Cranberry Orange Cake

Celebrate fall flavors with this easy, company-worthy delight

Autumn arrives this week in our part of the world. So we’re looking forward to seasonal treats.

Cranberries and oranges are two of our fall faves. Here, we combine them in an easy, tasty sheet cake – great for desserts or snacks.

Perfect for company, too. Let them eat cake. 

Peanut Butter Bars

Tasty, satisfying, and easier to make than cookies

Labor Day has come and gone in our part of the world, which means kids are back in school. So maybe you need some snacks for them?

Like these Peanut Butter Bars. They’re tastier than cookies – not to mention more dense and less dry. Plus, they’re easier to make because you don’t have to form individual cookies.

Best of all, kids love them! And we’ve noticed that adults can’t resist them either. That includes us. Though whether we’re kids or adults is still up for debate.

Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies

A holiday-appropriate dish that’s rich, scrumptious, and totally decadent

Ready for festive? You’ll need some chocolate.

Happily, these chocolate cheesecake brownies jingle all the bells.

Because chocolate. And cheesecake. And most of all, brownies.

Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars

 

An autumn-appropriate dessert that’s rich, creamy – and totally company worthy

November means peak cranberry in the US. Cranberry sauce, relish, and salads are staples on Thanksgiving tables.

But cranberries like dessert, too. As in these Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars.

Because why should pumpkin pie have all the fun?

Quick and Easy Piña Colada Fudge

Make this booze-free, no-cook beauty in a mixer

Craving sweets but don’t want to turn on the oven during hot summer days? We have the answer!

You can make this addictive Piña Colada Fudge in mere minutes, using just a mixer.

Unlike a real Piña Colada, this one has no rum in it. But you can always accompany it with a tipple if you wish. Because summer.

Strawberry Crumble with Chili Crisp

Sweet with a touch of spice, a perfect way to celebrate strawberry season

We love us some summer berries! Especially in baked goodies.

Like this Strawberry Crumble with Chili Crisp. We’ve taken a traditional recipe, then added an iconic Asian condiment for pizazz.

Because who doesn’t like pizazz?

Cranberry Buckle

An easy, seasonal dessert for fall

Chilly weather and short days can be a downer. So whip up some cranberry cheer.

Cranberries are the iconic autumn fruit, arriving in our markets just as winter threatens. And they’re a staple on Thanksgiving tables in the US.

But they’re also wonderful in baked goodies (like this Cranberry Buckle), where their tart edge cuts through sweet, cakelike surroundings like a happy surprise.

So buckle up.

Margarita Cheesecake Mousse

Tequila and lime-fueled tingle in a cooling summer dish

Cheesecake? Absolutely! But who wants to turn on the oven in this heat?

Enter Margarita Cheesecake Mousse. It’s a rich, no-bake tongue pleaser that’s loaded with flavor.

The taste mimics that of its namesake cocktail. But there’s no hangover if you have one too many.

We’ll, um, drink to that.

Dark and Stormy Icebox Cake

Cool and tasty, the perfect antidote to summer’s swelter

No-bake cake? We’re in!

Especially when it tastes like a Dark and Stormy Cocktail – with whipped cream.

So grab your bottle of rum and get ready to whip up a cool dessert. Yo ho ho!

Atlantic Beach Pie

Tart lemons and saltines combine in this outstanding summer dessert

Citrus desserts? Mais oui! Especially Atlantic Beach Pie, which features creamy lemon filling in a saltine crust.

It’s a lot like Key Lime Pie. But the salty factor takes this dish on a seaside holiday.

Serve Atlantic Beach Pie at your next dinner party – and dream of strolling on the sand. Swimsuits optional.

Blueberry-Lemon Parfait

Quick, no-bake, and cool

Ready for retro cool? Back in the day, parfaits were the “company” dessert. And why not? They look fancy, taste great, and are easy to make.

Best of all, you can serve them straight from the fridge, so they make the perfect end to a summer meal.

No need to worry about dessert for your next dinner party. Just chill out.

Italian Ricotta and Cream Cheese Pie

Traditional for Easter, you can skip the crust for a gluten-free sweet

Should we call this a pie, a tart, or a custard? It has elements of all three.

