Nut

The richness of almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, and pistachios embodies the generosity of the season. A kiss of honey and brown sugar adds a sweet touch.

Begin making the orange cream filling one day before serving the tart.

These small muffin-shaped cookies deliver a brown-sugar-infused crunch, followed by an intensely fruity burst of blueberries and lemon.

Similar to monkey bread, this is a great choice for brunch. Letting the dough rest overnight allows its flavor to develop into something wonderful.

Imagine peanut brittle that is as delicate as lace, with the familiar buttery crunch.

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.

A prized Christmas sweet from Tuscany, panforte means "strong bread" — but it's more like an almost-flourless fruitcake.

A dream-come-true holiday dessert: so easy to assemble, yet so very impressive (and delicious, too).

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.

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.

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.

This recipe brought to you by Bertolli.

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.

Elaine O'Toole of Phoenix, Arizona, writes: "This recipe for chocolate cake is a family favorite at our celebrations all year, but especially during the holidays. It's so rich that my sons eat small squares of it as if they were brownies. And since it can be made ahead, it's a great dessert to take to a party."