Cookie
Chocolate-Pistachio Sablés
These slice-and-bake shortbreads can be prepped and kept wrapped in the freezer for up to a month before baking. And guess what? No need to defrost before slicing and zipping them into the oven.
By Alison Roman
Christina Tosi's Christmas Treats
Christina Tosi, the chef, owner, and founder of New York's Momofuku Milk Bar, created this recipe exclusively for Epicurious. You can make these marshmallow cereal bars with a variety of different cereals. We find that simpler ones, such as cornflakes, Golden Grahams, and Kix work best, and recommend avoiding more sugary cereals, or cereals with large or dense pieces.
You can add up to 1 cup total of mix-ins per batch, but feel free to use any kind of mix-in combination to equal 1 cup. You can also experiment with different cereal and mix-in combinations to create your own unique treats. Some of our favorites include wheat puffs with pistachios and dried cranberries, Rice Krispies with dried blueberries and cinnamon, and Cheerios with pepitas and dried cherries.
For more on Tosi and these holiday treats, see A Very Momofuku Milk Bar Christmas.
By Christina Tosi
Salted Honey and Chocolate Bark
Sparkly candy canes and winking snowmen aren't for everyone. Salted Honey and Chocolate Bark is a sweet-and-salty confection that even the manliest of men would be pleased to nibble on—or make. No cookie cutters, sprinkles, or icing necessary.
By Alison Roman
Caramel-Layered Dark Chocolate Brownies
These intensely flavored dark chocolate brownies are spread with a layer of caramel then topped with bittersweet chocolate ganache.
By Carole Bloom
Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
By Denise Barr and Julie Rosten
White Chocolate and Wax Worm Cookies
These are likely the best bug cookies you'll ever eat. And if your granny couldn't see the baked caterpillars peeking out of the dough, she'd undoubtedly ask for seconds.
I bring these treats, which are sure conversation starters, when I'm asked to appear on radio talk shows. If I'm successful, after the banter has subsided, listeners will hear the sighs of contentment from the on-air hosts. Trust me on this: they're that good.
When baked, those chubby ivory-colored caterpillars taste like pistachios. What's not to like? Based on flavor alone, Julia Child would have endorsed this recipe—and probably asked for seconds or thirds.
By David George Gordon
Tozzetti
These biscotti-like cookies are extra delicious dipped in an after-dinner drink such as Vin Santo.
By Federica Cucinelli
Moroccan Tea Biscuits
Take one bite of the crisp cookies known as fekkas and you're inhaling the perfumes of the Middle East: orange-flower water, anise, sesame seeds, and toasted almonds.
By Maggie Ruggiero
Rose Water Shortbread Cookies
Rice flour gives these cookies a very fine texture, and also results in a gluten-free dessert. Letting the dough rest allows the flour to absorb moisture, making it less crumbly and easier to handle.
By Samin Nosrat
Pistachio Shortbread
Delicious alongside the buttermilk panna cotta , these nutty shortbreads can hold their own on any cookie plate.
By April Bloomfield
Slice-and-Bake Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Adding whole wheat flour ups the nutritional value and adds a nice nutty flavor.
By Jenny Rosenstrach and Andy Ward
Apricot Hamantaschen
Parve
Ellen: These filled pastries, tri-cornered to mimic Haman's hat and served during Purim celebrations, were a source of conflict in the Kassoff family growing up. Mom didn't give in to her children's entreaties not to buy any filled with prunes or poppy seeds, so a grabfest would occur amongst my brothers and me to see who could get to the apricot-filled ones first.
By Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray
Insanely Good Chocolate Brownies
Jumbo shrimp. Airline food. Boneless ribs. Fuzzy logic. Some words just don't seem to belong together. I'm betting you'd say healthy brownie falls into that category. Au contraire! How do I know that isn't the case? Because there was a lot of "yumming" in my kitchen as a gaggle of brownie aficionados devoured these. Refined white sugar out; Grade B maple syrup in. See ya white flour; hello almond flour and brown rice flour. Fare-thee-well butter; come-on-down olive oil! Add dark chocolate, walnuts, and cinnamon, and the result is a decadent culinary oxymoron for the ages.
By Rebecca Katz and Mat Edelson
Dark-Chocolate Cherry Brownies
Sweeten movie night by whipping up a batch of these treats for your friends. Cherries and oat flour add fiber to make them extra filling.
Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Cherries
That's right, schmaltz oatmeal cookies. We had to have something sweet! The schmaltz does have a great effect here—it doesn't make the cookie taste like chicken, but it does give it a savory depth to balance the sweetness. So using schmaltz in a cookie turns out to be a fascinating and useful example of balancing sweet with a savory ingredient. I love the tart, dense dried cherries in these cookies, but this recipe is a great all-purpose vehicle for whatever garnish you want to give them—raisins, dried cranberries, walnuts, pecans or a mixture of any or all of the above.
By Michael Ruhlman
Chinese Butter Cookies
Around the Chinese New Year, Chinatown bakeries fill up with tins of butter cookies, waiting to be given as gifts to relatives. Of course, they're still sold and eaten year-round, and once you have just one of these bite-size cookies, it's hard to stop. They're a tad less sweet than American cookies, but their rich butteriness makes them irresistible.
By Diana Kuan
Lime-in-the-Coconut Macaroons
Lime zest is a fresh addition to macaroons, and a Microplane is our zesting tool of choice. If you can't find unsweetened coconut chips, use two 7-ounce bags of sweetened shredded coconut and reduce the sugar to 1 tablespoon.
By Austin Zimmerman
Parmesan Thumbprint Cookies with Tomato-Tart Cherry Jam
This harkens to those beloved jam-filled cookies that have been favorites in cookie jars for generations. This savory twist embellishes the dough with Parmesan cheese, the jam in question made with tomato and tart cherries. The jam recipe makes more than is needed for this batch of cookies, but it's not practical to make in smaller quantities. Extra will keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Spread it on turkey or ham sandwiches, slather it on chicken breasts before baking, or serve as an accompaniment to cheese. You can use dried cranberries in place of the dried tart cherries, if you like.
For a short-cut version, you could nix making the jam here and simply use prepared plum or fig jam, or another minimally sweet jam.
By Cynthia Nims