Bittersweet Cocoa Brownies

Brownies made with cocoa powder are softer on the inside than those made with bar chocolate. I like the tart and lively flavor of natural cocoa powder here; Dutch-processed gives…

Bittersweet Chocolate Rum Sauce

This simple yet divine chocolate sauce may be made with bittersweet or semisweet chocolate. Taste the sauce on ice cream before adding more sugar; chocolate sauce that tastes too strong…

Bittersweet Hot Chocolate

I find most hot chocolate drinks much too sweet for my taste. I never add sugar when I make this. Instead, I pass a sugar bowl so that guests can…

Brownie Cream Cheese Bites

These mini cupcakes add a delicious burst of fudgy flavor and a playful element to the usual holiday cookie assortment.

Espresso Gingerbread Cake

There’s no tedious assembly of cake layers or finicky buttercreams required for this gorgeous make-ahead dessert. In fact, this cake is perfectly elegant with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar or…

Fastest Fudge Cake

I get the best results stirring this batter with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. This cake is delicious on its own but even better topped with ganache. 

Double Ginger Scones

Golden Onion & Thyme Dip

Served with pita chips, this dip is tasty and satisfying.

Goat Cheese, Pesto & Sun-Dried Tomato Terrine

Serve this terrine with crackers, toasted baguette rounds or homemade pita chips.

Ganache

You’ll have a bit of this ganache left over after icing the fudge cake; use it as a sauce for ice cream or another dessert.

Ginger Bars

These spicy ginger bars are a cross between a gooey blondie and classic gingerbread. The bars’ moist, soft texture also makes them great keepers and shippers.

Orange-Poppyseed Pound Cake

Macadamia Lace Cookies

The combination of rich macadamia nuts and browned butter gives these pretty, delicate cookies an intense flavor. I  like to use vanilla bean paste (a combination of vanilla extract and vanilla…

Raspberry Diamonds

For best results, store these cookies without the glaze. (After a day, the glaze will begin to absorb the raspberry color.)

Spiced Butter

A pat of this versatile make-ahead butter is great on morning toast, buttermilk pancakes, French toast, oatmeal, waffles, and scones. Or try using it to top off hot cider, hot…

Smoked Salmon & Dill Mascarpone Toasts

Spiced Shrimp & Avocado Toasts

Savory Rosemary Scones

Similar to a flavored biscuit, but richer and more tender, these savory scones are the perfect accompaniment to a hearty soup or stew, an assortment of cheese and cold meats,…

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Baking soda (known as bicarb to Brits) plays two roles in this recipe: It helps soften the dates, and it helps the wet, heavy batter rise during baking. If you…

Chocolate-Dipped Espresso Shortbread Cookies

Melting chocolate with shortening helps the chocolate set without the need to temper it. You can omit the shortening and the dipping, and instead drizzle plain melted chocolate on the…

Chocolate Stout Cake

Rich, dark, and toasty stout beer plus deeply flavored molasses give the chocolate flavor of this cake some wonderful nuance. With this recipe, you can bake one big beautiful cake,…

Cranberry & Almond Bundt Cakes

You could bake a pie or batch after batch of cookies to bring to a party, or you could delight the host with an elegant, festive bundt cake dusted with…

Clove Snaps

Like gingersnaps, these cookies have a delicious spicy crunch. They’re just the thing for a cup of tea.

Crostini

Use these toasted baguette rounds as a base for Crostini with Beef & Horseradish Cream, Crostini with White Bean Purée & Spinach, Crostini with Sautéed Mushrooms, or any other topping…

Crostini with Beef & Horseradish Cream

Crostini with Sautéed Mushrooms, Mint & Parmigiano

Crostini with White Bean Purée, Spinach & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Chocolate Soufflé Cookies

Chocolatey and moist with a light, crisp exterior, this gluten-free cookie is an excellent showcase for high-quality chocolate.

Chocolate Chunk Scones

The better the chocolate, the better the scones will taste.

Caramel Sauce

Sugar can burn easily, so use a heavy-­based pot, preferably one that doesn’t have a dark interior so that you can monitor the sugar once it begins to color.

Chocolate Cherry Coconut Macaroons

These rich macaroons are moist and fudgy inside—they’re something like a cross between a cookie and a chocolate truffle.

Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies

My grandmother's recipe for this sweet and slightly tangy cookie dates back to the 1960s. Luckily, today’s cookie presses are much easier to use than the old hand-crank variety, so…

Cannoli Cookies

Like the Italian pastry, these cakey cookies are enriched with whole-milk ricotta and scented with grated orange zest.

Cinnamon Custard Sauce

Here, a classic custard sauce gets a new twist when infused with cinnamon sticks. Try it with poached or baked pears, apples, peaches, or nectarines.

Chocolate Roulade with Orange-Vanilla Filling

When you need a showstopper holiday dessert, look no further than this elegant rolled cake, which is inspired by the French bûche de Noël, or yule log.

Almond Shortbread Sandwich Cookies

Rich, buttery shortbread cookies are a natural for holiday gift giving. They’re sturdy, they keep well for a couple of weeks, and everyone loves them. These sweet sandwich cookies feature…

Apple Pie with Poached Dried Cherries

I always use dried tart cherries rather than sweet ones. Tart cherries are made from sour cherries, which are “true” pie cherries, and they definitely give the pie a more…

Apricot Coconut Bars

This combination of sweet, tangy apricots mixed with coconut on a sweet crust is borderline addictive.

