Cookie

Blondies are usually baked in a square or rectangular pan and cut into bars. Here we’ve used a springform pan to bake a round that’s then cut into wedges. The familiar flavor is made even more irresistible with the spice of candied ginger, the sweetness of dried pears, and the crunch of pistachios.

Rich cream cheese dough, coconut–cream cheese filling, and a topper of jam make these pinwheels complex—chewy on the outside, creamy in the center. Create a variety of flavors by substituting different fruit jams for the strawberry.

These are like tiny inside-out carrot cakes, with the signature cream cheese frosting on the inside and spiced “cake” on the outside.

This version of a well-loved combination from childhood concentrates the flavors into a sweet dessert that appeals to all ages. We like strawberry jam, but feel free to substitute any flavor you prefer

For a twist on the traditional French petit fours known as financiers, we baked these cookie “cakes” in mini-muffin tins instead of small rectangular pans. They have a nutty, buttery flavor with floral hints of honey. Tiny raspberry heart decorations make them an appropriate gift for Valentine’s Day.

A sugar-and butter-rich batter is the foundation for these cookie-jar classics. Just baked, they make a perfect snack on a chilly winter night—or any time.

The long, thin shape of these cookies accounts for their distinctive name in many languages: langues-de-chat in French, lingue di gatto in Italian, and cat’s tongues in English. Serve them as an accompaniment to fruit compote or ice cream.

The origins of the whoopie pie remain a mystery, but many believe that the cookie, a specialty of Pennsylvania Dutch country and parts of New En gland, was created when leftover cake batter was baked, iced, and sandwiched as a treat for children. We used a peanut butter filling, but substitute Seven-Minute Frosting (recipe follows) if you prefer.

The addition of whole, salted peanuts in this super-crunchy cookie imparts the perfect balance of salty and sweet. And the light-as-air texture of the crisps themselves contrasts quite nicely with the chunkiness of the peanuts.

The virtues of this cookie recipe are many: It relies on just a few basic ingredients, the dough is remarkably easy to prepare, and as the cookies bake, they fill the kitchen with the most magnificent scent.

Brown butter is simply butter that has been cooked until it takes on a delicious, subtle nutty flavor and aroma—which explains its French name, beurre noisette, or “hazelnut butter.” Be sure to keep an eye on it as it cooks, to avoid burning.

Palmiers, sometimes called palm leaves, are made with puff pastry folded several times, then sliced, to create a distinctive heart-shaped coil design. Ginger syrup and spiced sugar make these crisp French cookies festive and fragrant.

Buttery madeleine batter is sweetened with honey and spiced with ground cardamom. Once baked, the mini cakes are glazed with a simple citrus icing.

Just a few of these striped showstoppers make a festive and memorable holiday gift; be sure to package them carefully, as they are very fragile. Bake the cookies two or three at a time, then roll them as they come out of the oven, while they’re still pliable.

Jumbo versions of these iced cookies are a New York City specialty. Deciding where to begin presents the sweetest of dilemmas: chocolate first, or vanilla? Don’t worry if you can’t choose—these petite versions are just the right size to eat in one bite.

A morning treat gains all-day appeal with these cakey chocolate cookies. Like breakfast waffles, the cookies are prepared on a waffle iron. For best results, make sure the surface is nice and hot before you pour the batter.

Made from a batter rich in golden syrup, these cookies rarely contain brandy anymore, although some cooks fill them with freshly whipped cream flavored with a splash of brandy. Lyle’s Golden Syrup, popular in England, is a liquid sweetener made from evaporated cane sugar. Look for it in specialty food shops and large supermarkets.

These fruit-and-nut-rich cookies are like soft granola bars; they make a hearty and delicious after-school snack.

Rich chocolate ganache and cool peppermint make a merry combination, especially at holiday time. To get stripes on the meringues, you pipe the cookies with a pastry bag painted with red food coloring.

Moist, cakey, and flecked with fresh fruit in every bite, these cookies are just the thing to pack into a picnic basket on a late-summer day.