Baking

Crème de cassis is a black currant-flavored liqueur. Chambord, a raspberry-flavored liqueur, makes a fine substitute.

Once you taste one of these sweet whole wheat crackers, you may never go back to the store-bought variety again. Use them as the base for homemade s’mores, sandwich them with peanut butter, or simply enjoy them on their own.

These luminescent sugar cookies have “windows” that begin as bits of hard candy. To make a template, draw a tree or other simple shape onto card stock or a thin plastic sheet, and cut it out. Place the cutout on rolled-out cookie dough, and cut around it with a paring knife. Alternatively, use cookie cutters (wide shapes work best).

This snowflake gets its icy sheen from piped Royal Icing dusted with sanding sugar. You can use this basic recipe to make gingerbread men or other cutout shapes; just alter the baking time if the size of the cutter is different. Decorate each with Royal Icing, candies, sprinkles, and other embellishments, as desired.

This variation on the classic chocolate chip cookie will snap and crumble with every bite. Adding more butter and granulated sugar contributes to the crunch.

These delicate cookies are made with lots of juice and zest for a delightful tang; poppy seeds add crunch. (Poppy seeds can turn rancid quickly, so purchase them from a store with a high turnover and keep them in the freezer.)

Cardamom-flavored cookies are a traditional specialty of the Scandinavian countries. This crisp cracker-like variety is made more crunchy with a topping of finely chopped pistachios and shredded coconut.

Pucker up: This version of the bake-sale favorite is the most intensely lemony one we’ve tried. A generous crown of powdered sugar not only adds to the flavor of these sweet squares, but also makes them easier to stack for storage.

Baci di dama, or “lady’s kisses” in Italian, are bite-size chocolate-and-nut cookies with a melted chocolate filling. This flourless variation substitutes almonds for the more common hazelnuts.

Dollops of peanut butter filling are spooned onto brownie batter; pulling a knife back and forth through both results in a marbleized look.

To make these holiday party standbys, you have to first bake a batch of brownies, then break them into bits, flavor them with rum, and roll them into balls. A generous coat of sanding sugar provides a sparkly finish.

Sweetened condensed milk adds an unmistakable richness to the coconut batter for these swirly treats. When marbleizing the coconut and brownie batters, make sure the butter knife reaches the bottom of the pan.

A double dose of spice flavors these creamy bar cookies: Chopped candied ginger is mixed into the filling, and crushed gingersnaps compose the crust.

Velvety, delicately tart cream cheese blends well with the more cakey, sugary blondie batter. The resulting bar cookies are remarkably rich and highly habit-forming.

To make the batter for these super-quick brownies, melt butter and chocolate in a saucepan, then stir the other ingredients right in. Set a batch out on a serving platter, and watch it disappear just as quickly.

These scrumptious bar cookies are dense with plenty of cashew chunks, toffee bits, and butterscotch chips.

Children love these two-bite treats. When you prepare them, have a bowl of ice water ready. If reshaping the thumbprint is necessary during baking, dip your finger in the water for several seconds and allow to dry before reshaping. This will keep your finger cool.

John Barricelli, a longtime friend of Martha Stewart Living and a very accomplished baker, created the recipe for these irresistible cookies. We’ve tried lots of pecan bars over the years, but John’s are the absolute best.

Sarah Bernhardt cookies are as multilayered as their namesake—the famed French actress who once starred in the title role of Hamlet. An almond macaroon base is topped with silken chocolate filling and then covered in melted chocolate, resulting in a truffle-like cookie with a bit of crunch.

A mint ganache filling and a shiny chocolate glaze push these cookies over the top, but feel free to omit the glaze—they’re delectable without it, too.