Host An Unforgettable Book Club Party

I will admit this is not as good as homemade shortcakes, but if you are craving a quick summer dessert, it will do the trick.

This German Black Forest Cake, or its original German name of Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte, is made with kirschwasser (cherry brandy.) I have a very dear friend who keeps me supplied with homemade kirschwasser! Thank you Roy!

Chin Chin is a Nigerian cookie that is fried. I sprinkle mine with powdered sugar – you can also shake warm cookies in a bag of powdered sugar or sugar and cinnamon mix.

This layered white cake is perfect for any Sweet 16 party. You can never go wrong baking a homemade cake with perfect icing.

These buttery cookies can be made with just about any ground nut. I used both almonds and almond extract in this recipe!

These skinny cookies have white chocolate at the tip to resemble a Qtip.

Kanafeh is a creamy, rich Middle Eastern dessert made with shredded phyllo and two cheeses. A sweet syrup of orange blossom water, lemon juice and pinch of saffron is poured over the warm kanafeh, followed by a sprinkling of pistachios.

These scone-like cakes from Wales are often made with candied citrus peel, but I substituted lemon zest in my recipe for a fresher flavor.

These light cookies have a delicious almond taste and, by using different molds, can be made into a variety of shapes.

These thin crispy cookies look like the roof tiles that they are named after. To make these, cookies fresh from the oven are placed over a rolling pin and allowed to harden.