Espresso

Using stencils to add powdered sugar designs is a great way to dress up the treats.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less, but requires additional unattended time.

For added color in this luscious custard dessert, the chef outlines the plate with sauce of pureed raspberries.

We've given a range on the amount of instant-espresso powder in this recipe: If you like a pronounced coffee flavor, use 2 teaspoons espresso powder; for a taste that's more subtle, go with 1 1/2 teaspoons.

Dark chocolate, light chocolate and coffee fillings alternate with nut meringue layers, and dark chocolate ganache covers the whole torte. This is an irresistible version of the traditional Parisian dessert.

"During parents' weekend at Bowdoin College here in Brunswick, a group of us went to Rachel's Wood Grill, a restaurant in nearby Portland," says Jennifer Buechner of Brunswick, Maine. "Dinner was great, but the tiramisù we had for dessert was out of this world. I'd love to serve it for a graduation dinner." A perfect do-ahead dessert for a party.

Coffee Semifreddo "Drowned" in Coffee We have served this dessert at Pó for six years and it is consistently my favorite—a kind of adult milkshake. Be careful to use decaf for the bathing liquid, or your guests may be up yakking all night.

In 1897, the Sears catalog offered its customers a treat called brownies. No one seems to remember whether they were bar cookies or a chocolate confection named after a popular cartoon character. No matter; by the 1900s the brownie as we now know it had arrived. The recipe for these dense, moist brownies is from Heather Ho, pastry chef at Boulevard in San Francisco.

This cool Italian dessert is the perfect conclusion to a pasta dinner.

You might be tempted to bake 2 sheets of bars at a time in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Don't give in to this urge—they must go in the middle of the oven to cook through and brown evenly.

These are one of my signature cookies. They taste like miniature brownies — but oh, the texture! They're reminiscent of a meringue, with a soft, chewy, fudgy center and a crisp exterior that crackles appealingly. Since these cookies are smaller and less dense, they have an elegance that brownies lack. And they don't require the same commitment as a big, gooey bar. I can never eat just one of these. They are also a particular favorite of Gramercy Tavern owner Danny Meyer, who can't eat just one, either!

Purchased coffee ice cream is topped with a cinnamon-scented chocolate sauce that can be made three days ahead.