Pear-Cranberry Linzer Tart

Linzer dough is traditionally made with almonds, but the walnuts here are sublime with the fruit. It’s important to mix this dough very well and chill it thoroughly; it’s more…

Pita Chips

Serve these crisp chips with Goat Cheese, Pesto & Sun-Dried Tomato Terrine, Golden Onion & Thyme Dip, or your own favorite dip.

Potato-Chip Cookies

Potato chips in a cookie? You bet. My version of my grandmother’s recipe adds a new and delicious crunch to the traditional pecan sandie, resulting in a buttery cookie with a…

Toffee-Chocolate Candy

Toast Points

These toast points are a versatile base for all kinds of hors d'oeuvres, including Smoked Salmon & Dill Mascarpone Toasts, Toast Points with Black Olive Tapenade & Red Pepper Curls,…

Toast Points with Black Olive Tapenade & Red Pepper Curls

Triple-Orange Pecan Biscotti

These twice-baked Italian cookies smell divine and are delicious eaten by themselves or dunked into hot tea or coffee. 

Hot Fudge Sauce

Splurge on really good chocolate for this recipe, as the flavor will really shine through.

Choosing Chocolate Brands

Three things to consider

How to Chop Chocolate

Chop evenly for best results

A Chocolate Glossary

Whether a chocolate is called unsweetened, bittersweet, or semisweet depends mostly on the percentage of chocolate liquor the chocolate contains. (Chocolate liquor is the paste made from ground cocoa nibs,…

How to Melt Chocolate

Melting chocolate on the stovetop or in the microwave

Storing Chocolate

Keep it dry and cool

Decorating with Chocolate

Garnishes of chocolate pack a double punch: They not only taste delicious, but they look great, too.

Tempering Chocolate

For a smooth, glossy look when making candies or using melted chocolate for decorating and dipping, temper your chocolate. Joanne Smart details an effective tempering method.

The Test Kitchen Reference Desk

Read a short review of Understanding Baking: The Art & Science of Baking by Joseph Amendola and Nicole Rees.

'Blooming' Gelatin

Gelatin isn’t an everyday ingredient, but learning to work with it can give you spectacular-looking desserts.

Whipping to 'Soft,' 'Medium,' and 'Firm' Peaks

Learn to distinguish (and achieve) the various stages of whipped cream and egg whites: soft, medium, and firm peaks.

What We Mean By: Golden Brown

There are many shades of golden brown. Find out how to know when something is golden brown enough.

Cocoa Powder: Regular vs. Dutch

All cocoa powders are not created equal. Learn the difference here.

Using Scraped Vanilla Beans

Three bakers offer tips on getting the most out of scraped vanilla beans.

What Makes Pie Crust Tender or Flaky?

Everyone wants a tender and flaky pie dough. In this short article, Jennifer Armentrout explains how to achieve it.

Holiday Appetizers

Tony Rosenfeld offers recipes for appetizers that start with one of three crisp bases: crostini, toast points, and pita chips.

Buttery Shortbread Cookies

The classic cookie plus four variations add up to a delicious holiday assortment

Make & Freeze Holiday Pies to Bake & Serve When You Want

Bake and freeze your Thanksgiving and Christmas pies now and stress less when you cook your holiday meal

For a Holiday Showstopper: Make a Roulade

An easy-to-handle chocolate sponge cake and a step-by-step guide guarantees impressive—and delicious—results

Sticky Toffee Pudding: A Seductive British Sweet

"Puds" are a popular British dessert, says Orlando Murrin, and in this rticle he offers an overview of the typical ingredients and techniques for making sticky toffee pudding, along with…

Sweet & Simple Rustic Tarts

You don’t need lots of little pans to make these individual cranberry-raisin tarts

Dinner Rolls

Tempting flavor variations lift them out of the ordinary

Truly Tender Scones

Makinig these scones couldn't be easier—the less you work them, the more tender they'll be

Topping It Off

Pour these foolproof hot fudge and caramel sauces into shapely jars for giving (or to keep for yourself)

A Spice Trio: Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Cloves

Used alone, each of these spices announces its presence in a dish. When used together, the combination is greater than the sum of its parts. In this article, baking instructor…

Mixing Matters

When to cream, cut in, whisk, fold, or stir

Brown Sugar & Oatmeal Shortbread Cookies

The darker the brown sugar, the deeper the cookies' flavor. You could use a more exotic brown sugar in this recipe, such as Billington's dark brown cane sugar from England…

Dinner Rolls

Try fresh herbs, poppyseeds, or black pepper and Cheddar to give these easy dinner rolls a flavor twist.

Orange-Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies

If you can’t find blanched hazelnuts, buy them with the skin on, toast them in a 425°F oven until fragrant, and then rub off as much of the skins as…

Rustic Cranberry-Raisin Tarts

A sweet-tangy filling and a buttery crust make these tarts the perfect ending to a holiday meal.

Classic Shortbread Cookies

Chocolate Roulade with Raspberry Filling

When you need a showstopper holiday dessert, look no further than this elegant rolled cake, which is inspired by the French bûche de Noël, or yule log.