Jessica Berndt

Part bread, part cake, kugelhopf is made like brioche except it's studded with raisins, brushed with butter, and dusted with sugar.

We know many who've fallen for these dulce de leche-filled shortbread cookies while in Latin America. Few have recovered. Rightly so.

First you make an Oreo cookie crust. Then you smother it with a bittersweet and semisweet chocolate custard. The final flourish is whipped cream infused with vanilla. Sigh.

Panettone, which makes its traditional Italian Christmas appearance, is gussied up here with any dried fruit you fancy. An ever so slight twist on a classic.

There's a double whammy of chocolate in these indulgent cookies that are loaded with chunks of chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt.