Cookbooks

Dulce de leche is a milk-based caramel sauce found in many Latin American desserts. In the United States, it has become a popular ice cream flavor. If you can’t find it, look for caramel ice cream; vanilla would also taste great here.

This rich, pudding-like mousse is simple to make, and it’s also a real kid-pleaser. A serrated knife works best for chopping chocolate. If you don’t have one, use a chef’s knife.

With their tart flavor and sunny color, these lemon bars are sure to become a favorite year-round treat. Use a serrated knife to cut into bars, wiping the blade with a damp towel after each slice.

Many countries, including Greece and Russia, have variations on these crumbly, sandy, nut-rich cookies. Whatever their origin, the treats are nearly always rolled twice in confectioners’ sugar after baking, which is why there’s so little sugar in the dough.

When lining the baking pan, press the foil neatly into the corners, and smooth the bottom and sides. If necessary, brush sides of pan with butter to help foil stay in place.

As they bake, these quick-to-make cookies get crunchy on the outside yet remain moist and chewy inside. And because they don’t contain flour, they are a nice gluten-free option.

Instant espresso powder gives these drop cookies grown-up appeal. If you’d rather not remove the hazelnut skins yourself, as described below, look for blanched nuts at specialty shops, then toast them (see page 365).

This cheesecake-like tart has a crust made from ground vanilla wafers rather than the standard graham crackers. The top of the tart might brown irregularly; conceal any spots by dusting the surface lightly with confectioners’ sugar (use a fine-mesh sieve).

Gelatin thickens this creamy no-bake pie filling, making it easier to slice once it sets. To create an even crust, press the crumbs with the bottom of a dry measuring cup and your fingers, working from the center to the edge of the pan and then up the sides.

In this Italian-style free-form tart, thinly sliced fresh figs and a tender almond filling are encased in a buttery crust. If you can’t find fresh figs, use ripe plums, pitted and thinly sliced.

All you need to have on hand to make this delightfully simple and relatively wholesome dessert are two ingredients—pears and sugar (plus water). A melon baller makes quick work of coring pears, but a small spoon can be used instead.

Broiling the apricots with a touch of brown sugar draws out their sweetness. Look for apricots that are deep orange, fairly plump, and soft enough to yield to gentle pressure (avoid any that are bruised, mushy, or shriveled).

Mint-steeped simple syrup gives whipped cream surprisingly bright flavor (but no color). Use any leftover syrup to sweeten iced tea or lemonade.

Brown Betties are similar to fruit crisps and cobblers, but they rely on toasted bread crumbs to bind the filling and to produce a crunchy topping. If you can’t find Gala apples, use other crisp, slightly tart varieties, such as Granny Smith.

This old-fashioned dessert—also known as a slump or grunt—is made by simmering fruit and sugar with dumplings, which soak up the sweet syrup as they cook. Be careful not to overmix the dough; it should be slightly lumpy, not smooth.

A cast-iron skillet is a rustic oven-to-table option, but you can also bake the buckle in a nine-inch square cake pan or in a two-quart shallow baking dish.

The dark hues of these two fruits complement one another, but you can certainly swap in other berries, such as raspberries, or slices of stone fruit, like nectarines or peaches (all are delicious with ginger). Biscuits are best served the same day they are baked.

This four-ingredient cake deserves a spot on every home baker’s list of go-to dessert recipes. It’s a cinch to prepare, and the cake itself is a revelation—the edges and top develop a delicately crisp crust, while the center remains moist and fudgy.

Olive oil and white wine may seem like unfamiliar ingredients in desserts, yet here they combine to produce a subtly fruity cake. For a crunchier topping, use coarse sanding sugar, available at many grocery stores, in place of the granulated sugar in step 3.