Cookie

These naturally gluten-free cookies are a cross between two favorite holiday indulgences: truffles and macaroons.

You'll never believe these buttery, crisp cookies with a soft chocolate filling are nut-and gluten-free!

These pretty (gluten-free!) butter cookies come in three flavors: lime, lemon, and grapefruit. Or just pick one variety and triple the amount of zest and juice. You'll find psyllium-husk powder, flax seed, chia seed, and rice-based gluten-free flour at most natural foods stores.

These pretty cookies look as though they are fussy to make, but they are actually slice-and-bake cookies, with holes cut from half of them about halfway through the baking. Buckwheat pairs well with any dark berry or cherry flavor, so feel free to try different preserves. The cookies keep well, but they should be assembled only shortly before serving. Leftover filled cookies will soften a bit, but they will still taste great.

These truffle-like cookies dipped in crushed candy are as fun to make as they are to eat.

Slightly undercook these mouthwatering morsels for a molten effect.

Indulgent raspberry cream cheese makes homemade brownies even better.

Low-acid Meyer lemons make the citrus flavor of these bars especially vibrant.

A simple toasty and buttery treat.

Baking a batch of these classic Austrian sandwich cookies is a project—but totally worth it.

These taste even better a few days after they're made.

Two Halloween favorites—candy corn and pumpkins—meet in these irresistible blondies.

When you go to Europe, virtually every bakery has at least ten types of dried meringues. American bakeries don't have them, and I don't know why. Crispy, chewy, crunchy meringues are satisfying on their own and can also be used in countless ways: You can sandwich jams or icings between them, top them with whipped cream and fruit, or crumble them over finished desserts to add great texture. This is a simple French meringue with confectioners' sugar folded in to fortify it and make the cookies even lighter and crunchier. You can form these into any shape you want using a piping bag, spoon, or spatula.

Plain sugar cookies, no matter how well they are made, are a bit boring to me. You may think I have gone off the rails by adding curry powder to cookies, but along with the ground and candied ginger, the combo really wakes up a classic American cookie. Give these a shot!

Valrhona chocolate pearls give these cookies great crunch, but you can also swap them out in favor of an equal amount of malted milk balls—or skip both and simply double the chocolate chunks. For cookies with a super-gooey middle, skip the refrigerating step and simply scoop the dough onto baking sheets and freeze. You can bake the cookies straight from frozen (you may need to add a few minutes to the baking time). Store frozen dough balls in a resealable freezer bag in the freezer for up to 1 month.

I've done some crazy, unconventional things in baking, but using avocados in place of butter may just be the craziest. Believe it or not, it works! For these chewy cookies made with chunks of chocolate and walnuts in every bite, I use absolutely no butter. They taste too good to be light—and you can't detect the taste of avocados at all. I tested these out on many unsuspecting adults, children, and teens, and everyone loved them. Karina, my college-age daughter, was the ultimate test—she's a true chocoholic. She thinks they're pretty awesome!

This recipe is a favorite among my mom's circle of friends, and everyone I know who has tried it raves about it. It gets its name from the fact that the cake is very moist and has a crisp top, much like brownies. Plus, it's baked in a brownie pan and gets cut into bars. But the texture is much lighter than that of chocolate brownies, and the flavor is all fruit and cinnamon. This is such an easy recipe to make: a great standby for those days when you want a sweet treat without a lot of fuss, or when you remember at 9 p.m. that you volunteered to make dessert for tomorrow's bake sale.