Baked goods recipes

Final exam brownies pile fudgy chocolate batter with marshmallows, nuts, chocolate chips, and colorful M&M's. The over-the-top dorm-room treat for stressful study sessions.

Pecan crescents, buttery melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookies rich with finely chopped pecans and a hint of nutmeg, shaped into little crescents. A cornstarch-tender holiday cookie in the wedding-cookie family.

Boston cream pie from scratch: two tender cake-flour layers split by a thick vanilla pastry cream and finished with a glossy chocolate glaze that drips down the sides. The classic Massachusetts dessert, every component homemade.

Hawaiian macadamia bread folds crushed pineapple, shredded coconut, and chopped macadamia nuts into a tender quick bread. Tropical tea bread or breakfast loaf with island flavors in every slice.

Spiced applesauce cookies with cinnamon and cloves bake into soft, cake-like drops sweetened with thick unsweetened applesauce. Makes 3 dozen tender old-fashioned cookies in 30 minutes.

Maple walnut cookies made from boiled maple syrup, whipped egg whites, sherry, and chopped walnuts. Piped from a pastry tube and baked into crisp, meringue-style cookies.

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.

Great-Grandma's lemon cake with real butter, lemon zest and juice, and beaten egg whites folded in for a light crumb. A heirloom loaf cake recipe that makes two freezer-friendly loaves.

When you taste these homemade gingersnap cookies, you will fall in love with them, and never buy the store-bought bagged or boxed stuff any more. They are so delicious.

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.

Swedish ginger cookies (pepparkakor) made with dark corn syrup, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. A spiced roll-and-cut dough that bakes thin and snappy for the holidays.

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.

Decadent chocolate brownies spiked with coffee, Godiva liqueur, and crunchy walnuts. These fudgy brownies with a ribbony texture are pure indulgence for chocolate lovers.

Lighter pound cake made with egg whites instead of whole eggs and buttermilk for a tender crumb. Flavored with vanilla and a hint of mace, no yolks needed.

Buttery spice cookies with crystallized ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and a dusting of powdered sugar. Pressed thin and baked until light golden, these make-ahead cookies keep for a week or freeze for a month.