Chocolate

If you don't want to go to the trouble of roasting and peeling hazelnuts, you can substitute chopped walnuts here. Simply toast them briefly in a dry pan (and let them cool) to unlock their full flavor. This recipe offers a choice of finishing touches; if you serve the fritters in hot batches straight from the fryer, you can invite guests to dust their own with their choice of topping.

This deep, rich cake gets extra flavor from bittersweet chocolate, coffee, and crystallized ginger.

A great homemade gift. Panforte (an Italian fruit-and-nut confection) is the topping for these bittersweet chocolates.

Armagnac adds a festive and slightly boozy flavor.

When I told my friend (and fellow southern cookbook author) James Villas that I was making almond tassies, he had a fit. "There is no such thing," he said. It’s true that tassies (miniature tartlets) are traditionally made with pecans. But I happen to have history on my side. Almonds have been imported into the South since colonial times, and they were once as commonplace in holiday baking as pecans are today. I’m not sure that will convince James to make these, but trust me—they’re absolutely delicious.

A big, beautiful soufflé with a festive chestnut flavor. You’ll need to bake the dessert right before serving, but you can make the soufflé base (minus the egg whites) two hours ahead, then fold in the whites up to one hour before baking.

The cake is layered with dark chocolate ganache and white chocolate cream, then topped with marshmallowy peppermint frosting.

With just a hint of whiskey in the ice cream and a strong coffee presence in the caramel sauce, this is a grown-up take on a classic chocolate dessert.

Put out several flavors of ice cream and let guests help you by making their own desserts!

There are several secrets to perfect, crisp cannoli: 1). You need the right proportion of filling to shell. In America, cannoli are often too large, with too much filling. These are tiny and delicate, perfect for eating in just a couple of bites. 2). Use high-quality ingredients. Sheep's-milk ricotta is the most traditional, but good fresh cow's-milk ricotta will work fine as well. Be sure to drain it for an hour to avoid watering down the filling. Good-quality candied orange peel is important as well. If you can't find any that's fresh and plump, substitute freshly grated orange zest. 3). Most importantly, don't fill the shells until you're ready to serve them. Both the filling and the shells can be made one day ahead, but to avoid soggy shells, don't pipe the filling into them until the last minute. If you don't have a pastry bag, a one-gallon freezer bag with the end snipped off can be used to pipe the filling.

Pretty sundaes that have tons of mint flavor—in the fudge sauce, sugar topping, ice cream, and crumbled cookies.

A chocolate-dipped frozen banana meets an ice cream sandwich.

The decadent chocolate-dipped ice cream cones are easy—and a lot offun—to make at home.

These confections combine melted chocolate, berries, and bits of toffee. Serve them with your after-dinner coffee or give them as a gift. (Keep refrigerated; let stand 30 minutes before serving.)

You thought chocolate was good? Try chocolate with cherries and pistachios. Heaven!

With chocolate mousse this good and this easy, you can give your guests a delicious start to the new year!

We love the cinnamon in Mexican chocolate. For this pie, we surround a smooth chocolate-pudding filling with cinnamon—a crumbly spiced graham cracker crust below and cinnamon whipped cream on top.

A triple layer of crumbly crust, a truffle-like interior, and an almost patent-leather-shiny glaze make this tart the chicest take on chocolate we've come across in a long time.

Purchased vanilla ice cream, pumpkin, and four different spices make up the delicious pie filling.