Sometimes called a Fly Pie or Fly Cake, this pastry is not a common one in North America, but with a few ingredients and about half an hour you can have a classic British pastry to be proud of. Traditionally, Eccles Cakes are made with currants, which can be difficult to find as well as costly. This recipe substitutes golden raisins, which are a bit sweeter than currants but plump and take on the flavor of the brandy and spices very nicely. More

This classic French pastry is filled with a vanilla scented cream and covered in a smooth chocolate glaze. More

Lighter and airier than their street food cousins, these zeppole are a must for St. Joseph's Day celebrations in Italian American communities. More

Pâte sucrée is the sweet, crumbly French tart dough used for baking the bases of sweet tarts. The dough is chilled twice, once after mixing and again once it has been shaped in a tart pan. This recipe makes enough dough for two tarts. Make one now, and freeze the rest of the dough for next time. More

A glassy, caramelized exterior contrasted with an impossibly custardy center. More

Croissants, with their golden brown, crisp exterior and creamy, buttery interior, are always a welcome treat. To make them, you create a yeasted dough, into which you secure a sheet of butter. The flaky layers in the end product are the result of folding the dough many times, a process called lamination. From mixing and proofing, to laminating and resting and shaping, croissants are certainly not a quickie project, but with practice, the results can be amazing. More

This is a spin on classic palmiers, made with a simple syrup that contains pumpkin puree and a sugar mixture laced with pumpkin pie spices. Palmiers are simple cookies, basically caramelized sugar and syrup baked into puff pastry. The pumpkin flavor is subtle and the spice is intense. Feel free to use high-quality, all-butter frozen pastry from the store if you don't have time to roll your own. More

Puff pastry, while challenging to make, is a wonderful dough that yields light, buttery, flaky layers of shattering pastry. The layers are created by folding layers of butter between sheets of dough. When it bakes, the butter melts, releasing steam and making the dough puff up as the layers separate. This dough is great for making bar tarts, breakfast pastries, palmiers, and dozens of classic French confections. More

Either Kellogg's now manufactures Pop-Tarts using a reformulated recipe or the tastebuds I possessed as a child had not developed enough to distinguish between crap and yum. As a kid, I thought Pop-Tarts represented the absolute pinnacle of deliciousness. I remember each nibble bringing supreme, no, divine pleasure. My adult palate, however, finds every bite a new adventure in disappointment. More

Palmiers are made from puff pastry, which makes them exceptionally tender and flaky. More