Baking

The cake takes its name from the wife of Jack Turner's former headmaster, but the recipe is reportedly an ancient Scottish one. Aluminum foil stands in for the traditional newspaper.

Sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, these little prune tartlets (made with just five ingredients) are so delicious, they'll have everyone at the breakfast table begging for more.

The key to delicious Linzer cookies is striking just the right balance of the tart raspberry jam filling with the thin, tender, and slightly sweet cookies. We think we've hit it with these — and they only get better after a few days.

This is a miniature version of a New York favorite: A cakey cookie with sweet half-moons of vanilla and chocolate icing.

The intricate swirls are attained with a specific kitchen skill: slice and bake. You'll get a little sweet pastry and a little fig filling in every bite.

"You really have to wait," says Barbour. "After a couple of days, the cookies' texture becomes lovely and melting. Earlier, they are good, but later, they're transcendent. Honest." Barbour likes these best with half strawberry and half cherry preserves.

Every holiday deserves a really special dessert. And this classic French creation — a large ring of airy choux pastry filled with the richest praline pastry cream — does the season proud. If you think it resembles a bicycle wheel, you're right: It's named after an 1891 bicycle race that ran from Paris to Brest and back again, and was the precursor of the Tour de France.

This recipe makes a lot of dough. If you don't need all of it, freeze the extra. For impromptu entertaining, you can slice the still-frozen dough into cookies and pop them in the oven for a quick dessert.

The delicate, refreshing flavor of fresh mint leaves infuses the cream used to make the peppermint filling. You'll need a stand mixer to make the pastry.

For a pretty presentation, dust these cookies lightly with powdered sugar.

The recipe for these tender, rich cookies came from a cook who worked for my great-grandmother. They were always a family favorite. Decorate them with sanding sugar or nonpareils.

Loaded with dried fruit, toasted almonds, and bittersweet chocolate, these blondies combine the best of a brownie with what you wish fruitcake could taste like. A terrific addition to any holiday cookie platter, they are also a satisfying stand-alone dessert.

There's a layer of chocolate between the cookie-like crust and the rich filling of this sophisticated spin on the traditional pecan pie.

Make this luscious dessert a day ahead.

Remarkably easy, but pretty and elegant enough for a dinner party.