Desserts, Sweets, Cookies and Pastries

Desserts

Whether as a quick snack between meals or to finish out a grand dinner, desserts are an irrestible treat for people around the world. Moderation is key, but take time out of your busy schedule to pull a special dessert together. And then share and enjoy!

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Dessert Recipes

Alfajores

(South American dulce de leche sandwich cookies)

While they have origins in Moorish Spain, alfajores are especially popular in South America. They are simple shortbread sandwich cookies with a sweet filling of dulce de leche. Different doughs are used for the cookies depending on the country. Some use normal flour dough, while others add cornstarch or even cassava flour for a more delicate crumb. This recipe uses a mixture of flour and cornstarch. Read more »

ANZAC Biscuits

(Australian, New Zealand oatmeal and coconut cookies)

These tasty biscuits (called "cookies" in the U.S.) got their beginning during World War I. Mothers and wives with boys in the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) worried they weren't eating well. So they devised a sweet treat in a time of rationing that would travel well in care packages sent a world away. Read more »

Apfelmus

(German applesauce)

Apfelmus is your basic applesauce that is a typical German accompaniment to roast meats like Schweinebraten. Jews of East European origin serve epl tsimes with latkes or use it to top blintzes. Applesauce is perfect as a dessert for children or babies as it is easily digested. It can also be used in many baking recipes to add moisture and cut down on the amount of fat. Read more »

Apfelstrudel

(Austrian apple strudel pastry)

Hot apple strudel is one the most famous and delicious desserts to come out the kitchens of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Supple dough is stretched paper thin and rolled up around a tart-sweet filling of apples and raisins. Read more »

Apple Cake

(United States apple cake)

Apple cake is popular throughout the United States, especially during the fall when the new apple harvest is coming in. This simple, moist, rich cake really hits the spot. Read more »

Apple Fritters

(Jewish batter-fried apple rings)

Apples are a popular treat at Hanukkah, whether served as an applesauce topping for latkes or fried in a tasty batter for apple fritters, a tradition that supposedly originated among Greek Jews. Read more »

Arroz con Leche

(Spanish rice pudding)

Arroz con leche (rice with milk) is one of the most popular desserts in the Latin world. This simple sweet conjures up memories of home and is supreme comfort food. Read more »

Baklava

(Greek, Turkish nut and phyllo sweet pastry)

An ancient treat, baklava was first cooked up in its current form by Ottoman cooks in present-day Turkey. Its popularity quickly spread to Greece and other countries in the region. Sticky and sweet, it is the iconic Middle Eastern pastry. And it's surprisingly easy to make. Read more »

Bärkräm

(Swedish berry cream dessert)

Enjoy this spring and summer dessert, so refreshing in its simplicity. Bärkräm is a creamy berry pudding from Sweden that can be made with blackberries, strawberries, gooseberries, or any berries in season. Read more »

Basboosa

(Egyptian semolina cake)

A favorite Egyptian sweet, basboosa is a semolina cake that is baked and soaked with a floral-scented syrup. Its melting sweetness goes well with a cup of hot coffee or tea. Read more »

Beignets

(American Southern powdered sugar fritters)

Pillowy puffs of fried dough dusted with snowy powdered sugar, beignets (bane-YAY) are most famously served at the Café du Monde on the banks of the Mississippi River in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Beignets are best enjoyed for breakfast with a hot cup of chicory coffee. Read more »

Besan Laddu

(Indian sweet chickpea flour balls)

Besan laddu or ladoo is a very easy sweet to make and is popular throughout India, especially at festivals and celebrations. It is said to be the favorite sweet of the elephant-headed Lord Ganesh. Read more »

Bibingka Especial

(Filipino sweet coconut and rice flour cake)

Bibingka is a lightly sweet, moist cake made with rice or cassava flour and traditionally cooked over charcoal in a banana-leaf-lined clay pot. A simpler version can be made in a cake pan in the oven. Bibingka especial, with tasty toppings, is popular in the Philippines during the Christmas holiday season and is eaten after Midnight Mass on Christmas Day. Read more »

