Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray.

To make the filling, combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Whisk together buttermilk, sugar, applesauce, oil, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl until blended. Add the flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Scrape the batter into the pan. Scatter apricots and raspberries evenly over batter.

To make the topping, combine flour, sugar, melted butter and cinnamon in a small bowl, mixing with your fingers, until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the fruit. Bake until the topping is browned and bubbly, about 35 minutes. Let cool on a rack 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Directions:

Combine water, sugar and cinnamon in medium long-handled skillet or flambé pan (not nonstick). Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar; reduce heat and continue cooking and stirring until sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes.

Swirl in butter and, when it melts into sauce, add bananas and vanilla. Cook, shaking pan occasionally and gently turning slices over once, until bananas are caramelized but not mushy, 2–3 minutes.

(If preparing nonalcoholic version: Add lemon juice and rum extract, if using; heat through 30 seconds more, gently turning to coat bananas. Serve at once.)

Remove from heat and pour in rum; let rum heat a few seconds, then light the pan with lighter or long match. Let flame die down and serve at once.

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water, stirring to dissolve. Set aside.

Place drained cherries, brown sugar, and brandy in a medium skillet. Bring just to a boil and turn off heat. Light brandy in pan with lighter or long match. When flame dies down, stir in cornstarch mixture and vanilla; sauce will thicken up as it heats, about 1 minute.

Place a scoop of ice cream in 6 serving bowls; top each with 1/3 cup warm cherry sauce.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, cloves, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together 1/2 cup of sugar, oil, molasses, and egg in a large bowl. Add flour mixture and chocolate chips to the sugar mixture just until blended.

Sprinkle remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar on a small plate. Roll the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls, making a total of 24 balls. Roll the balls in the sugar and place on the baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies are cracked slightly and soft in the center, 12–15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray 6 (4-ounce) ramekins or custard cups with nonstick spray.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar into a ramekin, turning to coat the bottom and side evenly. Pour the excess sugar into a second ramekin to coat. Repeat with the remaining ramekins. Spoon 1 teaspoon of the fruit spread in the bottom of each ramekin.

Whisk together 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, espresso powder, and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk in milk and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and begins to boil, about 3 minutes.

Put the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Pour the hot milk mixture over the chocolate, stirring until chocolate is melted and smooth. Stir in egg yolk and vanilla. Let cool 15 minutes.

With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Add remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff, glossy peaks form. With a rubber spatula, stir about 1/4 of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Gently fold in remaining egg whites just until no streaks of white remain.

Spoon the chocolate mixture into the ramekins, filling each about 3/4 full. Place the dishes in a large shallow baking pan. Put the pan in the oven; add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the dishes. Bake until puffed and golden, 20–25 minutes. Remove the soufflés from the water bath. Lightly dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve at once.

Directions:

Combine raisins and cider in a small bowl. Let stand until plump, about 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Toss together the apples, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Spoon into the baking dish. Sprinkle raisin mixture over the top.

To make the topping, using a fork, combine flour, oats, the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, oil, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon in a small bowl until well blended. Sprinkle evenly over the filling.

Bake until the filling is bubbly and the topping is golden, 45–50 minutes. If the topping starts to brown too quickly, loosely cover with a piece of foil during the last 15 minutes of baking time. Cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Directions:

Sprinkle cornstarch over 1/2 cup of the nonfat milk in a small bowl and whisk to dissolve. Whisk in cocoa and sugar until smooth.

In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over low heat, bring the remaining 2 1/2 cups nonfat milk and the vanilla bean just to a simmer. Remove the bean, scrape the vanilla seeds into the milk, and discard the bean. Gradually whisk the cocoa mixture into the milk.

Cook, whisking often, until the mixture comes to a full boil, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and, if using vanilla extract, stir it in now.

Add chopped chocolate and hot half-and-half; mix until smooth. Strain through a wire sieve into four mugs and serve at once. If not using immediately, cover surface with a piece of plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.

Cook’s Note:

Any kind of flavor (preferably sugar-free) can be added. Try raspberry, cinnamon, or holiday ginger-spice. Or substitute milk or white chocolate for the bittersweet chocolate. 

Directions:

Bring cranberries, grape juice, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring and mashing the cranberries slightly, until thickened, 10–15 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat; let cool 30 minutes.

