recipes

Magic cookie bars, seven-layer bars and Hello Dolly bars are all variations on a theme: a buttery graham cracker crust topped with sweetened condensed milk, coconut, nuts and semisweet chocolate chips (sometimes with butterscotch chips thrown in, too) This version ups the chocolate factor by adding a bit of cocoa to the crust and lots of bittersweet chocolate to the topping A sprinkle of dried cherries at the end adds a much-needed punch of bright, tart flavor, making these the perfect afternoon pick-me-up or lunchbox treat

This silky-smooth frosting has a mellow sweetness and rich custard flavor that complements coconut cake as readily as it does chocolate.

And it's only five ingredients.

These sandwich bars are a delightful mix of textures and flavors The preference here is a red fruit jam for its acidic pop, but you can go with any jam you have on hand The nuts give an additional crunch to the topping and may add a fun color contrast

Cranberries make the perfect foundation for a sweet-and-sour chicken skillet that is appropriate for the holidays, or any day of the week First, chicken thighs are seared until browned, then schmaltzy, cinnamon-spiced cranberries are slowly simmered in freshly squeezed orange juice, alongside melt-in-your-mouth orange slices and sweet shallots The chicken returns to the cranberry mixture, simmering gently, then gets drizzled with honey and caramelizes under the broiler until the skin crisps for an irresistible bite. Spoon the tart, sweet and jammy sauce all over the chicken, and pair with an optional glass of crisp white wine.

The dreamy, moist dessert is surprisingly light and airy thanks to the chocolate sponge cake Cocoa powder bloomed in hot coffee gives the cake a rich, deep chocolatey flavor Traditionally, tres leches cakes are made with a vanilla cake soaked with condensed and evaporated milks and heavy cream or whole milk

This small-batch biscuit recipe is perfect for small households. With just five ingredients and 10 minutes of prep, you can have two golden, tender biscuits ready in time for breakfast. Happy baking!

Flavored with orange oil and Fiori di Sicilia and studded with candied peel, these shortbread slice and bake cookies are a triple threat for citrus lovers. Bake these cookies for your next gathering!

Melted butter shortbread has all the tenderness of traditional shortbread, but there’s no waiting for your butter to come to room temperature. Bake it during the height of the holidays or whenever you want to experience the flavors of butter, vanilla, citrus, and herbs.

Rugelach dough surrounds a filling of sugar, nuts and dried fruit.

Fashioned after a traditional French gâteau Breton, the gâteau Basque and even (and maybe especially) the galette des rois — all cakes made of sweet or quick puff dough doubled up and filled with fruit or cream or nuts — this inspired version, uniquely Louisianan and lovingly called gâteau nana, takes inspiration from each Filled with a pecan cream, this beautiful, simple yet rustic cake was adapted from one developed by Melissa Martin, who was inspired by Nancy Brewer’s version at The Kitchen Shop in Grand Coteau, La Melissa M

My soft and chewy orange cranberry cookies are infused with real orange zest and juice (no extracts!) and fresh cranberries. No chilling!

Delivering warmth from turmeric and brightness from lemon zest, these golden crinkled cookies feel (and look) like sunbeams breaking through clouds Imagine powdered doughnuts run through with Fruit Loops cereal milk on a Saturday morning In fact, these soft, crisp-edged cookies are lovely for breakfast, but don’t restrict their bright, sunny disposition to a specific time of day: Pair them with a glass of milk or cup of herbal tea, whether as an afternoon pick-me-up or a not-too-sweet finish to any meal.

Applesauce isn’t just for babies Sure, this very basic version is perfect for tender palates, but it also works as the base for many a sweet treat In the fall you might try swapping in 1 1/2 pounds of pears for half of the apples and a bit of caramel in place of the maple

Sicilian Sesame Seed Cookies-Biscotti Regina are an easy to make, crunchy and lightly nutty Sicilian cookie.

The key to achieving the signature sweet-smoky-salty flavor of Indonesian stir-fried noodles is to let the noodles cook, undisturbed, over high heat until you see small wisps of smoke Javanese sweet soy sauce, also known as kecap manis, can be very sweet, so giving it a good cook will bring just enough of a bitter edge to its sweetness If you’re making this dish for a crowd, don’t prepare more than two servings at a time, otherwise the noodles will crowd the pan and not brown properly, and you won’t get that smoky wok hei flavor

Perfectly petite, these apple cinnamon muffins are sweet, spiced and ideal for breakfast or an on-the-go snack Use whichever apple you like best — Granny Smith for tartness or Fuji if you like your apples on the sweeter side Brushing with melted butter and cinnamon sugar gives them a soft doughnut-like vibe, but a crunchy, crumby topping would be nice too

A beautifully festive cookie in a jar recipe. These make great gifts.

I enjoy making these bars when cranberry season arrives. The recipe is very easy to put together, which is perfect for a busy parent like me. —Richard Grams, LaCrosse, Wisconsin

Nutty, buttery and a bit boozy, these festive cookies come together in minutes, making them perfect for holiday baking (They also happen to be gluten-free.) Reminiscent of the almond flavor and pillowy texture of an Italian pignoli cookie, this recipe calls for brushing them with rum-infused butter twice — once before baking and another round when hot from the oven — which imbues them with even more warmth and richness.

A holiday classic found in nearly every cookie box, these almond-flavored treats are buttery, crisp and all too easy to eat by the handful (fear not, this recipe makes a lot) Spritz cookies also keep well, for up to two weeks stored in an airtight container at room temperature If you don’t have a spritz gun, you can use a pastry bag to form them

This recipe transforms Basque cheesecake into portable, handheld treats Unlike typical cheesecake bars that bake at a low temperature, these are baked at 500 degrees to achieve a burnished top while maintaining a creamy interior This layer makes for a striking presentation and imparts the flavor of burnt caramel, which offsets the sweetness of the filling

This recipe was brought to The Times in a 1990 article about traditional Christmas cookies, but we think these butter-rich confections are delicious any time of year Sometimes called Mexican wedding cakes (or polvorones or Russian tea cakes or snowballs), their provenance is often debated, but this much is true: they are dead-simple to make and addictive to eat This version is done completely in a food processor, so you can clean-up in minutes, and get to the important business at hand: eating cookies and licking your fingers.

Cannoli Pudding, a cross between vanilla pudding and Italian cannoli cream with all the cannoli flavors.

Lemon lovers will LOVE these lemon cookies that are soft in the middle with crispy edges, and are delicious topped with a lovely lemon glaze.

The BEST french silk pie with an incredible hazelnut oreo crust & whipped cream topping. So decadent and perfect for the holidays!

Get Spoon Cookies: Lusikkaleivat (Finland) Recipe from Food Network

Get Melomakarona Recipe from Food Network

Everyone who tries these Copycat Crumbl Chocolate Chip Cookies goes crazy. They're sweet and chewy inside with a crisp, delicious outer shell.

With white chocolate, chocolate chips, AND cocoa powder these double (and by double I mean triple) chocolate cookies are a chocolate lover's dream!