Christmas

Homemade marshmallows are Tara O'Brady's party trick. They’re surprisingly easy, one batch feeds a crowd and they are always met with delight. She took inspiration from the cookie jar for these ones, with cinnamon and buttery-dough notes and a thin dip of dark chocolate. 

There’s no gettting around it—these chubby darlings take time to make. Divide the work between two days, getting a head start with the peanut butter caramel, diplomat cream (stopping before adding the whipped cream) and craquelin. The next day, finish the cream, make the choux puffs and assemble. The reward for the effort is a childhood dream made better. 

To achieve its thin, even layers, the cake is baked in a half-sheet pan, then stacked and cut to fit snugly into silicone moulds lined with white candy melts. No moulds? Double the frosting recipe. Spread over the exterior of the cake and smooth with an offset spatula or a bench scraper. Chill until firm, then use a spoon or squeeze bottle to drip melted white chocolate or candy melts onto the top edge of the cake, allowing it to ooze over. Then coat the top of the cake with chocolate as well. Let set before serving.

It's the best excuse to get together with friends and family—and eat a whole bunch of cookies!

This marzipan take on empire cookies is labour-intensive but totally worth it. We veered from the original all-white colour scheme with a bit of food colouring and sprinkles for a far-out look.