841 bitter recipes

This recipe is a tradition in my husband's Swedish family. It makes enough cookies to feed the Swedish Army.

Baked hot fruit compote with plums, peaches, and mandarin oranges in a brown sugar-lemon glaze. A warm, easy dessert or brunch side from pantry staples.

Yeasted anise biscotti from Genoa, made with a sponge starter for a lighter, bread-like crumb. Twice-baked with butter and aniseed, these are nothing like ordinary biscotti.

Crispy cheddar cheese wafers with Rice Krispies for extra crunch. Just 5 pantry ingredients, 30 minutes, and you've got 30 savory, buttery bite-sized snacks.

Elegant shortbread-style cookies with ground toasted pecans and a splash of dry sherry. Pressed with decorative designs and ripened overnight for the best texture. Makes 90 cookies.

The tang of Dijon mustard and the smoothness of whipping cream combine with the light flavor of champagne or white wine to make this a wonderful, easy sauce for fish.

Maple syrup muffins sweetened entirely with real maple syrup instead of sugar. Seven simple ingredients and a specific mixing method that keeps them light and tender.

Old-fashioned coconut fudge candy shaped into little haystacks. Brown sugar, butter, and shredded coconut cooked to soft-ball stage, then dropped onto wax paper. Makes about 60 pieces.

Individual rustic fruit tarts with shortcrust pastry, apricot jam glaze, and thinly sliced apples or pears. A French-bistro dessert that bakes in 15 minutes and looks gorgeous.

Lemon pepper potatoes are oven-roasted red-skin potato chunks tossed with butter-flavored mix, lemon pepper, and fresh chives. Five-ingredient, low-fat side dish ready in an hour.

Glazed sweet potato wedges with butter, orange juice, and cinnamon cooked in the microwave. A quick, caramelized side dish ready in just 20 minutes.

Cinnamon raisin French toast soaked in a rum-spiked egg custard with nutmeg, fried golden in butter, and drizzled with homemade maple-rum syrup. Weekend brunch just got serious.

Scotch apple pudding layered with sliced apples, rolled oats, cinnamon sugar, and skim milk, then baked until golden and bubbly. A low-fat British-style baked dessert.

Three-ingredient primavera cream sauce with heavy cream, butter, and Parmesan melted into a silky coating for pasta or spring vegetables. Quick Italian-style white sauce ready in 10 minutes.

Spicy bread originating from the Catskill mountains.

Soft, spiced ginger cookies using prune butter to replace fat. Crackled sugar-coated tops with chewy centers, perfect for guilt-free snacking.