I used "Grade B" maple syrup in the blondies. This dark grade of maple syrup has a more robust flavor than the more common Grade A. If you can't find Grade B in your area, don't fret. Grade A works well, lending the bars a more delicate maple flavor. Just don't use imitation maple syrup. For these bars, you want the real thing. More

[Photograph: Carrie Vasios] Check out other recipes from Serious Entertaining: A Sweet Carolina Birthday » Adapted from More From Magnolia: Recipes from the World Famous Bakery.... More

This is an icebox cake introduced to me by Lee Holtzman, a friend and food writer. It's an heirloom recipe of the Holztman family, one I've never heard of before or since, so I've adopted the name her family gave it. It's an icebox cake, a Northern European tiramisu: dry-ish cookies soaked in spirit-laden liquid, layered with whipped cream and chilled until the layers meld into a mellow, puffy cloud. More

This rice pudding uses coconut milk, and dried coconut, plus a few extras like rice and sugar and cream to make this creamy coconut concoction, inspired by Thai coconut rice and coconut ice cream. It's luscious, not too sweet, decadent, exotic, and comforting. How's that for a dessert! More

[Photograph: Carrie Vasios] Check out other recipes from A Pre-Ski Breakfast » Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.... More

Desserts don't get more Southern than a towering coconut cake. Fluffy and white, dusted with shaved coconut and gobs of seven-minute icing, it's a gorgeous way to end a meal. This particular version from Molly O'Neill's One Big Table incorporates an extra layer of coconut flavor in the form of a sour cream-coconut filling. Mixed up a few days before baking, it's a dead ringer for chocolate Easter egg filling, i.e., super delicious and plenty coconutty. More

[Photograph: Max Falkowitz] Millionaire's shortbread is one of those "I can't believe we ate the whole thing" desserts. It's not to be taken lightly. But if you have the power to resist inhaling a batch of warm, gooey, caramel- and... More

I often hear people lament their inability to make frozen desserts for lack of equipment. But nothing's quite as satisfying as pulling dessert out of the freezer at the end of a long meal—nodding, yes, it is homemade. For these occasions, we have granita, one of the easiest and most elegant desserts ever made. The ingredients couldn't be simpler, the technique no more elementary. And they wake up the palate like nothing else. No ice cream maker required. More

[Photograph: Liz Gutman] This is more a technique than a recipe, but it's a lot of fun. It results in a light yet deeply chocolatey mousse that's totally vegan and dairy free. If you overwhip the first time around, it's... More

[Photograph: Carrie Vasios] Check out other recipes from An Early Spring Dinner. Tart dough adapted from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan.... More