confectioners sugar

These delightful cookies, which are adapted from "Casablanca: My Moroccan Food” by Nargisse Benkabbou (Firefly, 2018), are like a cracked and cakey rose lukum, a gel-like candy often referred to as Turkish delight. Ghriba is a specific type of cookie that Moroccans bake all year long. Recipes vary depending on the region or the family, but they all have one thing in common: They are cracked on the outside and chewy on the inside. When it comes to ghriba, the flavoring possibilities are endless. The most popular varieties are almond, coconut and walnut.

Rose and Almond Ghriba

confectioners’ sugar,

almonds

granulated sugar

eggs

unsalted butter, softened

baking powder

rose water

salt

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl.

Place all of the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and use your hands or a large spatula to mix them together until you have a smooth and slightly sticky dough. Scoop the dough in heaping single tablespoonfuls (about 30 grams each) and roll each into a ball, then roll each ball in confectioners’ sugar until completely coated.

Transfer the coated dough balls to the lined cookie sheet and lightly press each with the palm of your hand, but don’t flatten them completely.

Immediately bake for 15 to 18 minutes until the cookies are cracked and firm on the outside. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container to prevent them from drying out. They will keep for up to seven days.

Their name may be fun to say, but whoopie pies aren’t really pies at all but rather soft, cakelike cookie sandwiches. These are inspired by a classic apple cider doughnut and, true to form, are dusted with cinnamon sugar. Apple cider that's been reduced and a bit of apple butter work in tandem to subtly flavor the fluffy cakes, and good old cream cheese frosting makes the ideal filling. For beautiful, uniformly sized cakes, use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the batter for baking. If you don't have one, they might bake up a little wonky, but they’ll still taste delightful.

Apple Cider Whoopie Pies

apple cider

all-purpose flour

baking soda

cinnamon

ginger

nutmeg

unsalted butter,

dark brown sugar

apple butter

cream cheese,

confectioners’ sugar

vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bring the apple cider to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Continue to cook the cider until it has reduced to 1/4 cup/60 milliliters, about 16 to 18 minutes. Let cool completely. (You can pop the reduced cider in the fridge or freezer to cool faster while you continue.)

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium, beat the room-temperature butter and brown sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add egg, apple butter and reduced apple cider, and beat until combined. Your batter may look like it has separated slightly, and that’s O.K. Add the dry mixture and mix just until combined, again scraping the bowl as necessary.

Portion the dough into 2-tablespoon scoops on 2 parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets, about 1 1/2-inches apart. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until the cakes are puffed and set, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer sheets to racks. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and the granulated sugar. Brush the tops of the warm cakes with a bit of the melted butter and gently toss them in the sugar mixture. Set aside to cool completely.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and beat to combine. Spread about 2 tablespoons of filling on the flat side of half of the cakes. Top with the other halves.

This is the kind of dessert worth dreaming about: a buttery yellow cake topped with a chocolate-sour cream frosting, made doubly rich with cocoa powder and melted chocolate. The batter may seem thin when you spread it in the pan, but, once baked, it rises to perfection. It’s not a towering, lofty cake — it’s not meant to be — but when it’s covered with a generous layer of frosting, it makes for the ideal cake-to-icing ratio. For a perfect cake, make sure designated “room temperature” ingredients truly are; this helps ensure that the batter is fully incorporated so the cake bakes evenly.

Yellow Sheet Cake With Chocolate Frosting

Nonstick cooking spray

unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), at room temperature

eggs egg

fine sea salt

180 milliliters whole milk

cocoa powder

sour cream

bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Sprinkles, for finishing (optional)

Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch pan with nonstick spray. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Make the cake: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the egg yolk, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Mix on medium speed until fully incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine, 15 to 30 seconds.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to combine. Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture to the mixer and mix on low speed until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add about half the milk and mix on low speed until incorporated, about 15 seconds more. Repeat with another batch of flour mixture, the remaining milk, then the remaining flour mixture until fully incorporated.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread in an even layer. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cake is golden and separating from the pan at the edges, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting: Add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the bowl from the electric mixer, and sift the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa into the bowl with the butter. Stir with a spatula a few times to incorporate slightly. Return the bowl to the mixer and beat on medium speed until smooth and uniform in color, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sour cream and melted chocolate and mix on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the vanilla and salt and mix to combine.

Spread the frosting on the cooled cake in an even layer. Garnish with sprinkles, if desired.

