Dessert/8 recipes

Smørkranser are traditional Norwegian butter wreath cookies made with just four ingredients: butter, sugar, egg yolk and flour. Shaped into tiny wreaths, brushed with egg white and topped with colored sugar.

Coffee-almond cake with an espresso-cocoa custard baked in caramel, inverted over an amaretti cookie cake layer. A showstopping Italian-inspired dessert with two baked components.

A no-bake icebox torte layered with graham crackers, brown sugar whipped cream, and chopped black walnuts. Just 4 ingredients, zero oven time, and it gets better the longer it chills.

Lemon butter wafers are thin, lacy butter cookies scented with fresh lemon zest and ground almonds. Perfect with tea or sandwiched with raspberry jam.

Lighter chocolate cheesecake with a chocolate wafer and Grape-Nuts crust. Cottage cheese blended smooth with cream cheese, melted chocolate, espresso, and cocoa for triple chocolate richness.

Orange pecan slice-and-bake cookies with fresh orange zest, orange juice, brown sugar, and chopped pecans. A buttery icebox cookie with bright citrus flavor. Makes 4 dozen.

Layered oatmeal bars with a brown sugar oat crust, chopped peanuts, semisweet chocolate, and caramel ice cream topping drizzled through the middle. Chewy, crunchy, and irresistible.

Lele Party Cookies are thumbprint cookies rolled in egg white and chopped nuts, then filled with colorful jelly. A buttery, nutty holiday cookie perfect for Christmas trays.

Fattigmann (Norwegian poor man's cookies): crisp, cardamom-scented diamond pastries fried until pale gold and dusted with powdered sugar. A holiday tradition from Scandinavian baking.

Big-batch oatmeal cookies with brown sugar and butter, no eggs, no chips. Mash flat with a sugar-dipped glass for crisp-edged, chewy-centered classics. Makes 10 dozen.

Meltaway coconut shortbread cookies with butter, shortening, and flaked coconut, sliced from a chilled log and dipped in powdered sugar. Crumbly, tender icebox cookies.

Fresh peach pie with a peach gelatin glaze in a baked pie shell. Sliced ripe peaches set in a sweet, glossy filling and topped with whipped cream. No-bake filling.

Lemon pucker-up slice-and-bake cookies with fresh lemon zest and juice, a hint of nutmeg, and a crisp, buttery edge. Make the dough ahead and freeze for baking anytime.

Macaroon jam slices made with ground walnuts and egg whites, shaped into logs with a jam-filled channel. A European-style flourless cookie with apricot or raspberry jam.

Fresh pear pie with sliced pears spiced with mace, baked in a single crust under a brown sugar streusel topping. Classic fall fruit pie with crumb crown.

Lacy, crisp pecan cookies made with just 5 ingredients: egg white, brown sugar, flour, salt, and chopped pecans. A dainty, old-fashioned tea party cookie that bakes in 10 minutes flat.