Amaretto

For soft and chewy cookies, bake these just a couple of minutes less than the recipe directs.

A flavorful filling in an elegant dessert.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

A thick layer of pure white chocolate truffle separates the amaretto-brushed layers, and a bit more truffle filling is used to flavor the whipped cream icing.

"I started cooking when I was a 'young married' in my twenties and realized I liked it," writes Sheryl Hurd-House of Jupiter, Florida. "But I'm having even more fun cooking now that our three children are grown and it's just me and my husband, Garry." Frozen berries — thawed, of course — can stand in for fresh ones in the winter. Prepare the frozen "baskets" (made from cream cheese that’s lightened with whipped cream) at least two hours and up to three days before serving.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 3 3/4 hr

An almond-scented pudding layered with blackberries and blackberry preserves makes a nice finale.

Chocolate ganache and hazelnut cream are encased in a tender nut cake.

Since just about any combination of fruits will work for the topping, this recipe can be used all year long.

Loosely translated, tiramisù means "pick me up," and it has been picked up on practically every menu in America. Since the early eighties, it has been one of the most famous Italian-American desserts, and like spaghetti and meatballs, it is far more prevalent here than in Italy. Purchased angel food cake makes this especially easy.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

Candida Sportiello writes: "As owner and chef of Il Giardino restaurant, on the tiny island of Ventotene off the coast of Naples, I've been cooking professionally for twenty-five years — but I've been cooking for pleasure for a good fifty years. As is the Italian way, most of my favorite recipes were handed down from my mother and grandmother, so they date from the early 1900s." This rich dessert is called a semifreddo ("half frozen") in Italian.

This gelato, named after Bernardo Buontalenti, a sixteenth-century Florentine who may have been one of the world's original ice-cream makers, is made with any number of flavorings. The "secret" ingredient is usually a liqueur (such as Di Saronno Amaretto). A delicious alternative would be a pinch of mixed spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.