I'll grant you that we've become a little coconut obsessed lately, what with the coconut chips and the coconut cooking spray and all the reasons we love coconut water. But before you declare coconut overload, you have to give this coconut sugar a try. For starters, I bet you'll never guess what part of the coconut it's made from!

I consider caramel popcorn to be the ultimate party treat — beloved by the attendees of children's birthday parties and grown-up cocktail hours alike. It's crunchy, it's deeply caramelized, and it's utterly addictive. If your only experience with caramel popcorn is the sticky-sweet stuff that comes Christmas tins, then I insist that you drop whatever you are currently doing and make yourself a batch this afternoon.

I'm one of those people who always has a snack tucked away in my bag, a worst-case survival tactic for when the hours between meals stretch just a little too long. I love me some yogurt-covered snacks: raisins, cranberries, pretzels, all of them. It's taken me a while to work out how I might make these favorite snacks at home, but my golly, I think I've finally got it.

My absolute favorite thing about the holidays — besides the time with family and friends — is hands-down the COOKIES! Retail stores and local craft shops are known to pass out a few fresh cookies to spread the holiday cheer as you shop, and I'll typically grab an extra sample or two when the wife isn't looking. "I'm just not sure if that's nutmeg or cinnamon I taste, I think I'll just have to try one more to be certain." Given all the good spirits and reason for celebration, talking the wife into helping me cook a batch of cookies at 10pm is also an easier sell. Last night that very thing happened while browsing through our Fannie Farmer cookbook. Brandy Snaps! Now this we have to try. Now! More

Years ago when I was working as a wedding planner, our crafty in-house letterpress guru, Jennifer, would bring the entire office weekly homemade treats. I had yet to venture into the world of baking, so I was often completely mesmerized by the complicated recipes she tackled. (Profiteroles au chocolat, anyone?!) More

Let's talk caramels. The candy kind. The chewy, melt-in-your-mouth, deeply sweet, and insanely addictive kind. These make some of the best gifts ever, whether the event is Christmas, a birthday, or a thank you for a favor. Or no reason at all. You probably already have the ingredients in your pantry, and if you haven't made caramels recently, you probably don't know how easy they can be. Grab a bag of sugar and your candy thermometer, folks! We're making caramels today. More

As kids, my brother and I knew the holidays had truly arrived when our mom broke out the sanding sugars. A coating of these crunchy, brightly colored sugars made even her simplest sugar cookies take on a sparkly magic. Even now, I can't resist taking one of these from the cookie platter. Add some sparkle! Pick up a jar of sanding sugar for your holiday cookies. More

We've all faced ingredient conundrums and last-minute shortages in the kitchen. Oh no! Out of eggs! No crème fraîche! Need a buttermilk substitute! Thankfully, there are a few tried-and-true substitutions you can turn to in a pinch. These can also be helpful if you're trying to modify a recipe out of dietary necessity (shifting it to be dairy or gluten-free, for example). This guide will help get you started. More

Despite being named after a world-class ballerina, I can't help but think of the pavlova as a rather humble and homely thing. I love the way the billowy whipped cream slumps into the cracked surface of the meringue, making a cozy nest for the fruit to rest. But perhaps the pavlova was named for the way it tastes: an arabesque of sweetness, a leap of airy confection, the beloved pas de deux of fresh fruit and cream. Like Anna Pavlova herself, it's perfect. More

Q: Is baker's sugar interchangeable with granulated sugar? Also, can you taste the difference between baker's sugar and granulated in, say, a cookie recipe?

Sent by Nicole More