Recipes with vanilla extract

Chewy coconut almond macaroons made with homemade almond paste, ground coconut, and egg whites. Naturally gluten-free, crisp on the outside, soft in the middle. Makes 3 to 4 dozen.

Old-fashioned currant pound cake with mace, lemon extract, and 9 eggs folded in as stiffly beaten whites. No leavening needed. Dense, buttery, and studded with dried currants.

Taffy apple pizza on a giant sugar cookie crust topped with peanut butter cream cheese, sliced Granny Smith apples, caramel drizzle, and chopped peanuts. A party-size dessert.

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.

Pepsi-Cola cake with broiled peanut butter frosting: a Southern sheet cake made with a cup of Pepsi and melted marshmallows in the batter, topped with a bubbling brown sugar peanut butter frosting toasted under the broiler. Retro comfort baking at its most over-the-top.

A stunning three-tiered champagne cake soaked in bubbly and frosted with champagne buttercream. Built from two pans and cut into graduated layers, this is the centerpiece for weddings, New Year's, and any excuse to celebrate.

Classic gugelhupf is a yeasted Austrian bundt cake studded with raisins, ground almonds, and lemon zest. Soft, slightly sweet, and built for coffee and an afternoon visit.

Buttery crescent roll layers stuffed with sweetened cream cheese and crowned with a crunchy cinnamon-sugar nut topping. Just 15 minutes of prep for a warm, gooey pastry that feeds a crowd.

Double chocolate banana snack cake loaded with cocoa and chocolate chips, made with ripe mashed bananas for extra moisture. A one-bowl, no-mixer recipe that serves eight.

Rich coconut custard made with half-and-half creates an extra-creamy filling that's worth the wait. Topped with whipped cream and toasted coconut for bakery-quality results at home.

Four-layer no-bake candy bar dessert with chocolate-butterscotch, peanut butter nougat, salted peanuts, and gooey caramel. Homemade Snickers bars in a 13x9 pan.

Grandma Rose's blueberry cake folds flour-coated blueberries into a buttery sheet cake topped with cinnamon sugar. Old-fashioned family recipe that serves 24, perfect for potlucks.

Frosted peanut butter cake squares bake a tender peanut butter cake under chocolate-peanut butter frosting and chopped peanut butter cups. Bakery-style chocolate-and-PB nostalgia.

Creamy no-fail chocolate fudge with a secret ingredient: process cheese. Melts into a rich, smooth candy loaded with cocoa and chopped nuts that nobody will guess.

Raisin oatmeal brownies blend melted chocolate chips with brown sugar, oats, and raisins for a chewy bar with nutty texture and pockets of fruity sweetness.

Italian-American ricotta pie with a graham cracker crust, sour cream layer, and homemade black cherry topping. Three layers of dairy and fruit that cross over from cheesecake territory into pie shape.