Cookie

These crisp biscotti are made without butter. Instead, the natural fat in hazelnuts is put to good use when the nuts are ground with the sugar for the dough. This way, every bite is imbued with their flavor.

With 35 percent fewer calories than sugar cookies, these sweets belong in your holiday cookie jar.

Peanut-studded brownies, peanut butter frosting, chocolate ganache...what better way to savor the PB-chocolate combo?

Juniper berries add a wintery, almost piney flavor. They're available in the spice section of many supermarkets and online from deandeluca.com.

A thick, rich glaze makes these decadent.

Amaretti According to legend, in the early 1700s, a Milanese bishop made a surprise visit to the town of Saronno in Lombardy. A young couple paid tribute to the bishop by welcoming him with their unique homemade cookies, made from crushed apricot kernels and almonds, egg whites, and sugar. The bishop so loved the cookies that he blessed the couple, and the recipe became a local favorite. Today, bakeries throughout the region, and in Italian communities around the world, carry amaretti di Saronno, but it's worth the (small) effort to make them yourself. The recipe is simple, and fresh from the oven, they have a crisp-yet-tender texture that's beyond compare.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking: Delicious Recipes Using Nutritious Whole Grains. To read Epicurious's review of the cookbook, go to The Best Cookbooks of 2006. Imagine a dense, moist, chewy brownie. Now take chocolate out of the equation and substitute a different childhood favorite, butterscotch. That's Butter-Nut Blondies. These will be popular with those who count the rich, caramelized taste of butterscotch as one of their favorite flavors.

Thin and crisp, these waferlike cookies add sparkle to the holidays with a glittery topping of cinnamon and sugar.

These savory biscotti are ideal for a soiree. Their crisp texture is accented by the richness of parmesan and the bite of black pepper — perfect for nibbling in between sips of wine.

Who doesn't love Rice Krispies treats? By adding dark chocolate ganache with a tiny jolt of coffee flavor, we've turned the classic into a sophisticated and whimsical bite-size dessert. We found that combining bittersweet chocolate of different cacao levels results in a ganache that has just the right intensity without being overpowering.

A tahini-based dough is rolled in gold- or silver-dusted sesame seeds for eye-popping cookies that melt in the mouth. (They're just as delicious if you skip the fancy gilding.)

A nibble around the edges yields a rich and gently sweet mouthful; the center is packed with pleasantly tart plum jam.

Dainty pink cookies sandwiched together with a silky ganache look as if they belong on a restaurant's petits fours plate. In fact, the perfect little rounds can be made with a makeshift pastry bag.

These buttery, crisp tuiles are made with tea and honey — the Earl Grey lends a sophisticated note of bergamot — and taste wonderful with an afternoon cuppa.