Cheryl E Zollman, Recipe Tester

Rich, velvety, and very, very smooth. That’s this vegan no-bake fudge cake that makes magic from a short list of everyday ingredients.

There’s cornbread. And then there’s cornbread enhanced with bacon, corn, and good ol’ bacon drippings. Just as God intended, folks who’ve made it have been saying.

If you’ve been thinking maybe you’re done with pumpkin everything, wait’ll you experience this aromatic pound cake that boasts the perfect balance of sweet and spice.

Dark chocolate-y, appropriately (and not too) rich, just sweet enough, and the entire surface blanketed with that coveted crackly surface. Let the love affair commence.

A dark chocolate brownie crust, blobs of brownies baked in the cheesecake, and a swirl of bittersweet chocolate. Comfort food, indeed.

Few things would be lovelier to receive at the holidays than a loaf of this traditional sweet yeast bread studded with fruit and nuts.

Essentially fancy-sounding blobs of pastry with grated cheese, these chichi French lovelies impress everyone yet barely take any effort.

These fancy-sounding desserts are essentially creamy custards that come together with very little time or effort from half-and-half, brown sugar, pumpkin, eggs, and warm spices. So good you’re gonna want them year round.

We’ve never met a rugelach that we haven’t liked. Although there are some we adore more than others. This falls into the latter category.

Unexpected, easy, eye-catching, and impressive as heck. That’s what we think of this lovely autumnal juxtaposition of tastes and textures that’s gonna upend the way you think about salads.