Baked goods recipes

Frosty date balls with chopped dates and walnuts in a buttery shortbread dough, baked low and slow, then rolled in powdered sugar while warm. A classic holiday cookie.

Slice and bake sugar cookies: a make-ahead dough rolled in wax paper and chilled, then sliced and baked into tender cookies. Yields nearly eight dozen.

Homemade poppyseed filling for hamantaschen made from a full pound of ground poppy seeds, honey, sugar, and egg. Traditional Jewish Purim pastry filling from scratch.

Nutty choco-pumpkin ice cream pie layers vanilla ice cream studded with toffee candy bars under a spiced pumpkin ice cream layer in a chocolate cookie crust. No-bake fall freezer pie that lives in the freezer until needed.

Holiday molasses crinkles are spiced sugar-coated cookies with cracked, snowy tops. The water-droplet trick guarantees that signature crinkled surface every time. Soft inside, slightly crisp at the edges.

Fresh peach pie layers ripe sliced peaches under a glossy peach-and-nutmeg glaze in a pre-baked shell. No double crust, no second bake. The classic American summer fridge pie that lets ripe fruit do the talking.

Classic thumbprint cookies with brown sugar dough rolled in egg white and chopped nuts, indented mid-bake, then filled with icing, cherries, or chocolate kisses.

Amigdala praline is a Greek almond brittle made with blanched almonds caramelized in butter and sugar with a drop of lemon juice. Crush it over tarts and ice cream for a crunchy topping.

Pumpkin raisin cookies with canned pumpkin, cinnamon, and raisins, topped with a simple butter-vanilla frosting. Soft, cakey fall cookies that stay moist for days.

Oatmeal cookies with cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and 3 cups of rolled oats. Bake 8 minutes for chewy or 11 for crispy, a simple spiced classic you can customize.

Classic gingerbread people cookies with molasses, brown sugar, and warm spices. Makes 30 crisp-tender cookies, perfect for decorating with kids for Christmas baking.

Sesame seed cookies are an Italian-American holiday classic with a tender shortbread-like dough rolled in toasted sesame seeds before baking. Massive batch (240 cookies) for cookie tins.

A favorite throughout the South, chess pie takes its name from the description given by a cook who was asked what sort of pie it was, and replied, "jes pie, honey."

Nut refrigerator cookies (icebox cookies) with brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and chopped nuts. Slice-and-bake dough that chills overnight and yields crisp, buttery cookies with caramel notes.

Crispy rice treats with melted marshmallows and graham cracker crumbs for a s'mores-style twist. No-bake, five ingredients, and a crowd favorite every time.

White chocolate macadamia nut brownies drizzled with a white chocolate cream sauce. Rich, buttery blondies with a fudgy center and crunchy macadamias in every bite.