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Made with a fraction of the butter used for most upside-down cakes, this dessert has the flavor and texture of angel food cake — and it tastes so good that nobody will know it has been streamlined.

Chocolate chip cookies are taken to a crispy, crunchy new level.

"Whenever we're in the area, my husband and I stop at the Thompson House Eatery in Jackson, New Hampshire," says Sandra L. Michaud of Newtown, Connecticut. "I'm crazy about the freshly baked lemon bread that sometimes comes with meals there." This sweet quick bread would make a nice breakfast treat, too.

Either pink or green gooseberries work well in this rendition of the traditional English dessert.

Found throughout the Middle East, this shortbread-style cookie remains white after baking. Some people make diamond-shaped or round cookies with this dough, but the ring shapes are more common.

Any holiday-motif cookie cutter can be used to make these. If you don't have small cookie cutters (about one inch in diameter) to cut out the centers, use the wide end of a small pastry-bag tip instead. The cookies look striking in a glass canister dressed up with a bright red ribbon.

Californian Harry Baker invented the chiffon cake in 1927, but he kept the recipe a tightly guarded secret for another 20 years. He finally relented and sold his formula to General Mills. The mystery ingredient? Vegetable oil, which gave the cake richness and a light, moist texture. We spike this one with all the flavors of a Margarita cocktail; the Strawberry Compote with Tequila and Lime is an elegant touch.

This confection calls for half of our recipe for sweet tartlet shells. Use the remaining half for Chocolate Raspberry Bites.

In 1897, the Sears catalog offered its customers a treat called brownies. No one seems to remember whether they were bar cookies or a chocolate confection named after a popular cartoon character. No matter; by the 1900s the brownie as we now know it had arrived. The recipe for these dense, moist brownies is from Heather Ho, pastry chef at Boulevard in San Francisco.

These puffed little squares of pancake, based on Austria's Kaiserschmarrn, are delicious with a quick fruit sauce: Thin your favorite jam with a little water and lemon juice, then heat until hot.

Dulce de leche is a soft milk-caramel confection that is yet again one of the year's top flavors. If you don't have time to make the sauce, look for it with the ice cream toppings at the market. Note that the baked cheesecake must be chilled overnight before serving.

For an elegant dinner, just add a salad of Bibb lettuce and Belgian endive with walnut-oil vinaigrette, and pass a basket of warm French bread. A purchased apple tart makes a lovely finale.

Coeur à la Crème is an old French concoction that is both earthy and elegant, rustic and dressy — appropriate for any occasion. It's a wonderful complement to whatever summer berries are in season. This dessert is served at The Inn to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. It can be made in less than five minutes and never fails to knock em' out — even more so than an elaborate cake that took two days to execute. One large (16-ounce) or four individual (4-ounce) perforated heart-shaped ceramic molds lined with cheesecloth will be needed to create this dessert. The perforated molds allow the excess liquid, or whey, to drip through the cheesecloth, leaving the delicious "heart" of the cream. Coeur à la crème molds are usually available at kitchen supply stores.

For kids of all ages, this dessert is dense and chocolaty, and comes in a cute package. When was the last time you had a cupcake with chocolate sprinkles on top?

Made with heavy cream and gelatin instead of eggs, this no-bake cheesecake has the silky texture of panna cotta. Begin preparing it at least one day ahead.

Wheatmeal crackers (sometimes called digestive biscuits) have a flavor similar to graham crackers. For this particular recipe, we prefer Carr's brand wheatmeal crackers, which are available at supermarkets and labeled as "whole wheat crackers." (Don't use Carr's Wheatolos, which are a bit too sweet.) Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 9 3/4 hr (includes chilling)