Cover and refrigerate overnight to blend flavors. Remove ginger, cinnamon sticks, and cloves from the cranberry sauce before serving.

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large soup pot or stockpot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Strain and transfer to large (14-cup or more) insulated serving container.

Directions:

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Remove from the heat. Add tea bags and steep 3–5 minutes. Remove teabags and pour the mixture into a 2-quart pitcher. Stir in 4 cups of cold water, mint sprigs, and agave nectar. Serve over ice with orange or lemon slices if desired.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-inch springform pan with nonstick spray. Bring a small saucepan of water to boil for the water bath. Wrap outside of pan with heavy-duty foil.

To make the filling, puree cottage cheese and ricotta in a food processor until smooth, about 2 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add cream cheese and process until very smooth, about 1 minute. Add eggs, sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice and process until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape the batter into the pan.

Place cheesecake in a large shallow roasting pan. Place the roasting pan on the oven rack and pour in enough boiling water to come 1/2-inch up the side of the springform pan.

Bake until cheesecake is set and the center jiggles slightly, about 45 minutes. Remove cheesecake from the roasting pan and remove the foil. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 8 hours or up to 2 days.

To make the crust, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter in a small bowl until well mixed. Place cheesecake on a serving platter. Release the pan sides from cheesecake. Press the crumb mixture evenly around the sides of the cheesecake.

To make the glaze, whisk together confectioners’ sugar, cocoa, water or coffee, and vanilla, adding a little more water or coffee if needed, until smooth and pourable. Drizzle glaze over top of cheesecake.

Directions:

Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

With an electric mixer on low speed, beat butter and sugar in a medium bowl until well blended. Add egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and peppermint extract; beat until smooth. Add the flour mixture and beat just until blended. Transfer half of the dough to a work surface. Beat the food coloring into the remaining dough until evenly colored.

Pat the colored dough into a rectangle on a 12-inch long piece of plastic wrap. Cover with another piece of plastic wrap. Roll out the dough to form a 6 x 12-inch rectangle. Repeat with the remaining dough. Refrigerate the dough for 10 minutes. Remove the top sheets of plastic wrap from each rectangle of dough. Flip the colored dough on top of the uncolored dough; remove the plastic wrap. Using the bottom sheet of plastic wrap to help you roll, and starting from the long side, roll up the dough, jelly roll style, to form a tight log. Wrap in the plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or foil.

Cut the log into 1/4-inch slices, making a total of 24 slices. Place on the baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Insert a lollipop stick (about 3/4-inch deep) into the bottom of each cookie. Bake until the cookies are set, about 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through the baking. With a spatula, transfer the cookies to racks to cool completely. 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 24-cup mini-muffin pan with cooking spray.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl.

Combine pumpkin puree, sugar, buttermilk, oil, and egg in a large bowl until well mixed. Add the flour mixture just until blended. Stir in pear and pecans.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups. Bake until atoothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 20–25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Directions:

Spray the insert of a slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, toss together strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, sugar, flour, and lemon juice. Transfer to a 4-quart slow cooker. Cook on high until nearly heated through, 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, use a fork to blend the baking mix, milk, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the sugar, and melted butter to form a crumbly dough. Combine remaining tablespoon of sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

Stir the berry mixture in the slow cooker. Drop bits of dough on top of the fruit in the slow cooker and sprinkle the reserved cinnamon-sugar on top. Continue to cook on high for 2 to 2 1/2 more hours until the topping has puffed and the fruit is bubbling. (Note: the topping will not be browned.)

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in a blender. Blend, pulsing the machine if necessary, until smooth. Make sure the honey is dissolved. Serve immediately.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a (5 x 9-inch) loaf pan with nonstick spray.

Whisk together all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl.

Whisk sugar, oil, applesauce, eggs, egg whites, brown sugar, and vanilla together in a large bowl until smooth. Add flour mixture and zucchini and stir just until combined.

Scrape batter into the pan; top with walnuts. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove loaf from pan and let cool completely on a rack.

Directions:

In a food processor or blender, blend watermelon, water, sorbet, lemon zest, lemon juice, and mint leaves until very smooth. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 1 hour. Shake well and serve over ice in tall glasses, garnishing with lemon slices and mint leaves.