Dessert/5 recipes

An Italian chocolate hazelnut cake from Turin with homemade gianduja paste, whipped chocolate cream filling, apricot jam, and a brandy-liqueur soak. A show-stopping patisserie-level dessert.

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.

Carob and chocolate chip cookies with cake flour, oat flour, and turbinado sugar. A health-leaning take on the classic with hearty texture and gentler sweetness.

Crispy meringue cookies loaded with semi-sweet chocolate chips. Low-and-slow baked at 300°F for hours until golden and crunchy. A nostalgic treat that melts in your mouth with chocolatey pockets throughout.

Hazelnut spritz cookies pressed into delicate rings, baked until pale gold, and dipped in dark chocolate. A European-style holiday cookie for cookie trays and gift tins.

Fudgy chocolate brownies with walnuts and a blender-made unsweetened chocolate frosting. Two-stage chocolate hit with rich crackly top and creamy frosting.

Snowdrop chocolate crinkle cookies with unsweetened chocolate, oil, and a powdered sugar coating that cracks open as they bake. Holiday cookie classic.

A simple, no-frills biscotti recipe. My mother gave this recipe to me. It's easy, quick, easy, and one of my preferred Italian cookie recipes.

Classic five-ingredient pound cake with butter, sugar, eggs, cake flour, and vanilla. No leavening needed, just pure, dense, buttery simplicity.

Buttery coconut shortbread pressed into tart pans and baked golden. Made with unsweetened coconut, chilled butter, and vanilla for a crisp, sandy cookie with tropical flavor.

Light, airy coconut meringue cookies topped with candied cherry halves. Made with egg whites, sugar, and shredded coconut, these gluten-free bites are crisp on the outside and chewy in the center.

Maple cream cake: a tender brown sugar and maple syrup cake topped with a fluffy maple buttercream made with egg white. Pure Canadian sugar shack flavor.

Chocolate oatmeal macaroons with cocoa, rolled oats, and a hint of almond extract. Crispy edges, chewy centers, and a rich cocoa flavor in every bite.

Silver and gold angel food cake: a marbled tube cake swirling pale angel food whites with golden orange-yolk batter for a striking sliced reveal. Light, airy, and ready for fresh strawberries.

Buttery spritz cookie bars filled with a date, candied cherry, and nut filling flavored with orange zest. Pressed through a cookie press and cut into bars.

German sweet chocolate cake built on a chocolate cake mix base enriched with extra butter, buttermilk, and folded egg whites for a tender, tall three-layer cake. Designed for the classic coconut-pecan frosting on the tops only.