10,000 butter recipes

Melt-in-your mouth balls topped with crunch sesame seeds are a delicious, not too sweet, accompaniament to coffee or tea.

A tender bread with a slight orange taste. Excellent plain, toasted or for sandwiches.

Buttery macadamia nut biscotti with half the nuts ground into the dough and half left whole. Twice-baked for a crisp, crunchy cookie with rich tropical flavor.

A puffy, golden egg bake loaded with Monterey Jack, cottage cheese, and mild green chilis. This crustless chili cheese puff is ready in an hour and works for brunch, lunch, or a light supper.

Deep-dish apple pie with a single top crust hiding a heap of brown sugar and cinnamon-spiced apples. Old-fashioned simplicity served with cream or hard sauce, just the way grandmother made it.

Indian-style deep-fried pastries stuffed with a sweet filling of toasted coconut, cream of wheat, almonds, raisins, and cardamom. Crispy golden shells, fragrant spiced filling. Makes 1 dozen.

Challenge Winner, AJ Horst (Test Your Tastebuds, October 2011)

Crispy golden seafood croquettes with a creamy, nutmeg-spiced filling rolled in bread crumbs and fried until crunchy. Freezer-friendly and served with tomato mayonnaise.

Fudgy brownies made with unsweetened chocolate, butter, and pecans. Customize the bake time for fudgy or cakey results, and the pan size for giant or bite-sized squares.

Best Strawberry Cheesecake with Strawberry Glaze recipe

Impossible fudgy nut pie that makes its own crust as it bakes. Melted sweet chocolate, brown sugar, and biscuit mix blended smooth then topped with chopped nuts.

Graham cracker cookies layer buttery crumbs, walnuts, chocolate chips, and flaked coconut, then bake with a brown sugar and evaporated milk drizzle. No mixing required. Also called magic bars or seven layer bars.

Delicate crepes filled with homemade almond cream, folded in quarters, and garnished with shaved chocolate. Elegant brunch or dessert for special occasions.

Fresh mushroom soup with butter-seared mushrooms, sweet onion, and skim milk thickened with arrowroot. A lighter, creamier take on the canned standby in under 30 minutes.

Classic veal piccata with lightly floured cutlets seared in butter and olive oil, finished with a bright lemon-caper pan sauce. A timeless Italian-American favorite that comes together faster than you can set the table.

Mrs Fields almond crunch cookies rolled in sliced almonds and drizzled with a ganache-style chocolate glaze. Buttery, nutty, and crispy with a slow bake for maximum crunch.