These cakey cookies have crisp edges and fluffy centers almost like muffin tops - which we can all agree is the best part of a muffin. Packed with sweet spices, pumpkin purée and lots of chocolate chips,...
Author: Yossy Arefi
Moist in the center and crisp at the corners, these fudgy brownies are lusciously smooth but for the occasional crunch of a chocolate chip. Their bittersweet character is accentuated by the olive oil,...
Author: Melissa Clark
These festive, fudgy confections are a mash-up of two traditional Jewish favorites: rugelach and chocolate babka. They have a tender, flaky pastry wrapped around a bittersweet truffle-like filling that's...
Author: Melissa Clark
This tricorner pastry is as closely linked to Purim, a Jewish holiday which celebrates the Jews' deliverance from a plot to kill them by Haman, as matzos are to Passover. Fillings of poppy seeds, nuts...
Author: Joan Nathan
These heavenly little bars, adapted from the Southern cookbook author Julia Reed, are a modern-day, perfect-for-a-picnic version of a traditional custard pie made from flour, cornmeal, sugar, eggs, butter...
Author: Margaux Laskey
The salted caramel brownie is an ingenious combination of blond, bittersweet caramel and dark, bittersweet chocolate. Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito of New York's Baked bakeries are not the first to note...
Author: Julia Moskin
A simple cheesecake recipe that requires no water bath or springform pan and tastes like a creamy pumpkin pie. Baked in a 9-by-13-inch pan, these are sliced into bars that are easy to serve and eat. If...
Author: Erin Jeanne McDowell
Why just eat a chocolate chip cookie when you could marry it with a dense, fudgy brownie? You do have to make two different batters, but each is whipped up in the same pot without any fancy equipment....
Author: Samantha Seneviratne
Author: Marian Burros
Baking big chunks of white chocolate into gooey, bittersweet brownies adds contrast of both color and texture. Even better, the edges of any exposed white chocolate chunks caramelize as they bake, turning...
Author: Melissa Clark
Similar to cucidati, the Italian fig cookies traditionally served at Christmastime, these adorable mini pies are filled with dried figs, dried cherries and almonds, then topped with a pretty almond-flavored...
Author: Samantha Seneviratne
These are a classic slice-and-bake cookie, ripe for improvisation. Not into hazelnuts? Pistachios, almonds, even chocolate chunks are great here. Don't worry too much about getting the perfect cylindrical...
Author: Alison Roman
Light and buttery, these tender cookies have a subtle corn flavor and a texture similar to ladyfingers or madeleines. They keep well and are just as delicious with a pot of tea.
Author: David Tanis
You could think of these cinnamon squares as the wintry brother of tangy, summery lemon bars, but what they really are is shortbread topped with a cinnamon-infused glaze, perfect with a cup of tea or a...
Author: Nigella Lawson
In the world of Sandra Lee, a cookbook author and self-proclaimed "lifestylist," life is hectic and people are busy, so she cooks semi-homemade food. "The Semi-Homemade cooking approach is easily done...
Author: Amanda Hesser
Glazed and dotted with sprinkles, this Danish treat sandwiches raspberry jam between two buttery cookie layers - and has Pop-Tarts vibes. Popular in bakeries across Denmark, it's achievable at home because...
Author: Alexa Weibel
With plenty of cocoa powder and big wells of dark chocolate, these double chocolate cookies are so fudgy that a tall glass of cold milk is not only delicious, but essential - especially when they are served...
Author: Samantha Seneviratne
Flecked with sea salt on the outside, buttery and supremely crunchy within, this pretzel shortbread leans to the savory side, both salty and sweet. This version, created by Lost Bread Company in Philadelphia,...
Author: Melissa Clark
These soft-centered, marbled bars have all the hallmarks of a winning autumnal treat - spiced pumpkin, rich dark chocolate, toasty pecans and a splash of bourbon. It's worth the extra effort to brown the...
Author: Melissa Clark
Generous swirls of chocolate-hazelnut spread put these super decadent brownies straight over the top. Take care to fold the flour in gently and bake them until they are just set for the richest, fudgiest...
Author: Yossy Arefi
Cookies made with peanut butter seem to keep getting better, especially as we learn to appreciate salty desserts. The peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich cookie recipe here was inspired by a nearly savory...
Author: Mark Bittman
The chef Bonnie Morales Frumkin upgraded this recipe from a treat her Russian family often made during the Soviet era as a way to stretch precious supplies like cookies and cocoa powder. By adding bittersweet...
Author: Julia Moskin
Pierre Hermé, France's most celebrated pastry chef, has created a family of desserts called Ispahan, named for the ancient city in Persia that was famous for roses. Each of the almost 40 members of the...
Author: Dorie Greenspan
Author: Molly O'Neill
These raspberry crumble bars have all the buttery, jammy, brown sugary charms of a raspberry crumb pie. But they're a whole lot easier to serve at a large gathering and picnics, and can be eaten out of...
Author: Melissa Clark
These are the cookies that stopped me in my tracks. I was wandering along a side street in Paris's 11th Arrondissement, saw these cookies on a counter in the back of Mokonuts, a small restaurant, and walked...
