Soul Food Desserts

Imagine a pumpkin pie made with jarred apple butter in place of the usual canned pumpkin. It's the perfect home-baked treat to cap off a cozy autumn supper. Patty suggests sprinkling pecan pieces over the whipped cream or ice cream before serving. We opted for grated fresh nutmeg. This recipe comes from Patty Pinner's cookbook Sweety Pies.

Baked in a casserole dish, this unusual dessert channels the spirit of marshmallow-topped sweet potato, with the added spice of pumpkin pie. This recipe comes from Patty Pinner's cookbook Sweets.

Patty's grandmother sifted together the flour and baking powder three times before adding them to the batter. We had good results just whisking them together. This recipe comes from Patty Pinner's cookbook Sweets.

A cloud of toasty meringue tops creamy coconut pudding in a recipe from Patty's friend and fellow soul-food queen. Though not difficult, the filling for this pie does require attentive cooking. This recipe comes from Patty Pinner's cookbook Sweety Pies.

Besides tinting the cake a lovely pale orange, sweet potatoes lend a pleasant texture to the rich, creamy filling. This recipe comes from Patty Pinner's cookbook Sweets.

Vanilla wafers, cocoa powder and pecans form the base of these boozy, no-bake bonbons that keep up to 2 weeks in the fridge. This recipe comes from Patty Pinner's cookbook Sweets.

This über-sweet pie is essentially a traditional pecan pie made with hazelnuts. This recipe comes from Patty Pinner's cookbook Sweety Pies.

Butter-rich pastry holds a four- ingredient filling of apricot jam, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg. For best results, be sure to use cold butter and cream in the lemony pastry. This recipe comes from Patty Pinner's cookbook Sweety Pies.

Nothing fancy here; this is the perfectly chewy lunchbox classic, pebbled with walnuts and plump raisins. A combination of vegetable oil and butter ensures a chewy texture and rich flavor. This recipe comes from Patty Pinner's cookbook Sweets.