Name: Jam and Shortbread Squares
Yield: Makes 16 squares
Ingredients: 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened; 1/2 cup sugar; 1 large egg; 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 6 tablespoons strawberry, raspberry, or cherry preserves

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Lauren Chattman's Mom's Big Book of Cookies. To read Epicurious's review of the cookbook, click here.

Here is one of my favorite recipes in this book. These bars are just the essence of home baking for kids: a few simple ingredients that you probably have on hand, minimally handled, make the best bar cookies ever.

Recipe notes

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Rye, Cranberry, and Dark Chocolate Cookies

This cookie is an unintended “celebrity.” It’s one of very few cookies that customers ask for specifically upon arrival at Mokonuts.

Grasshopper Brownies

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Heavenly Halva Cake

Serve a thick slice for breakfast or an afternoon pick-me-up.

Grape Dumplings

Native American people made these with cornmeal dumplings, simmering them with wild grapes, which were harvested at their peak sweetness.

Île Flottante

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Brown Butter Miso Mochi Blondies

You can find butter mochi on practically every corner in Hawaii—it’s that ubiquitous because, well, it’s that good. For my version, I’ve browned the butter for a layer of toasted nutty flavor and added miso, which balances out the sweetness with its signature umami.