Annie Barron, Recipe Tester

These little lovelies contain sugar and spice and everything nice–including an oh-so-buttery oat streusel and a batter so enticing you’d never, ever guess it’s good for you.

There’s a bit of France in these cookies, which evoke all the familiar flavors of the traditional pain d’epice bread in a far more festive form.

A ridiculously creamy–and relatively simple–homemade caramel filling graces this properly flaky pastry. Salted butter–lots of it–lends this dessert just the right amount of indulgence.

The soul-satisfying collision of brownies and ice cream has been around since we were kids. In case you’ve ever wanted to recreate it at home, here’s the best way we know.

This nifty little number has all the uber richness of cheesecake and all the luxe creaminess of ice cream but with barely any effort. No ice cream maker required.

As buttery and airy as brioche but with a far weightier responsibility than its breakfast chum, challah ensures a sweet new year in Jewish tradition. We’ll break bread to that.

Designed to maintain their just-out-of-the-oven loveliness for days, these are ideal for sharing something sweet with the ones you care, whether via the USPS or porch delivery. Or save ’em all for yourself.

A sturdy, healthy whole-wheat loaf brimming with nutty goodness, this bread takes its crunch from pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds. Fantastic as toast and for sandwiches.

Though we dearly loved Pop Tarts as kids, even then we thought the packaged pastries ought to be better. Flakier. Fruitier. Fresher. Just like these. And they’re quite simple to pull off.

This tart wooed and wowed us with its sophistication, simplicity, and sturdiness. And unlike that other round eggy thing in a crust, this certainly won’t call into question anyone’s manhood.

A rich, sticky, toffee-pudding-inspired muffin topped with streusel. Mmmmmm.

What’s easy peasy to make, lovely to look at, even lovelier to taste, and certain to impress? This cake.

It’s no surprise that a traditional Scandinavian cookie would be warming. Chalk it up to an inspired melding of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, black pepper, and cocoa.

Although these paletas are Mexican through and through, the melding of yogurt, fruit, and honey is luscious in any language.

This unorthodox Italian nougat, or torrone, adds cherries and almonds to the classic pistachios. Talk about being decked out in Christmas bling.

Potato piroshki are the classic hand pies of Russia. Filled with potato, onion, and dill, the piroshki can be fried or baked. One of our must-make piroshki.