This peanut butter sandwich cookie is a smaller version of the gargantuan homemade Nutter Butters served at Bouchon Bakery, Thomas Keller's restaurant in the Time Warner Center. It is pure peanut sophistication; two crunchy, crisp peanut butter cookies filled with pillowy peanut-butter frosting. These cookies spread a fair amount while baking, so be sure to give them plenty of room on the baking sheet and let them cool and firm up before filling. 

(After reading through some of the reader comments, we retested the original recipe and decided to make the cookies smaller and double the filling. We've edited the below recipe to reflect those changes.)

Bouchon Bakery’s ‘Nutter Butters’

2 cups 256 grams all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

4 teaspoons baking soda

(4 sticks) salted butter,

creamy peanut butter,

granulated sugar

firmly packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

quick-cooking oats

(2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature

410 grams confectioners' sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and baking soda; set aside. Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and peanut butter. Add sugars and beat at medium speed for 4 minutes, scraping down bowl twice.

At low speed, add eggs one at a time and vanilla. Add flour mixture and mix at low speed until well combined, scraping down bowl as necessary. Add peanuts and oats, and mix well. Using an ice cream scoop 1½ inches in diameter (about 1 heaping tablespoon), place balls of dough on parchment-lined baking sheets at least 2 ½ inches apart. Bake until cookies have spread and turned golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool and firm up on the baking sheet, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely before filling.

Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, peanut butter and confectioners' sugar until very smooth.

To assemble cookies, spread a thin layer (about 1/8 inch) on underside of a cookie. Sandwich with another cookie, being careful not break them. Repeat.

In the 1990s, when home bakers started putting rainbow sprinkles in their cakes, as well as on their cakes, the Funfetti craze was born.  Pillsbury introduced its Funfetti cake mix in 1989, and the idea was quickly adopted by home cooks for waffles, pancakes and cupcakes. Now, as seen on photo-friendly social media sites like Instagram and Pinterest, rainbow sprinkles are decorating everything from morning smoothie bowls to late-night martinis. But the Funfetti layer cake is still the most fun. You can buy premixed rainbow sprinkles, but professionals mix their own to get just the right color combination. (Coming up with a signature "house blend" is a good Saturday morning project for kids.) And though it may be tempting, do not use any sprinkles made with natural colorings in the cake -- they fade away, instead of leaving beautiful streaks of color.

Rainbow Sprinkle Cake

unsalted butter

all-purpose flour, more for pans

158 milliliters whole milk

sugar

egg egg whites

rainbow sprinkles (not pastel, or naturally colored)

cream cheese, slightly softened

unsalted butter (1 stick), slightly softened

salt,

confectioners’ sugar, sifted, more to taste

rainbow sprinkles (see note)

Make the cake: Heat oven to 325 degrees and place a rack in the center. Butter and line the bottoms of two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Butter the parchment. Flour the pans, coating the bottom and sides, then tap out any excess flour.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, stir together milk and vanilla.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and, with mixer running, slowly add egg and whites and beat until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down bowl. Add half the flour mixture, then the milk mixture, then the remaining flour mixture, beating to blend after each addition. Scrape down bowl and blend once more. Remove bowl and use a spatula or spoon to mix in sprinkles by hand.

Divide batter evenly between the pans and bake until the tops are just dry to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Rotate the pans halfway through baking.

Transfer pans to a wire rack and let cool completely, at least 4 hours, before turning out.

Make the frosting: In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, butter and salt together at medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and, with mixer running, slowly add sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in vanilla just until incorporated. Taste frosting; you should be able to taste the cream cheese and a little bit of saltiness, as well as the sweetness. If desired, add more salt or sugar. Keep refrigerated.

Turn cooled cakes out of pans. Using a bread knife, cut off any domed or uneven parts of each cake to make flat surfaces. Place one of the cakes on a platter or a cake stand, cut side up. Using an offset spatula, frost the top. Stack the other layer on top, cut side down. Place remaining frosting on top of the cake and, working from the center outward, frost the top and sides of the cake.

Place a baking sheet under the platter or cake stand, to catch any fallen sprinkles. Sprinkle the top with a layer of sprinkles. Toss remaining sprinkles at the sides of the cake, or press handfuls of sprinkles gently up the sides to make a thicker coating. Gather fallen sprinkles and repeat until coated to your liking.

Refrigerate cake 30 minutes or longer to set. Serve cool.

This shortbread is like a huge, sliceable Girl Scout cookie. (You’re welcome!) An easy shortbread is topped with a layer of peanut butter frosting, blanketed with a thick chocolate glaze, then chilled until set. Brown sugar helps keep the shortbread soft, and coconut oil does the same for the chocolate coating, so the whole thing is easy to cut with a knife and eat with a fork. Be sure to use bar chocolate, not chips — which don’t melt as evenly — so your chocolate glaze ends up shiny and smooth.

Giant Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cookie

unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature

110 grams light brown sugar

unsalted butter (3/4 stick), at room temperature

peanut butter (not natural)

135 grams sifted confectioners’ sugar

chopped semisweet bar chocolate

coconut oil

heavy cream

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray.

Prepare the shortbread: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.

Reduce the speed to low. Add the flour and salt and mix until evenly combined. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and press into an even layer. Prick the shortbread all over with a fork.

Bake until the shortbread is baked through, set and lightly golden, 22 to 26 minutes. Cool completely, and remove the outer ring from the springform pan. Place on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet.

Wipe out the bowl of the mixer, and make the peanut butter filling: Using the paddle attachment, cream the butter, peanut butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the vanilla and salt and mix to combine.

Spread on top of the cooled shortbread, leaving it slightly more mounded in the center than at the edges. Transfer to the refrigerator while you make the glaze.

Place a medium heat-safe bowl over a medium pot of simmering water. Add the chocolate, coconut oil and cream to the bowl and heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is melted and fluid. (Alternatively, the mixture can be microwaved in a microwave-safe container in 15-second bursts, stirring after each burst until the mixture is fully melted.) Cool for 5 minutes.

Pour the glaze over the cooled cookie, using a small offset spatula to help coat the edges evenly as needed. If necessary, you can collect the glaze that runs off the cookie onto the baking sheet and pour back over to glaze any missed spots.

Once the cookie is fully glazed, use a large spatula to transfer it to a platter. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill completely for 45 minutes before slicing with a serrated knife and serving. Store, covered, at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Like their inspiration, lemon meringue pie, these cookies have three elements. They’re built on simple, slice-and-bake French shortbread cookies, rich, buttery and flavored with vanilla. The shortbread base is almost classic, except that the cookies are baked in muffin tins, so they’re straight-sided and deeply golden brown. The “filling” is lemon curd, and the topping is crunchy bits of meringue. You get crumbly, velvety and crackly, sweet and tart in every bite. These cookies were created for an imaginary friend, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, the hero of 16 Louise Penny novels, and a man who considers lemon meringue divine.

Lemon Meringue Cookies

egg white,

distilled vinegar (or lemon juice)

confectioners’ sugar, sifted

egg yolks,

lemon curd

Make the meringue: Heat oven to 250 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, stir together both sugars.

Working with an electric mixer, beat the egg white, vinegar and salt on medium-high speed until the mixture forms soft peaks, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar mixture 1 tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition. Once the sugar is incorporated, beat 2 minutes more; you’ll have stiff, glossy, white peaks. Put the meringue on the baking sheet and spread it 1/4-inch thick. (It will cover only a small part of the sheet.)

Bake the meringue undisturbed for 35 minutes. Turn off the heat, prop open the oven door and let it dry for 1 hour. When you’re ready to use it, chop it into pieces about the size of chocolate chips. Precision doesn’t matter.

Make the shortbread: Working with a mixer (use the paddle if it’s a stand mixer), beat the butter, both sugars and the salt on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until smooth but not fluffy. On low speed, beat in the yolks, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Add the flour in three additions, mixing on low until the dough comes together in large clumps. Turn out the dough and knead it into a ball. Cut the ball in half.

Shape each half into a 6-inch log. Wrap it and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (You could also freeze it for up to 2 months; leave it on the counter for 1 hour before baking.)

When you’re ready to bake the cookies, heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 1 or 2 muffin tins with butter (or nonstick baking spray).

Slice each log into 12 rounds (each 1/2-inch thick); drop one into each muffin cup. (If you don’t have enough tins, you can work in batches.)

Bake for 21 to 23 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown around the rims. Transfer the tin(s) to a rack, cool for 5 minutes, then lift the cookies out and onto racks; cool to room temperature.

Just before serving, top each cookie with lemon curd, then top with ample chunks of meringue, pressing them into the curd. The meringue will keep in a cool, dry place for a few days, and the cookies can be kept at room temperature for about 3 days. But once you top the cookies, they’re best eaten soon after.

Inky black tahini gives these cookies their dark swirl, sandy texture and nutty taste, which is reminiscent of halvah. But, if you can’t get your hands on black tahini, simply omit it. Instead, add 1/2 cup plain tahini to all the dough in Step 4, and skip Step 5. The crunchy black sanding-sugar edge makes them truly modern, but you can also use black sesame seeds or turbinado sugar to adorn the cookies.

Marbled Tahini Cookies

all-purpose flour,

Cooking spray

unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened

125 grams unsifted confectioners’ sugar

egg,

plain tahini

black tahini

coarse black sanding sugar (optional)

In a medium bowl, whisk to combine 3 cups flour, the salt and baking powder; set aside. Coat a small loaf pan with cooking spray, then line with plastic wrap, tucking it into the corners and leaving plenty of overhang. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and confectioners’ sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping bowl as needed. Add the large egg and the vanilla; beat on medium-high until combined, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.

Add flour mixture; beat on low speed until combined; then increase speed to medium and beat until dough starts to clump together, scraping bowl as needed.

Remove dough from bowl, knead lightly and form into a fat log. Using a bench scraper or knife, cut into two pieces, one about 1/3 of the dough, and the other 2/3 of the dough. Return the larger piece to the bowl, add the plain tahini, and beat on medium speed until fully combined. Remove from bowl and set aside. Add the smaller piece and the black tahini to the bowl and beat on medium speed until fully combined.

On a generously floured surface, using a bench scraper or a knife, cut the white dough in half. Pat half the white dough into a 5-inch square. Cut the black dough in half, then pat half the black dough on top of the flattened white dough to match dimensions. Repeat with remaining white dough, then black dough, so you have four alternating layers of white dough and black dough. Cut in half crosswise, and gently knead and roll one piece to marble the two colors together. Repeat with the second piece of dough. Stack both pieces of dough together (they should be fairly soft at this point, so be gentle), and briefly knead the pieces together to form one dough.

Press dough into prepared pan, and fold the plastic wrap over the top to seal. Gently press down to even out the surface as much as possible. Chill until firm, preferably overnight, or at least a few hours and up to 3 days ahead, or freeze up to 3 months.

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Beat the egg white with 1 teaspoon water to thin it out. Spread the sanding sugar out on a small baking sheet. Remove the block of dough from the loaf pan and unwrap it. Trim the slanted sides and the top if you want them really square. Very lightly brush the outside of the block with the egg white mixture. Press the block firmly to coat all sides (except the ends) with the sugar, sprinkling and pressing it on to cover any bare spots.

Cut the block into barely 1/4-inch-thick slices, and lay them out 1 inch apart on two parchment- or silicone mat-lined baking sheets. Freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.

Bake until cookies are golden underneath, 14 to 16 minutes. Let cool a few minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

Lemon bars are all about contrast: sour lemon and sweet sugar, crumbly base and creamy topping, buttery crust and tart filling. Two common ingredients lift this recipe above the pack: baking powder for a fluffy filling and shredded coconut for a rich, round-tasting crust. (Once baked, the coconut flavor almost disappears.)  Bakers who avoid preservatives will find an easy version of homemade sweetened coconut in the tip below the recipe.) For thicker lemon squares, use the square baking pan; for thinner ones, the large rectangle. For an easy lemon tart, simply cut the recipe in half and bake it in an 8-inch round tart pan, pressing the crust up the sides.

Best Lemon Bars

225 grams very cold unsalted butter (2 sticks), cut into small chunks

sweetened shredded coconut (see note)

confectioners' sugar, more for sprinkling

120 milliliters lemon juice

Make the crust: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch or 9-by-9-inch baking pan, preferably nonstick.

In a stand mixer or food processor, combine crust ingredients. Mix or pulse until well combined and moist clumps form. Using your hands, press mixture evenly but gently into prepared pan.

Bake crust until edges and top are light golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Rotate once for even browning.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Whisk all the ingredients together until smooth.

Pour filling over hot parbaked crust and return to the oven. Bake until filling is almost set, about 20 minutes more. (Thicker squares, baked in the 9-by-9-inch pan, will take longer.) Start checking after 15 minutes; when you give the pan a gentle shake, filling should be lightly set all over and still quivery in the very center.

Let lemon bars cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Sprinkle the top lightly and evenly with confectioners' sugar.

Cut into squares, diamonds or rectangles and remove from pan. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. If desired, sprinkle again with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

Bursting with pure lemon flavor, this classic dessert is a picnic-table standout.

Lemon Bars

This recipe was brought to The Times in a 1990 article about traditional Christmas cookies, but we think these butter-rich confections are delicious any time of year. Sometimes called Mexican wedding cakes (or polvorones or Russian tea cakes or snowballs), their provenance is often debated, but this much is true: they are dead-simple to make and addictive to eat. This version is done completely in a food processor, so you can clean-up in minutes, and get to the important business at hand: eating cookies and licking your fingers.

