Chocolate

With its foolproof crust and easy custard filling, this pie is a breeze to put together, and a good place to start if you’re a novice baker. Instead of rolling out dough, you press a ground-cookie mixture into a pie plate and bake for ten minutes or so. The chocolate filling is a cinch, as are the cream topping and chocolate garnish. The only hard part is waiting for the pie to chill thoroughly, preferably overnight, before savoring the end result. Because of the cornstarch, the filling sets up quite nicely and slices well; nevertheless, if you prefer something with a firmer texture, you can add gelatin (see step 3, below).

No baking required, so these are a fast and easy sugar fix! Just make sure the baking sheets fit in your fridge; otherwise, make some room and lay the sheets of waxed paper directly on the fridge shelf. These are also great to make with kids because there’s no hot stuff to fear. We like to layer these with Vanilla or Chocolate Ice Cream (pages 136 and 137), but Caramel (page 139) is pretty awesome too. The cookies will keep in the refrigerator for 1 week.

Paired with Espresso Ice Cream (page 140), this is even better than a brownie sundae! use the best-quality bittersweet chocolate chips you can find for a richer flavor. We like the way the white chocolate chips give a graphic pop to the cookie. For a superintense chocoholic experience, add a scoop of Chocolate Ice Cream (page 137).

There’s a reason chocolate chip cookies are the classic American favorite. We bet some of these never even meet a cooling rack, let alone a cookie jar. We like ’em semisoft and paired with vanilla ice cream—the most popular combo at the Shop by far. Try them with our fresh Mint Ice Cream (page 142) for a refreshing sandwich twist.

This is a sophisticated but really simple cookie that can be used as a base for a range of add-ins. Once you’ve gotten your egg whites nice and glossy, try adding dried cherries or substitute almonds or pistachios for the walnuts. Orange zest and chocolate is another good combination. Which ice cream to consider? Besides the obvious Chocolate Ice Cream (page 137), Espresso Ice Cream (page 140) is another winner.

This ice cream combines two different forms of chocolate for a doubly intense chocolate experience.

A friend of ours is a hunter, and we created this ball after he brought us back the goods from a successful outing. It’s based on a classic Cumberland sauce, and we’ve added a touch of chocolate and butter to add richness and the extra fat that the lean and gamy venison requires. Venison is typically paired with juniper berries, which we like to crush and mix in along with a splash of port wine. Serve with Mushroom Gravy (page 63) and Smashed Turnips with Fresh Horseradish (page 80).

Marsala wine, traditionally used in zabaglione and sometimes served as an apéritif, flavors these Italian goodies. Look for candied orange peel in specialty foods stores; do not substitute supermarket candied-fruit mixes.

To decorate, drizzle melted white chocolate over each cookie with a spoon, or use a resealable plastic bag with a snipped corner.

We can’t seem to get enough of the flavor of sour cherries in our test kitchen. Here they are generously added to a dough rich with bittersweet chocolate and cocoa. The result is a deep, dark, utterly delicious cookie with unexpected tartness in every bite.

It’s no wonder kids adore these bar cookies. A gooey topping spills over a base filled with butterscotch chips, miniature marshmallows, chocolate chunks, and—as if that weren’t enough—melted caramels.

Matzo is an unleavened bread, made with flour and water and traditionally served during Passover; matzo farfel is made from dried noodles that are broken into small pieces. Both can be found in kosher sections of grocery stores. Vegetable oil is used in place of butter, to keep the cookies nondairy.

A filling made with sweetened pureed berries, heavy cream, and white chocolate is tucked between two vanilla-bean cookies.

Oversize and dense with chocolate chips, raisins, and pecans, these chunky treats might just be the ultimate cookies. The recipe has been a staff favorite since it first appeared in Martha Stewart Living in 1990.

In one batch, find the flavors of two bakery classics: chocolate chip cookies and banana bread. Chopped walnuts and rolled oats add texture and more layers of taste. Use a ripe banana, which has more concentrated flavor, and is easier to mash, than an unripe one.

A glass of milk is the ideal accompaniment to these drop cookies. Besides white chocolate, the cookies are also chockablock with oats, coconut, golden raisins, and walnuts.

The title refers to the cocoa powder and white chocolate in this recipe; the coconut and pecans lend additional chunky, nutty appeal. You can swap in hazelnuts, almonds, or pecans for some or all of the walnuts.

Lucinda Scala Quinn, editorial director of food and entertaining for Martha Stewart Living, keeps this cookie dough on hand for casual get-togethers. After forming the dough into 1-inch balls, she flattens them slightly before freezing on cookie sheets until firm; the ready-to-bake pieces are then frozen in resealable plastic bags for up to one month.

These single-serving goodies are kitchen wizardry: Blondie batter is tucked into cupcake liners, topped with a combination of coconut, chocolate chips, walnuts, and dried cherries, and baked until golden.

Oversized and ever-so-slightly underbaked, these cookies feature milk chocolate in two forms—melted and mixed into the dough, and chopped into big chunks.