Coconut

"This recipe for Swedish drommar, meaning 'dreams,' comes from my grandmother," writes Elizabeth Wigg Maxwell of New Providence, New Jersey. "She and my mother made these every Christmas when my siblings and I were growing up. As children, we were amazed that my mother had to go to the pharmacy to obtain one of the ingredients: ammonium carbonate. Equally incredible was the fact that something which smelled so horrible helped make such delicious cookies!" "Years ago, I began baking drommar for my own family. I called the local pharmacy to request the unusual ingredient and was delighted when the pharmacist said, 'You must be making those Swedish cookies!'" Ammonium carbonate, used by European bakers, makes especially crisp cookies. Its smell, which you may find off-putting while making the dough, disappears completely in the baking process.

The secret to these macaroons' texture is the Italian meringue, composed of egg whites and a boiling sugar syrup. When baking these for Passover, dust the sheets with matzo cake meal; you can use flour at other times.

"Imagine my surprise when, while waiting at a beauty salon, I opened an October 1994 issue of gourmet and noticed 'Gwen Bradford’s Ranger Cookies," begins Bonnie Donalson of San Diego, California. "'Impostor!' I cried. With all due respect to Ms. Bradford, as I am sure her cookies are delicious, it's hardly worth the trouble of baking cookies if you leave out the chocolate chips. I have a friend who literally fights with her husband over my ranger cookies. Others start hinting in October for their traditional bag of Christmas rangers."

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

We garnished this cake with Vanda orchids, an edible flower often used to decorate drinks in Hawaii.

Tropical flavors give a new spin to these traditional holiday cookies.

Shaped in muffin cups, these cookies have a crisp pie-pastry bottom and a chewy jam-accented coconut filling.

Chewy crusts are filled with a sweet-tart lime curd and topped with sliced mangoes.

The twist to these sundaes is a simple ginger-flavored sauce sparked with lime. It can be made ahead and rewarmed before you assemble the sundaes.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.