the sweet, jamlike texture of juicy ripe figs against the backdrop of a fragrant almond cake, with a sweet-and-sour tamarind glaze as contrast. As the cake bakes, the fresh figs release their juices, which begin to caramelize and take on the flavor of black pepper. Tellicherry black peppercorns and long pepper, if available, are wonderful options to explore for their unique aromas. Frozen fresh figs will also work in this cake. Just remember to thaw them to room temperature and drain off any excess liquid before using. And, make sure to use tamarind paste, not concentrate. Thick, syrupy concentrates lack the fruity flavor of tamarind and carry a noticeable artificial aftertaste.
Skillet Gingerbread Cake With Apple Butter
Apple butter is the surprise ingredient here. Along with molasses, it makes the gingerbread moist, flavorful and a good keeper. The cake’s got a mix of traditional spices — ground ginger, cinnamon and cloves — as well as crystallized ginger, which has a soft, chewy texture and adds a bit of heat. If your ginger is hard, steep it in hot water for 30 seconds, drain and pat it dry. The gingerbread is sweet, but not very, so it’s as good with ricotta, yogurt, a swish of cream cheese or even a slice of Cheddar as it is with whipped cream, ice cream or hot fudge.
Mixed Apples Pie
This is essentially a classic double-crusted apple pie, packed tight with fruit, but it calls for a wide variety of apples, giving it far more flavor. For the most nuanced filling, use as many different types as possible: A mix of sweet, tart, crunchy and tender apples will yield complex tastes and textures. The sharp acidity of lime juice heightens the tanginess of your blend, half of which should be firm apples to keep the filling from collapsing. To ensure success with the crust, keep the ingredients cold, popping them into the freezer if needed, and work quickly with a gentle touch. A generous layer of spiced cookie crumbs prevents the bottom crust from getting soggy and lends even more warmth.
Pretzel Shortbread
Flecked with sea salt on the outside, buttery and supremely crunchy within, this pretzel shortbread leans to the savory side, both salty and sweet. This version, created by Lost Bread Company in Philadelphia, mixes crumbs from the bakery’s own sourdough pretzels into the dough. But any pretzels will give the shortbread the necessary tang. The bakery also dips the shortbread into a lye solution before baking to give them that characteristic glossy surface. This simplified version calls for either using baking soda or an egg white. The slightly bitter baking soda mixture adds some of the complex flavor of the lye, but using an egg white is simpler, and the cookies are nearly as delicious.
Blueberry Cornmeal Shortbread Tart
Part tart, part crumble, this blueberry shortbread is an excellent way to use up as many blueberries as you can get your hands on. The exposed surface allows the fruit to cook down, thickening and getting jammy with just a little bit of flour to help it along. It’s ideal for baking, slicing and bringing to any and all outdoor gatherings, or serving at home with a ridiculous amount of vanilla ice cream.
Cranberry Spice Bundt Cake
This tall and tender Bundt cake pulls off the trick of being cozy and zingy at the same time. It gets its soft crumb from yogurt (although you could use sour cream or buttermilk) and its pop from puckery fresh cranberries and a mix of cardamom, coriander and ginger. It’s festive with a cranberry icing and classic with a dusting of powdered sugar. And it’s a cake that can go through the seasons — think about swapping the cranberries for dried fruit in the winter and berries in the summer. It’s great with blueberries.
Mango Pie
When Hrishikesh Hirway was a kid, his parents, who immigrated to the United States from Maharashtra, in western India, began hosting Thanksgiving. The meal soon evolved into a hybrid of a traditional Thanksgiving and an Indian potluck. “Out of that cultural mash-up, my mom started making this mango pie,” he said. She’d gotten the idea from other Indian aunties in the States, but their versions weren’t as good. “They weren’t making it with the best kind of mango,” Hirway explained. “The Alphonsos have a stronger, more intense flavor.” That Alphonso flavor shines as brilliantly as the pie’s bright filling, made tangy and rich with the addition of cream cheese and whipped cream. And the salty, crumbly graham cracker crust is the perfect foundation for the golden cloud of custard that sits atop it. It’s so satisfying that you'll catch yourself cutting sliver after mouthwatering sliver of pie.
Strawberry Pretzel Pie
This is a wonderful but simple summer pie inspired by strawberry pretzel salad, a popular Southern dessert. The classic recipe consists of a crumbled pretzel crust, a whipped cream cheese and Cool Whip filling, and a top layer of strawberry Jell-O. In this fresher adaptation, crushed pretzels form the foundation of an easy shortbread crust, followed by a fluffy cream filling and a pile of fresh strawberries, omitting the use of gelatin. If you’re making this pie in advance — especially with juicy, height-of-season berries — complete Steps 1 to 3, then cloak the filled crust with plastic wrap and chill up to 24 hours. Just before serving, toss the berries in sugar and pile them on top.
Fresh Strawberry Bundt Cake
Strawberries from the farmers' market are tiny, packed with flavor, red all of the way through, and they put their supermarket counterparts to shame. This summery Bundt packs a double dose of strawberry flavor, so use the very best ones you can find. (You'll need 1 pound of strawberries for the cake and glaze.) A couple of tips for Bundt unmolding success: Make sure to butter and flour the pan generously and evenly, and let the cake cool for 15 minutes on a cooling rack, then flip it out on to the rack to cool completely. Don’t worry too much if your cake isn’t perfect: The blanket of pink glaze will cover many mistakes.
Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bars
Like turtle bars with a twist, these squares are gooey, crunchy and salty in all the right places. If you can, use chopped bar chocolate as called for in the recipe. If you use chocolate chips, they will seize, and the chocolate layer will look uneven and a little chalky. That said, beauty is only skin deep, and these bars taste great either way, so if chips are all you can find, bake away.
Tropical Fruit Salad
A fruit salad is an act of kindness to your future self: Taking the time to chop your favorite fruits, especially the more labor-intensive ones, then eating them in a large bowl by the spoonful is inordinately satisfying. This version calls for golden nuggets of pineapple, mango and bananas, a smoothie in fruit salad form, but you could use whatever you have on hand. Blueberries, strawberries and peaches would be lovely, as would sliced kiwi, pomegranate arils and clementine wedges. A spritz of lemon juice and a pinch of salt — just a pinch — make all the difference in enlivening fresh-cut fruit.
No-Bake Cheesecake With Caramelized Pineapple and Coconut
Pockets of jammy caramelized pineapple are a thrilling discovery in this creamy tropics-inspired cheesecake. Coconut milk and lime zest are added to the cream cheese filling, which is set in a crisp gingersnap crust. Caramelize the pineapples ahead, if time permits — the longer they sit in the syrup, the better they’ll taste. Serve the cake sliced in squares, topped with toasted coconut flakes, if desired.