Mexican Wedding Cookies

pecan halves

confectioners' sugar

Put pecans, 1 cup of the sugar and salt in food processor and blend until nuts are ground fine. Cut the butter into tablespoon-size pieces and add it to nut mixture with processor running. Process until smooth. Add vanilla extract. Add flour and continue blending, using pulse mechanism of processor.

Scrape dough into a bowl. Cover tightly and refrigerate one hour. 3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Scoop dough with tablespoon and form 1-inch balls by rolling dough between palms (lightly flour hands, if necessary). Place balls 1 1/2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 15 minutes or until the cookies barely begin to brown. Cool for 2 minutes. Use small spatula to lift cookies from sheets. Roll the cookies in the remaining sugar.

This traditional British layer cake is made up of two buttery, tender spongecake rounds that sandwich a thick layer of jam and, often, a dollop of sweetened whipped cream. It’s a simple, homey confection that works as well with a cup of afternoon tea as it does for dessert. Feel free to substitute other flavors of tart jam for the raspberry. Apricot and blackberry work particularly well.

Victoria Sponge Cake

eggs,

milk

jam,

sugar,

Heat oven to 350 degrees and place a rack in the center. Grease and line the bottoms of two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, then beat in milk, scraping down sides of the bowl as necessary. Mix in flour mixture until combined, then scrape into prepared cake pans, smoothing the top.

Bake cakes until golden brown and springy, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, then unmold them onto a wire rack to cool completely, flat side down.

Transfer one cake (the less attractive one) to a serving platter, and spread jam evenly on top. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla just until it holds stiff peaks. Dollop about half the cream on top of jam, then top with remaining cake. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve immediately, with the extra whipped cream on the side.

Learn to make a proper tea cake in this homage to "The Great British Bake Off."

This easy, breezy one-bowl loaf cake makes the perfect afternoon snack — and a perfect breakfast the next day, too. It’s lightly spiced and nut- and fruit-free, but feel free to add about 1/2 cup of chopped nuts or dried fruit, if that’s how you like your carrot cake. There is an optional bit of grated carrot in the lemony glaze, which doesn’t lend that much flavor, but provides a lovely light orange hue. If grating carrot for the glaze seems fussy, you can certainly skip it.

Carrot Loaf Cake With Tangy Lemon Glaze

225 grams packed light brown sugar

cardamom

carrots

lemon

carrot (optional)

Make the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees and set a rack in the center. Oil a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan and line it with a strip of parchment paper that hangs over the two long sides. Oil the paper, too.

Add the light brown sugar and eggs to a large bowl and whisk vigorously until pale in color, about 2 minutes. Add the oil, cinnamon, cardamom and salt. Whisk until well combined and smooth.

Add the flour, baking powder and baking soda, and whisk, starting slowly to incorporate the flour without spilling it, until well combined and smooth, switching to a rubber spatula if necessary. Fold in the grated carrots. The batter will be very thick.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any big air bubbles.

Bake the cake until golden and puffed and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Set the pan on a rack to cool for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, use the parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan and set on the rack over a baking sheet to cool completely.

When the cake is cool, make the glaze: Finely zest the lemon into a medium bowl. Juice the lemon, and set aside lemon juice. Add the confectioners’ sugar and finely grated carrot (if using) to the bowl with the zest, along with 4 teaspoons of the lemon juice. Whisk vigorously until smooth. Add more lemon juice as needed to make a thick but pourable glaze. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake and let it set for a few minutes before slicing. Store the cake well wrapped at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.

These sugar cookie bars, which are adapted from “American Girl Cookies,” are happiness in a 9-by-13 pan. The addition of cream cheese in the batter makes them very tender and slightly tangy, a perfect counterpoint to the sweet buttercream frosting. You can, and should, experiment with frosting colors and use sprinkles with abandon. Whatever you do, do not overbake these beauties. When testing for doneness, you want a few moist crumbs to cling to the toothpick.

Sugar Cookie Bars

(8-ounce 225-gram) package cream cheese,

lemon juice,

vanilla extract,

gel food coloring (optional)

Assorted sprinkles, for decorating (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper, running it up the two long sides of the pan and letting it extend past the rim by about 2 inches.

Make the bars: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until well blended, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until well combined, about 1 minute. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing on low speed just until blended, about 1 minute.

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The most viewed confectioners sugar recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine