Electric Mixer

These frozen dessert bars are large enough to hold you through a double feature. Don't worry about them melting — they're just as delicious when they soften.

Like all the names of the desserts at Sugar, this one is a play on a literary work (André Gide's The Immoralist). The campfire favorite is made at once more refined and more scrumptious: Meltingly soft, homemade marshmallows are caramelized atop tender, crumbly chocolate sablé cookies. You will need to use a stand mixer to prepare the fresh marshmallows, and a kitchen blowtorch to caramelize them.

The ganache needs to freeze overnight, so start preparing it at least one day before serving.

Combining the best of lemon meringue pie and lemon tart, a cloud of soft meringue tops the sprightly lemon curd filling and buttery cookie crust.

Michael Shrader of Nine Restaurant Group in Palm Springs, Florida, writes: "Both sides of my family cooked a lot when I was growing up, so I've had plenty of inspiration to draw on as a chef. From my mother's Sicilian heritage, I learned about homemade pasta, braised meats, and biscotti—before they became fashionable. My dad is part German, and he was known for his talents working the grill. Now that I'm a professional chef, my entire family is paranoid about cooking for me. I find that funny because I still love their food and look forward to it." This recipe makes two cakes, so freeze one to enjoy at another time.

A topping of chopped Heath bars gives these brownies a satisfying crunch.

Armandino Batali of Salumi in Seattle, writes: "My son, Mario Batali, may be the most recognizable foodie in the family, but the Batalis' interest in Italian cooking and culture goes back generations. My grandfather opened Seattle's first Italian-food import store in 1903. It was located just a few steps from where my restaurant, Salumi, is now, and it's one of the things that inspired me to get into the business." Batali calls these soft cookies unscotti because they are baked once, unlike biscotti, which are crisp and baked twice.

(Iced Coffee with Vanilla Ice Cream)

This cooked version of eggnog (without any booze) gets chilled overnight and up to two days, so you can make it ahead and serve it to anyone who comes through the door.

This recipe is used to make: Spritz Wreaths
Raspberry Hazelnut Triangles
Orange Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Mocha Butter Balls
Jewel Bowl Cookies
Spiced Icebox Butter Cookies
Apricot Stars
Almond Butter Crisps Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

For soft and chewy cookies, bake these just a couple of minutes less than the recipe directs.