Stand Mixer

This is a sophisticated but really simple cookie that can be used as a base for a range of add-ins. Once you’ve gotten your egg whites nice and glossy, try adding dried cherries or substitute almonds or pistachios for the walnuts. Orange zest and chocolate is another good combination. Which ice cream to consider? Besides the obvious Chocolate Ice Cream (page 137), Espresso Ice Cream (page 140) is another winner.

This lamb, green bean, and tomato soup-stew, known as fasoulia in the home of my childhood, was the by-product of a regular event: my father dissecting a leg of lamb into its parts, from the most highly treasured, neatly cubed pieces for shish kebab to the fattier but still tender parts for grinding into sausage. A sidebar of the ritual was putting the bone and all the gristly bits into a pot, covering them with water, and gently simmering them into a broth for fasoulia. Even though the dish was a by-product of making shish kebab, it enjoyed a humble stature on our dinner table. These days when I desire a taste of lamb home cooking and am not deconstructing a leg of lamb, I use a bit of purchased ground lamb for meatballs. The green beans are key here, and though I usually turn up my nose at frozen vegetables, I make an exception for fasoulia, so that it can be enjoyed throughout the year. I find this soup-stew doesn’t need anything in the way of a side dish. A slice of bread, a spoon, and family company suffice, but Armenians would include pilaf on the side.

Grade B maple syrup, which is darker and more strongly flavored than Grade A, adds a robust flavor to this nut-studded shortbread.

Crisp sugar wafers are decorated with sliced almonds to resemble sand dollars. For a summertime treat, sandwich two cookies with softened ice cream; wrap sandwiches well in plastic and freeze until firm before serving.

The refreshing sweet-tart flavor of these crumbly cookies is just right after a spicy meal. Other citrus juices and zests can be substituted for the lime juice and zest.

Mandelbrot comes from the German words for “almond” (Mandel) and “bread” (Brot). Our variation contains pecans instead of almonds. As with biscotti, the dough is partially baked, sliced, and baked again.

If you’re looking for something to offer with tea or coffee, look no further—these dainty little sandwich cookies are the quintessential afternoon treat. They’re also ideal for bridal and baby showers.

These anise-flavored molded cookies originated hundreds of years ago; today, replicas of the traditional European molds are available in hundreds of designs. The cookies are made with lots of eggs, whose leavening effect may have given them the name springerle, which means “little jumper” in German.

The snowy sugar surface contrasts with the peppery flavor of these German spice cookies. Pfeffer means “pepper” in German; Nuss means “nut,” and refers more to the shape than to the ingredients.

Half a batch of vanilla dough has cocoa powder added; the way the doughs are shaped and cut showcases the two distinct flavors with two designs. Kids particularly enjoy making—and eating—these cookies.

Baking this shortbread in a round cake pan and then cutting it while it’s warm make it quite easy to prepare. The only trick is to make sure you don’t overbake the shortbread, so keep an eye on it as the suggested baking time draws near.

This crumbly shortbread is studded with dried currants, which are tiny raisins made from Zante grapes. The currants must be soaked overnight, so you’ll need to plan your craving a day in advance.

To toast the pecans, spread them out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 350°F, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 10 minutes. Take care not to overprocess the nuts in step 1; you want them to be finely ground, not paste-like. If desired, sift confectioners’ sugar over cookies just before serving.

Polenta, which is made from cornmeal, is a staple in northern Italy. To achieve an authentic texture, use imported polenta; look for it in Italian markets and specialty foods stores.

Variations on the Mexican wedding cookie show up among the foods of other countries, including Greece and Russia. All are formed from butter and nut-rich dough; once baked the cookies are completely covered in confectioners’ sugar.

Coating the outside of the dough with cornmeal gives the cookies a lovely bit of crunch and a texture reminiscent of many Italian pastries.

The dusting of cocoa on these little cookies, much like that on a chocolate truffle, may seem to promise a similar velvety interior, but the illusion is fleeting. One bite reveals the unmistakable crumbly texture of shortbread. If giving as a gift, enclose about three tablespoons of cocoa powder in a small bag, along with instructions for dusting.

Shortbread is the ultimate expression of four building blocks of baking: butter, sugar, flour, and salt. In this variation, the dough is pressed into a fluted tart pan to form petticoat tails, which got their name either from their likeness to frilly underskirts or a mispronunciation of the French petites gatelles (little cakes).

A glass of milk is the ideal accompaniment to these drop cookies. Besides white chocolate, the cookies are also chockablock with oats, coconut, golden raisins, and walnuts.

A moist, chocolaty brownie topped with caramel and nuts brings together the classic components of turtle candies.