Editor Picks: Best Dessert Recipes of 2012

By Food & Wine
Updated May 18, 2017
With my voracious sweet tooth, I will eat pretty much every dessert in the F&W Test Kitchen, but naturally I have my favorites. Those are the ones I hope we have to retest several times, just so I can eat them a lot. The desserts here are my top picks for two reasons though: Not only are they utterly delicious, they are also easy to make.—Kate Heddings
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Icebox Chocolate Cheesecake

Credit: © CON POULOS
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I am a little obsessed with this icebox cake from Grace Parisi, my amazingly talented colleague. This is so unbelievably simple—it has only three ingredients and takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. The only catch is that you have to wait for it to set in the refrigerator.

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Lemon Bundt Cake

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I think Matt Lewis, from Baked, in Brooklyn, New York, is a brilliant baker. I love everything he does and his lemon Bundt cake is no exception. This is the perfect cake. It’s super lemony and moist, with the ideal crumb and a golden brown exterior that I adore.

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Chocolate-Mint Cookies

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Around the holidays I have a weakness for chocolate and mint combinations. This cookie is exceptional: It’s crisp and has deep, rich chocolate flavor, which makes it good enough to eat plain, but the minty filling—just butter, Fluff, confectioners’ sugar and peppermint extract—is completely addictive in this sandwich cookie.

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Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Credit: © Christina Holmes
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Belinda Leong, who is just about to open B. Patisserie in San Francisco, has won over just about everyone on staff with this rich, fudgy cookie. It’s probably one of the best desserts we’ve done all year.

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Buttermilk Cake with Blackberries

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Sometimes a simple cake like this one is just right. I love the tart, juicy blackberries and the crispy top.

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Stone Fruit Pie with Almond Streusel

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Desserts that are flexible are right up my alley, and this pie encourages you use any stone fruit you want. The crunchy, buttery oat streusel on top is the kind you can’t resist picking off.

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Guava-Cream Cheese Pastries

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Guava? I was skeptical about these little pastries from Washington, DC, pastry chef David Guas, but they floored me. Combining guava paste and cream cheese and baking it in puff pastry turns out to be one of the smartest, fastest and most memorable desserts we did in 2012.

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