Author: Dorie Greenspan
These cookies combine the crackly outsides and tender, chewy centers of snickerdoodles with the warming ginger and molasses of gingerbread. It's a more nuanced version of winter gingerbread and a punchier...
Author: Genevieve Ko
Brownielike and soft-centered, these fudgy cookies are packed with dried cherries, nuts and chocolate chips. Feel free to substitute your favorite nuts and dried fruit for pecans and cherries, or leave...
Author: Melissa Clark
These pillowy, festive cookies are great to have in your back pocket when you're in the mood for a quick holiday treat. Rum extract, widely available during the holidays, is the secret to replicating that...
Author: Vaughn Vreeland
If you're looking for the sturdiest of gingerbread houses, this recipe will get you there. (Here's a printable cut-out template.) A high quantity of shortening is the secret to a strong house that will...
Author: Erin Jeanne McDowell
Follow the same rules you would for egg-white meringues to make the aquafaba version. Start with room-temperature aquafaba and add the sugar slowly, one heaping tablespoon at a time.
Author: Jane Black
Whether you're making Santas or dreidls, shamrocks or bunnies, this foolproof cookie and royal icing recipe is the only one you need. Don't skip chilling the dough after rolling it out. It really helps...
Author: Melissa Clark
This recipe comes from Sister Pie, a Detroit bakery specializing in pies and baked goods, like blueberry plum balsamic pie, buttered corn scones and rhubarb blondies, that are "comforting with a side of...
Author: Margaux Laskey
Think of these cookies as a cross between a gingerbread man and a chewy molasses cookie. Adding molasses gives them a softer texture with a decidedly adult, almost caramel flavor. Instead of rolling or...
Author: Alison Roman
Filled with ground almonds and flavored with vanilla beans, these classic French macarons are soft in the center, with a crunchy meringue shell that shatters gloriously when you bite. Buttercream is the...
Author: Melissa Clark
This delightful recipe, a veganized version of the legendary Times's chocolate chip cookie, is the result of hours of research and more than 50 batches of cookies. In place of unsalted butter, this recipe...
Author: Erin Jeanne McDowell
Most blond brownie recipes rely on copious amounts of brown sugar for flavor, without calling for any chocolate. These, from "Marbled, Swirled and Layered" by Irvin Lin, are an excellent exception. Using...
Author: Melissa Clark
With a crisp graham cracker crust, lemony cream cheese filling and a sweet peach topping, these bar cookies are like a cross between cheesecake and juicy peach pie. You can make them a few days ahead of...
Author: Melissa Clark
Floral hibiscus and citrus zest, along with coarse sugar, make up a delightful swirl in a buttery shortbread dough with contrasting textures from chewy candied ginger and caramelized raw sugar. Every bite...
Author: Yewande Komolafe
Delicate, buttery and festooned with colored sugar or sprinkles, spritz cookies are a holiday staple. You can make excellent ones without any special items like the vanilla bean paste and cultured butter...
Author: Melissa Clark
Once upon a time, good Jewish housewives (known as balaboostas in Yiddish) all knew how to make pastries like strudel, rugelach and schnecken from scratch, using a cream-cheese-enriched dough supposedly...
Author: Julia Moskin
A cross between an American chocolate chip cookie and a French shortbread, this treat was inspired by one created by François Perret, the pastry chef of the Ritz hotel in Paris and its patisserie, Le...
Author: Dorie Greenspan
Slightly more tender than shortbread cookies, golden French sablés have a deep buttery flavor and an appealing sandy texture. These are studded with crunchy cocoa nibs (also called cacao nibs), which...
Author: Melissa Clark
Two things are required to get the best crinkly effect on these cookies: First, use the right ratio of leaveners (baking powder and baking soda). This causes the cookies to rise, then collapse quickly,...
Author: Erin Jeanne McDowell
Here is all you need to know to build a gingerbread house: a delicious recipe, instructions for assembly, and a printable template provided by Nina Cooke John, a Manhattan architect. The recipe came to...
Author: The New York Times
Made with a combination of fresh and ground ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves, these gingerbread cookies are extra-spicy and very crisp. You could leave them plain, if you like, but painting them with...
Author: Melissa Clark
This tribute to the artist Ellsworth Kelly's work "Nine Colors," requires just one decorating skill: mixing colors. Use gel food coloring for the best results, and blend the colors together gradually,...
Author: Susan Spungen
When it comes to decorating sugar cookies, there's nothing more iconic or festive than that thick, glossy royal icing. You'll want to mix the ingredients until they're fluffy, and until the icing flows...
Author: Alison Roman
The torta is really a big cookie whose texture is a cross between a perfect shortbread and the best crumb topping you can imagine. The addition of almond flour and cornmeal is partially responsible for...
Author: Dorie Greenspan
You wouldn't necessarily think adding rye flour to brownies would be a good idea, but it's fabulous. The flour lends a deep earthiness that works wonderfully with the bittersweet depth of the chocolate....
Author: Melissa Clark