Bar Cookie

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 45 min

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The flavor and texture of these chewy confections are even better if they are allowed to rest overnight.

These brownies can be fudgy or cakey depending on how long you bake them.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

A favorite flavor combination in a fudgy brownie.

Serve with a watermelon, kiwi fruit and grape salad. You can save any leftovers for an afternoon snack with coffee.

The lusciously sticky caramel-pecan top layer in this brownie was inspired by the chewy chocolate candies called "turtles."

In 1897, the Sears catalog offered its customers a treat called brownies. No one seems to remember whether they were bar cookies or a chocolate confection named after a popular cartoon character. No matter; by the 1900s the brownie as we now know it had arrived. The recipe for these dense, moist brownies is from Heather Ho, pastry chef at Boulevard in San Francisco.

Using stencils to add powdered sugar designs is a great way to dress up the treats.

An inspired cherry-chocolate dessert.

Similar in texture to lemon bars, these have a shortbread cookie base and a delightful tropical fruit filling.

Here's an excellent new use for maple syrup. These bar cookies are very sweet and deliciously sticky.

Judith W. Harris of San Mateo, California, writes: "I recently made these chocolate almond bars for a tea. They were all consumed with requests for more." Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 2 hr