Stand Mixer

We tested this recipe with Lindt, Valrhona, Ghirardelli, and Callebaut bittersweet chocolates, all of which worked equally well. Our favorite, however, was Valrhona, which made for an especially rich-flavored gianduia. For this recipe you will need heavy-duty foil (thicker and wider than regular foil) to waterproof the springform pan.

A chewy coconut meringue "crust" and rich chocolate mousse filling make this delicious, inventive Australian dessert taste like a combination of coconut cream pie and chocolate cream pie.

This classic cookie combines two of my favorite sweets: buttery-tender Scottish shortbread and satiny lilting English lemon curd. The problem has always been getting a firm enough topping and avoiding a soggy shortbread base. The special technique discovered for this recipe virtually guarantees success. The clean, refreshing flavor of lemon makes these the perfect sweets to follow a rich Christmas goose.

Juana Vázquez-Gómez of Redondo Beach, California, writes: "Growing up in Cuernavaca, just outside Mexico City, I remember my grandmother cooking elaborate Mexican meals every day. My mother continued that tradition, but not in such an all-consuming manner. For her it was a great joy to plan a menu and then invite people to help with the preparation. "The women in my life taught me the beauty of a good meal. I still use many of their recipes today, but unlike my grandmother I don't spend an entire day in the kitchen. Fortunately, my husband and kids like to cook, so I've found a balance between my grandmother's time-intensive recipes and my mother's practicality. " Juana serves these fritters for dessert, but they make a great breakfast dish, too.

The following recipe makes 120 cookies. Any excess raw dough may be kept, frozen, 3 weeks. You'll find these delicate wafers so delicious that they'll disappear in no time.

"This recipe for Swedish drommar, meaning 'dreams,' comes from my grandmother," writes Elizabeth Wigg Maxwell of New Providence, New Jersey. "She and my mother made these every Christmas when my siblings and I were growing up. As children, we were amazed that my mother had to go to the pharmacy to obtain one of the ingredients: ammonium carbonate. Equally incredible was the fact that something which smelled so horrible helped make such delicious cookies!" "Years ago, I began baking drommar for my own family. I called the local pharmacy to request the unusual ingredient and was delighted when the pharmacist said, 'You must be making those Swedish cookies!'" Ammonium carbonate, used by European bakers, makes especially crisp cookies. Its smell, which you may find off-putting while making the dough, disappears completely in the baking process.

Passover without macaroons is like Rosh Hashanah without sweet honey cake or Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie. Sephardic macaroons use lemon zest for flavoring rather than almond extract. The secret to good macaroons is beating the egg whites just right and not overbaking the cookies.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This rich dessert is perfect for the holidays and other special occasions.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The espresso-flavored cream puff pastry and fluffy coffee and chocolate custard filling vary from the traditional plain pastry and praline buttercream. Delicious on its own, this is even better with the chocolate caramel sauce.

If you don't have the pastry rings we call for in this recipe, you can use 1/2-cup muffin cups. However, the batter will fill 6 muffin cups, making smaller cakes.

To create a basket-weave design, follow the instructions at the bottom of the recipe.