Baking

These frozen dessert bars are large enough to hold you through a double feature. Don't worry about them melting — they're just as delicious when they soften.

Armelle Curley of Smithtown, New York, writes: "My mother, who was French, traditionally made this almond butter cake for Easter. She ground her own almonds, but I find it's much easier to use almond paste instead. I've been making it now for 70 years — not just for Easter, but for other holidays and special occasions."

Like all the names of the desserts at Sugar, this one is a play on a literary work (André Gide's The Immoralist). The campfire favorite is made at once more refined and more scrumptious: Meltingly soft, homemade marshmallows are caramelized atop tender, crumbly chocolate sablé cookies. You will need to use a stand mixer to prepare the fresh marshmallows, and a kitchen blowtorch to caramelize them.

Combining the best of lemon meringue pie and lemon tart, a cloud of soft meringue tops the sprightly lemon curd filling and buttery cookie crust.

A few blocks from Seattle's Pike Place Market, Cascadia is an occasion-worthy restaurant that celebrates regional ingredients with impeccable taste. Same goes for the dessert menu: No flights of fusion fancy here or innovation for novelty's sake, just suavely executed renditions of old favorites that feel new. You can freeze any extra unfilled cream puffs for another use.

Steve Mosel of Bremerton, Washington, writes: "I was in Minneapolis last month for a family wedding and stayed at the Radisson hotel downtown. I'm very rarely impressed by hotel restaurants, but the meal I had at FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar was really wonderful. The Bundt cake I ordered was one of the best desserts I've had outside of my mother's kitchen." Although the recipe calls for baking the cakes in mini Bundt pans, large muffin pans work equally well.

Michael Shrader of Nine Restaurant Group in Palm Springs, Florida, writes: "Both sides of my family cooked a lot when I was growing up, so I've had plenty of inspiration to draw on as a chef. From my mother's Sicilian heritage, I learned about homemade pasta, braised meats, and biscotti—before they became fashionable. My dad is part German, and he was known for his talents working the grill. Now that I'm a professional chef, my entire family is paranoid about cooking for me. I find that funny because I still love their food and look forward to it." This recipe makes two cakes, so freeze one to enjoy at another time.

A topping of chopped Heath bars gives these brownies a satisfying crunch.

Pat Kyofski of Brooklyn, New York, writes: "I have a huge sweet tooth, so you can imagine my delight when my friends told me they were taking me to ChikaLicious, a dessert bar in the East Village, for my birthday. We all ordered something different, but soon found that one chocolate tart with pink peppercorn ice cream wasn't enough. Would chef Chika Tillman share the recipe?" At the restaurant, the tart is also served with a red wine sauce. The dough needs to chill overnight, so start preparing it a day ahead.

Armandino Batali of Salumi in Seattle, writes: "My son, Mario Batali, may be the most recognizable foodie in the family, but the Batalis' interest in Italian cooking and culture goes back generations. My grandfather opened Seattle's first Italian-food import store in 1903. It was located just a few steps from where my restaurant, Salumi, is now, and it's one of the things that inspired me to get into the business." Batali calls these soft cookies unscotti because they are baked once, unlike biscotti, which are crisp and baked twice.

Both elegant and hearty, these individual tartlets make a lovely first course.

Camote is Spanish for sweet potato.

This recipe sponsored by Black Swan Vineyards

This recipe is used to make: Spritz Wreaths
Raspberry Hazelnut Triangles
Orange Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Mocha Butter Balls
Jewel Bowl Cookies
Spiced Icebox Butter Cookies
Apricot Stars
Almond Butter Crisps Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.