Nuts & Seeds

Want to learn how to make macarons? We've taken the guesswork out of making these patisserie beauties, so you can prepare them at home. Our foolproof macarons recipe calls for making your own almond flour (it's so much easier than it seems), then adding just four other ingredients: powdered sugar, egg whites, white sugar, and any filling you please.

Here's how to bake banana nut bread in quick and easy individual portions. Stash some in the freezer so you always have breakfasts and snacks ready to go.

The kransekake, which translates to "wreath cake", is the signature cake of Norway and a showstopping confection that is made for special occasions. And as impressive as a tall tower made out of eighteen delicate cookie rings is, this sweet stunner is surprisingly straightforward to make. The naturally gluten-free dough is made from processing almonds until finely ground, then confectioners' sugar and egg whites are added to bind it together. After an overnight rest, the dough is rolled into ropes and fitted into specialty molds. Once baked, the rings are stacked sky-high and kept in place with royal icing, which pulls double duty as both glue and garnish.

For a crust with the texture of a pecan sandy, nuts are blended into an easy, buttery press-in tart dough. The filling, made with a simple combination of brown sugar, milk, and egg yolks, is a nostalgic nod to butterscotch pudding. Using a rectangular fluted tart pan gives this stunner a more graphic look, and makes it a snap to cut into small servings—so family and friends can feel free to try every option on the dessert table.

Bake a homey, pecan-topped casserole with this recipe from "The Essential New York Times Cookbook," by Amanda Hesser.Also try: James Beard's Pureed Parsnips

This classic southern cake can be over-the-top sweet. Enter coconut sugar, a sweetener from the sap of the coconut tree's flower buds. While it has no coconut flavor, it does bring a caramelized, almost savory complexity to baked goods. It's perfect in a cake that's plenty sweet (as well as moist), thanks to the fresh banana and pineapple. This recipe appears in our cookbook, "A New Way to Bake" (Clarkson Potter).

Puffy brown-rice cakes are just as versatile as toasts for layering on the flavor (and they're gluten-free).

This zucchini nut bread is a favorite of Spigolo chef Scott Fratangelo.

Toasted pecans and maple syrup complement the creamy Brie in this hors d'oeuvre. For the best texture, let the cheese cool before topping it with the syrup mixture.This recipe is by Everyday Food reader Kathy Quinn of Montclair, New Jersey.

For a healthy breakfast or dessert, try our vanilla chia pudding recipe. Making it is as easy as making overnight oats. Chia seeds are tiny, but packed with nutrition; they provide fiber and omega-3s, and are a source of plant-based protein. We use homemade cashew milk for the pudding, but you can opt for store bought if you prefer. Make it the night before and it will be ready in the refrigerator at breakfast time. Top with your favorite fresh berries and a touch of maple syrup for serving.

The great thing about stuffing is that it's almost impossible to mess up: A little more of this or less of that won't affect your results too much. The onething you want to have just the right amount of is liquid, to keep the stuffing moist but not soggy.

This delicious granola recipe is courtesy of Nekisia Davis of Early Bird Foods.

No holiday cookie tin would be complete without at least a few Noel nut balls, rich nut-and-butter domes, rolled in confectioners' sugar to resemble miniature snowballs. In Martha's family, the cookie dough was traditionally made with a touch of bourbon (or orange juice), for extra flavor.

Choose Bosc pears that are ripe but still a little firm for the filling of this oat-almond crisp -- they'll stand up well to baking.

Creamy peanut butter and frozen mixed berries come together in this smoothie's answer to a classic PB&J.

Blondies prove that pantry staples like flour, brown sugar, butter, and eggs can be spun into pure gold—and without a mixer, at that. Amp up their flavor with a touch of dark rum and a tumble of toasted pecans, and a new favorite is born.

Thick brioche slices soak up the batter, while sugared pecans lend a caramelized crunch to this make-ahead baked French toast recipe to feed a hungry breakfast or brunch crowd.

A puree of sweet potatoes, apple, and leeks gets an earthy spiciness from a chipotle chile coated in adobo sauce—which can be omited for spice-free eaters. The silky Sweet-Potato Soup relies on its fresh ingredients, not heavy cream or butter, to achieve its rich flavor.

Making chili oil from scratch is easy and adds a delicious complex flavor to this dish, but you can use regular hot chili oil instead in a pinch.

A perfect spicy snack for the holidays.

Poppy seeds add a delicate crunch to this savory, cheesy zucchini loaf.

This crowd-pleaser is moist, dense, and ultra-chocolaty. Lift it out of the pan with its parchment-paper liner, so the shiny chocolate glaze is free to drizzle down the sides.

Here's a risk-free way to get rich quick: Try our easy take on the classic chocolate-caramel butter bars known as millionaire's shortbread. We swap in crispy, marshmallow-laden rice cereal for its base, and add a thin layer of peanut-butter caramel under the chocolate-shell topping. Just invest a little time to let it chill, and it pays off with every extravagant bite.

Love rare steak? Then try tuna tataki. It's dead simple to make, and coating it with sesame seeds before it cooks gives the exterior a satisfying crunch.