Nut Free

These rich cookies should seem a bit soft when you take them out of the oven. They firm as they cool, so be careful not to overbake them.

The recipe for these delicious cookies comes from food writer and cookbook author Carolynn Carreño.

To clean fresh morels, dunk them into a bowl of cold water; drain them on a clean kitchen towel. You can substitute 8 dried morels for the fresh: Cover with hot water in a medium bowl. Set a small bowl on top of the mushrooms to keep them submerged. Let the mushrooms stand until soft, about 20 minutes, then lift them out of the water. Using paper towels, gently press out excess liquid, and let the mushrooms drain on a clean kitchen towel.

If desired, use a small ice-cream scoop for uniform-size cookies. To make a cookie tart, press 3 cups of this dough into a buttered and sugared 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom or a 9-inch pie tin lined with buttered, sugared parchment. Bake at 325°F until the edges are golden and the center is almost set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool at least 20 minutes, and remove from the pan. (Bake the remaining dough as cookies at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes.)

We baked these treats in mini brioche pans; small fluted tartlet pans would work just as well.

We cut the dough into assorted shapes using 2- to 4-inch cookie cutters.

Store these brownies in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving. You can also make the brownies in an 8-inch-square baking pan (prepare the pan as directed in step 1 of Double Chocolate Brownies, page 541).

If yellow zucchini are unavailable, you can use all green zucchini to make this pie.

This recipe is based on the famous Key Lime pie from Joe’s Stone Crab restaurant in Miami Beach. If you can’t find Key limes, use regular fresh lime juice. The bars will keep, wrapped in plastic, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Store brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

These are best eaten slightly warm.