Baking

Spritz cookies-from the German Spritzen, meaning "to squirt"- are formed into fanciful shapes when the dough is piped through a cookie press. One food editor still uses her aunt Carol's old metal spritzer to make these delicate cookie.

Here is a delicious interpretation of a campfire classic.

Here we take two of the best treats from days gone by and combine them in one dessert. The cookies are also superb on their own.

Some fresh ginger adds zip to this bakeshop classic. It has the perfect balance of sweetness and spice.

From the Rainforest Cafe in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

This luscious pound cake is not as rich as the traditional version. Note that the cake batter will come only half way up the sides of the pan.

Serve these versatile biscuits with scrambled eggs and smoked salmon for breakfast or brunch or as an accompaniment to almost any dinner. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Making bread pudding is a good way to use up day-old bread. Gary Rhodes creates this sensational version of the classic English dessert with cream, milk and egg yolks, so it is ultra-rich.

You'll find halvah—Middle Eastern sesame seed candy—in the refrigerated deli case at the supermarket.

Come September, I prepare this cake often, taking advantage of whatever clusters of grapes I can find on our vines after harvesting. At Chanteduc, we grow a mixture of Grenache, Syrah, and Morvèdre grapes, each of which contributes its own personality to the wine and to this cake. I love the rustic crunch that seeded grapes impart, and so I also recommend trying Zinfandel, Cornith, and Cabenet grapes. For seedless grapes, try Red Flame. The original recipe was given to me by Rolando Beramendi at Italy's fine Tuscan estate Capezzna, where this intriguing not-too-sweet cake appears frequently at the table during the fall harvest. Note that the cake is prepared with half butter and half olive oil, producing an unusually light and moist cake.

"These cookies have been baked by my mother, by me, and now by my daughters at Christmastime," writes Suzanne Perry of Columbus, Ohio. "The recipe was given to my mother by a Swedish friend." Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

Perhaps the ultimate springtime dessert — classic strawberry shortcakes are spruced up with white chocolate mousse.

Sifting powdered sugar over the cooled cookies adds a festive touch. (It would also be an easy kitchen project for the kids.)