I have a sweet tooth and love dessert more than most of my family members, and certainly more than my boyfriend. He is content with a slice of cheese after dinner whereas I tend to gravitate towards a wedge of chocolate. I think both are fine as long as they're in relative moderation, which can be a struggle. But when it comes to dessert portions, all it takes is a little pre-planning to portion like a pro!

There’s something exciting about dessert in our house — shocking, even. Dessert rarely appears at the table, even though we have no specific rules about sweets. Every now and then one of the children will make a request — usually cookies, a love they inherited from their dad — or I'll feel nostalgic for something like cobbler, vinegar pie, or homemade Magic Shell over ice cream. Dessert is not a required course and we definitely don’t need it to survive. However, because my husband and I come from different cultures (I am all South Carolina, while he is half Serbian and half French) he’s been known to claim his Gallic heritage as the reason he must have dessert. But he comes by his love of dessert honestly...

Madeleines.  That little French butter cake that most (non-French) people think of more as a cookie.  They have a classy, literary reputation, having served as Proust's muse in his famous Remembrance of Things Past.  Like most muses, however, madeleines appear to be simple but actually require a fair amount of patience and careful following of instructions.  In the end, though,  you are rewarded with a truly unique little cake, browned and crispy on the outside and spongy and soft on the inside.  A perfect accompaniment to your afternoon cup of tea.

It seems like only yesterday that the frozen yogurt craze swept the nation, cluing in the general public to what we've known for years: creamy, tart, refreshing yogurt makes a great dessert. From yogurt banana splits to yogurt-pomegranate pops, these ten recipes could give the local fro-yo joint a run for its money.

I spend a great deal of time in the kitchen writing and developing recipes and there are days when I don't have as many ideas swimming around in my head — days when I struggle to come up with original ideas for new work. On those days, I look to cookbooks and favorite online sites to mix things up a little, to hand over a slice of inspiration. Last week I found just that with this simple non-dairy Cereal Milk Ice Cream. More

Cooks who work on marble countertops already know that marble is great for working with pastry and chocolate. When chilled, a marble surface is ideal for keeping dough from sticking -- particularly when you're not keen on adding too much extra flour. If you're an avid baker, it's an essential tool to have in your kitchen. And you can get one for around $30!

Robin's eggs are such a lovely hue and a happy sign of spring. With a certain "egg-centric" holiday fast approaching, why not take a robin's egg dessert to family dinner? Or, just make one for something special to enjoy at home, in honor of Easter or in honor of Spring. Here are some desserts that take the robin's egg theme and run with it:

Have you ever become so totally obsessed with an ingredient or recipe it completely takes over your life? Because that is exactly what happened when I recently sampled an ethereal Chocolate Hazelnut Torte at a local Atlanta restaurant. That particular sweet and nutty flavor combination is always a favorite, but it was the crispy, creamy wafer crust that had me at hello.

You might never have known these desserts are vegan if we hadn't told you, proving that you don't need a lot of milk and butter to make a decadent dessert. Cashew cream, chocolate mousse, apple pie, hazelnut truffles... it's all here, and all surprisingly vegan!