Recipes with pecan halves

Three-layer German chocolate cake with mashed potatoes in the batter for a tender crumb, German milk chocolate, and a cooked pecan-coconut frosting that's stirred for 12 minutes until golden.

Baked Brie with cranberry chutney made from fresh cranberries, brown sugar, lime juice, and pickled jalapeno, spooned over the wheel and baked until melting. A holiday appetizer that's ready in 30 minutes.

Sweet potato pie with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a flaky shell, finished with a decorative ring of pecan halves and a dollop of whipped cream. The yogurt in the custard adds tang and lift that traditional milk-only versions miss.

Coffee cake muffins with a cinnamon-pecan brown sugar streusel baked inside and on top. All the flavor of coffee cake in individual portions, ready in 30 minutes.

Topsy turvy apple pecan pie flips out of its pan like a tarte tatin, revealing a caramelized pecan-and-brown-sugar top crust over cinnamon-spiced Granny Smith apples. A Thanksgiving showstopper.

Light pumpkin praline cheesecake: low-fat cottage cheese stands in for cream cheese, wheat germ replaces graham crumbs in the crust, and pumpkin pie spice carries the flavor. Topped with maple-drizzled pecans.

Classic pecan pralines, the New Orleans candy with toasted pecans suspended in a creamy brown sugar candy. Six ingredients, no nuts skipped, classic Cajun holiday treat.

Chocolate pecan pie with melted semisweet chocolate and butter swirled into a classic corn syrup filling. Rich, fudgy, and loaded with pecan halves in a flaky pastry shell.

Old-fashioned date and pecan cake baked low and slow in a tube pan. More fruit and nuts than batter, with a dense, rich texture similar to fruitcake.

Rum pecans candied with dark rum, instant coffee, cinnamon, and sugar in one saucepan. Only 3 ingredients beyond the nuts and ready in 20 minutes flat.

Apple pecan coffee cake made easy with baking mix, studded with cinnamon-spiced apples and crunchy pecans, then drizzled with vanilla glaze. A quick brunch cake with a splash of whiskey.

Old fashioned pineapple upside down cake baked in a cast iron skillet with a caramelized brown sugar and butter base, pineapple rings, and pecan halves. Served warm with whipped cream.

Adorable brown sugar pecan cookies shaped like tiny turtles with pecan halves for legs and heads. Frosted and irresistible, these bake up in about 10 minutes.

Buttery cookies hiding a whole Andes mint inside, wrapped in soft dough and topped with a pecan half for surprise chocolate-mint magic in every bite.

No-bake frozen Oreo ice cream cake layered with vanilla ice cream, whipped topping, pecans, and chocolate syrup. Make it ahead and slice straight from the freezer.

Upside-down muffins with pecans and melted margarine in the bottom that become a praline topping when inverted after baking.