Dessert

In Linda Triplett's circles, she's famous for this recipe, which, amazingly, she created the first time she tried making cherry pie. "I just couldn't bring myself to pour the cherry filling from a can into a pie crust and call it my own," she explains. The key: whole tart cherries give it a fresh taste even though they're canned. Though the recipe has been "top secret" until now, it was among the top finishers in our contest -- and now the secret's out!

This may be the only recipe in which you get to use an electric beater in a pan you've just taken off the burner. "I kept thinking 'This is weird, this can't work,' but it does, and it is not difficult," Hope Barron assures cooks. Indeed, it's simply a question of spreading a "crust" layer with your hands, smoothing a "rising" layer over it, baking and then frosting it. "It is so yummy," Hope adds -- and she's right again.

So simple -- and so tasty! In a season of rich desserts and exotic ingredients, these cookies are a refreshment for both guests and bakers.

Three ingredients is probably the minimum we've ever seen submitted as a recipe, but this is certainly the trifecta for "delicious." Serve as an elegant addition to a dessert buffet or have the grandchildren help roll the cheese-and-cookie balls -- either way, guests will be back for more!

This dessert looks like a plain yellow cake -- but it doesn't taste like one. Contributor Marie Houle writes: "My niece is spending two years in Johannesburg, South Africa with her husband and four children. Her favorite new holiday dessert is Malva Pudding. It’s a baked dessert available in all South African restaurants during the winter season.