Apple Pie

• Apple pie is a classic American dessert with a relatively straightforward flavor, which makes it a versatile treat for pairing with new ingredients. Bake blackberries, lemon zest, apples, sugar and cinnamon in a basic pie crust for a tangy dessert with a berry background flavor. Mix apple pie filling, cinnamon, cardamom, caraway, nutmeg, clove, vanilla extract and lemon zest in a graham cracker pie crust to give the old dessert a rich and spicy kick. Fill a pie crust with apples, sugar, marbled Monterey jack and cheddar cheese and a hint of onion powder for a sharp sweet.

Milk Chocolate Cake

• Milk chocolate cake is an indulgent dessert, but its standard chocolate flavor can start to taste dull after repeated consumption. Fill a milk chocolate cake with black cherry mousse and top with an almond-chocolate glaze for a powerful sweet with a nutty twist. Mix a little sweet red wine, such as a sweet Marsala, into milk chocolate cake and cover with dark chocolate frosting for a rich dessert with a sophisticated background flavor. Mix dark chocolate chips into milk chocolate cake and drizzle with pomegranate sauce to create an extra chocolaty dessert with a hint of exotic taste.

Rice Pudding

• Traditional rice pudding can be a rather bland dish, but its mellow flavor is well suited for dressing up with other ingredients. Stir diced mandarin oranges and toasted almond slices into a standard rice, sugar, egg and cream pudding to give the dessert a tangy and smoky twist. Mix raisins, spiced rum, vanilla extract, chopped walnuts and chopped pecans into the rice pudding for a rich sweet with a hint of bite. Add dried pineapple, dried mango, coconut milk and shredded coconut to the rice pudding for a tropical taste.

Sugar Cookies

• Sugar cookies are old news when it comes to the world of cookies, but they’re also extremely adaptable. Mix dried cranberries, dried cherries and white chocolate chips into the sugar cookie dough for a sweet and sour treat with a light background flavor. Stir candied lemon rind, dried rosemary and vanilla extract into the sugar dough to create a sophisticated cookie with a hint of bite. Add strong coffee and dark chocolate chips to the sugar dough and top with cream cheese frosting for a robust sweet with a creamy twist.