Ricotta pie is an Italian favorite, especially at Easter time. With the addition of cream cheese, it becomes something halfway between pie and cheesecake. So we guess you could call this cheesecake, too.

But what’s in a name? We just call it delicious

Date-Walnut Squares

Lighter and tastier than many traditional recipes

Date-and-nut squares (aka bars) are a classic at holiday time. Problem is, many recipes yield dense – and filling – concoctions. This recipe is lighter, but still packs plenty of flavor.

Your guests will appreciate that. Because they’ll certainly want more than one.

So for your next holiday bash, we suggest baking a double batch of these beauties. You’ll have leftovers, but that’s the point. Because these are wonderful for breakfast, too.

Cranberry-Apple Crisp with Nut Crumble

Autumn’s most popular fruits make this a festive dessert

Apples and cranberries are both autumn icons. So why not set them up for a date?

They get along beautifully in this dish: Cranberry ting enlivens apple mellowness. And baking concentrates their flavors, bringing out the best in both.

With Thanksgiving coming up soon, you’ll want to add this dish to the menu. Your guests will gobble it up.

Fruit Salad with Champagne

Easy, tasty, colorful, quick, and elegant

Berries, melons, stone fruit, and more. They’re all reaching peak flavor in our part of the world.

So how about using them in a gorgeous dessert? This fruit salad is quick enough for a weeknight dinner, but elegant enough for the fanciest party. (You can even replace the champagne with sparkling cider if you want a nonalcoholic version).

You’ll have plenty of bubbly left over, too, so you can pour everyone a glass to accompany dessert.

Your guests will love the great fresh flavor of this salad. Not to mention the bubbles.

Chocolate-Rum Truffles

With rich and decadent flavor, these are a natural for Valentine’s Day

Chocolates for Valentine’s Day? Mais oui!

But you needn’t buy expensive bonbons in heart-shaped boxes. Because these homemade truffles are outrageously good – and they look fancy, too.

Best of all, they’re easy to make. So you’ll have more time to sip champagne with your sweetie.

Ice Cream Shrub Soda with Booze (or not)

The perfect summer dessert – for kids of all ages

Ice cream might be the ultimate summer dessert. You know all about that. But shrub? And why call this an ice cream soda rather than a float?

Patience, grasshopper. All will be revealed. For the moment, just think about cool, refreshing ice cream mixed with sweet but tangy shrub.

It’s great for the 4th of July. Especially since shrubs were extremely popular in colonial America. So this drink offers a taste of America’s culinary history.

Let the fireworks begin.

Quick Lemon-Coconut Fudge

Sure to please Easter bunnies everywhere!

One of our favorite flavors is lemon. And coconut. OK, that’s two flavors.

So why not combine them? That’s what we did in this quick and easy lemon-coconut fudge.

It’s perfect for Easter, which is this Sunday (March 27). This fudge comes together in minutes, and you can even shape the pieces into little Easter eggs if you like. Kids of all ages will be delighted.

You probably have all the ingredients for this recipe on hand, too, so you don’t need to make a special trip to the supermarket. Which will allow you to avoid all those commercial Easter candies. This year, your peeps won’t need Peeps.

Chocolate Chip Bars

Your kids won’t trade away these lunch box goodies

With Labor Day coming up here in the US, kids are headed back to school. Which means they’ll soon be clamoring for lunch box treats and after-school snacks.

You could make that perennial favorite, chocolate chip cookies. But why not go one better and make these awesome chocolate chip bars?

Kids will love them. And grownups may sneak some into their lunch bags too.

No-Churn Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream

Its pie-like flavor is no trick, just a (luscious) treat

This time of year, we love to use one of our favorite autumn ingredients: pumpkin. You know, the big orange squash people use to make pumpkin pie.

But man (and woman) cannot live by pie alone. We also need ice cream!

Which reminds us: A while back, we discovered a way to make ice cream without churning—and using no special equipment except our trusty stand mixer. It’s a quick and easy method that produces better ice cream than anything you’re likely to buy in a carton.

So of course, we couldn’t resist adapting it to make this terrific tasting No-Churn Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream. Just in time for Halloween. Boo!