Baking

These biscotti-like cookies are extra delicious dipped in an after-dinner drink such as Vin Santo.

Rice flour gives these cookies a very fine texture, an also results in a gluten-free dessert. Letting the dough rest allows the flour to absorb moisture, making it less crumbly and easier to handle.

"I like unsweetened whipped cream on top," van Boven says of this pavlova recipe, "because the fruit is sweet enough on its own."

Briefly baking the cornbread before adding the jam prevents the preserves from sinking to the bottom of the batter.

Osteen likes to frost these cakes while they're still warm. They'll absorb some of the frosting, which takes on the consistency of a glaze.

These scones are light, flaky, and airy—closer to a biscuit recipe than the crumbly pastries you might have in mind.

Delicious alongside the buttermilk panna cotta, these nutty shortbreads can hold their own on any cookie plate.

Served warm, these not-too-sweet brownies beg to go a la mode.

Adding whole wheat flour ups the nutritional value of the oatmeal raisin cookies and adds a nice nutty flavor to the recipe.

Like any bread, prepping this onion naan recipe takes a little time. The good news: each cooks up in under 5 minutes.

Remember the color of the stalks, which can range from pale pink to deep red, will affect the color of the filling. Choose dark-red stalks for a vibrant hue.

With a wonderfully moist buttermilk interior beneath a crunchy crust and a generous amount of lemon zest, a classic Bundt cake is reborn.

The secret to perfectly crunchy granola? An egg white.

Tarte Tatin meets ginger-bread cake in this pretty upside-down dessert.

The best desserts strike a balance of sweet, salty, acidic, and rich notes—and this one is it.

This chocolate cake has no outer frosting, but the filling is so rich you won't miss it. Chopping the pecans finely helps keep the layers even when frosted.

Adding salt to this classic sauce lets you taste the rich complexity of the caramel, not just the sweetness. To save time, feel free to replace the almonds and butter with 1/2 cup store-bought roasted almond butter (no added sugar). Just stir in the salt and almond extract and it's recipe-ready for the bread pudding.

Finishing your chocolate chunk cookies cookies with a flaky salt like Maldon brings out the chocolate flavor and tempers the sweetness, creating the ultimate sweet and salty snack. This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.

Dorie Greenspan uses ring molds to shape and bake these trademark treats for her Manhattan cookie boutique, Beurre & Sel. We press the dough into muffin tins for easy baking.

Turning a coconut macaroon into a pyramid is a festive way to mix up your holiday cookie plate. One more reason to love this cookie? The dough is as forgiving as play-doh: if your pyramids aren’t just right, roll them back into a ball and start over. Just remember that the trick to making them is to go low and slow—both on the stove-top and in the oven—to prevent the egg whites from scrambling. Baking guru Dorie Greenspan named these triangular pink cookies after designer Gaby Basora’s fashion l …