Bienmesabe de Coco

(Venezuelan coconut cream cake)

Around the Spanish-speaking world, you can find several versions of a dessert called bienmesabe — Spanish for "tastes good to me." The original version, from Spain's Canary Islands, is an almond custard. This recipe is for bienmesabe as it's made in Venezuela. Cake or ladyfingers are layered with coconut cream and topped with meringue for a decadently rich and sweet treat. Also spelled bien-me-sabe. Read more »

Blueberry Pie

(American blueberry-filled double-crust tart)

True blue American blueberry pie. Simple, sweet, rich, delicious and chock full of antioxidants. Blueberry pie is the perfect finish to a meal during the summer blueberry season. Try the star-studded crust variation for your next Memorial Day, Fourth of July or Labor Day celebration. Read more »

Caramel Apples

(American caramel-covered apples)

Caramel apples are a traditional autumn treat in the United States, especially popular with children around Halloween. Fresh apples are impaled on wooden sticks and dipped in sticky, sweet caramel. The caramel-coated apples are often rolled in nuts or candies for the ultimate flourish. Read more »

Chocolate Crackles

(Australian chocolate rice crispy treats)

Chocolate crackles are a favorite of Australian children and are often served at children's parties, especially birthdays. Because they are so easy to make, chocolate crackles are a great way to get your kids involved in cooking. Let them lend a hand! Read more »

Clafouti

(French cherry flan)

This sweet cherry flan originated in the Limousin region of France and is often served as a breakfast dish. Clafouti is classically made with fresh cherries in early summer, but you can substitute all kinds of seasonal fruits. Cherry clafouti is traditionally made without first pitting the cherries. Read more »

Coca-Cola Cake

(American cocoa-cola cake)

This fun cake originated in the Southern United States. Bake one up when you find yourself stuck with some flat leftover soda. A favorite for birthday parties. Read more »

Cocada Amarela

(Angolan coconut custard)

A rich, sweet custard with a deep yellow color and the pleasant texture of grated coconut, cocada amarela has its origins in Angola's Portuguese colonial past. Angolans typically favor fresh fruit for dessert. This pudding is one of the only Western-style desserts you'll find on their tables. Read more »

Cranberry Pudding

(American steamed Christmas pudding)

This steamed pudding is popular on the American Christmas table. Flame it with rum and serve it with eggnog sauce for an extra treat. Read more »

Crêpes

(French thin pancakes)

Savory or sweet, stuffed, rolled, stacked or drenched in a boozy orange syrup, crepes are a versatile favorite from France. These thin, delicate pancakes originated in Brittany in the northwest of the country, but they have spread in popularity around the world. Crepes are available as a quick snack in France from small carts or shops called crêperies. In Brittany, it is traditional to accompany crepes with a glass of the local cider. Read more »

Crêpes Suzette

(French thin pancakes with orange sauce)

One of the most popular and well known crepe recipes, crêpes Suzette is a bewitching dessert of thin pancakes in a rich orange-butter sauce. It is a classic dessert in French restaurants, where it is often prepared tableside. Read more »

Dresdner Stollen

(German Christmas fruitcake)

Dresdner Stollen is the famous fruitcake from Dresden that is sold throughout Germany during the Christmas holiday season. Stollen is made from a rich yeast dough mixed with candied fruit and almonds. Loaves are folded to symbolize the Christ child in swaddling clothes. Read more »

Dulce de Leche

(Latin American caramel spread)

Dulce de leche, is a sweet caramel spread popular throughout Latin America and used as a spread for bread, pastries, cakes, crepes and cookies like Argentinian alfajores cookies. It is known as cajeta in Mexico, manjar blanco in Peru, Chile and Bolivia, and arequipe in Colombia. Read more »