135 square recipes

Delicious! And simple to make in a large batch for appetizers. As made in Thrace, the soft-dough may be spread into a sheet and cut in squares before baking, or each shaped individually into daintly "bastounakia" (little canes or sticks). The word "trifti" identifies the texture - crisp and crumbly in the mouth.

New Year's Eve polenta squares crisp tube polenta under the broiler, then top each bite with a tangy sun-dried tomato, caper, and parsley pesto. A make-ahead cocktail-party appetizer that feeds a crowd.

Forget chocolate brownies. These gooey, caramel-filled blondies are heavenly.

Too good to be true? This delectable cake is made with caramels and chocolate chips has a rich taste to die for!

Caramel snappers made with toasted pecan halves, melted vanilla caramels, and a semi-sweet chocolate top. A three-ingredient candy that looks like it came from a gourmet chocolate shop.

Homemade caramel turtle candies with pecan halves, melted caramels thinned with whipped topping, and a semi-sweet chocolate shell. Three ingredients, no thermometer.

Chocolate-covered bugs made from caramels, red licorice legs, and melted chocolate chips, decorated with sprinkles and almonds. A fun no-bake Halloween candy project for kids.

Cookie candy turkeys assemble chocolate stars, caramels, striped chocolate cookies, and candy corn into adorable no-bake Thanksgiving favors. Kid-friendly craft dessert ready in 20 minutes.

Chocolate chow mein clusters bind crunchy chow mein noodles with melted caramels, peanut butter, and chocolate chips. A no-bake retro candy ready in 20 minutes.

No-bake caramel crispy treats made with chow mein noodles, marshmallows, and a peanut butter caramel drizzle. Crunchy, chewy, and done in 30 minutes. Makes 24.

Chocolate caramel pecan cheesecake with a vanilla wafer crust, melted caramel and toasted pecan layer, and a rich semisweet chocolate cream cheese filling. A turtle-style cheesecake.

Turtle cookies with pecan halves, caramel candy centers wrapped in brown sugar shortbread, and a chocolate glaze dip. Adorable candy-shop cookies from scratch.

Kinome-ae is a classic Japanese dish pairing dashi-simmered bamboo shoots with a vivid green miso dressing colored with spinach paste. Finished with fragrant sansho pepper powder.

A buttery oat crust topped with gooey melted caramel, a layer of melted chocolate chips, and crunchy pecans, then chilled and cut into bars. Turtle candy in bar form that takes just 30 minutes to make.

Achara Zuke: Japanese pickled turnips with kombu seaweed, dried chili, and rice vinegar. A crisp, tangy tsukemono made by slow-curing accordion-cut turnips. Side dish or banchan.

Chinese spring rolls with ground pork, cabbage, bean sprouts, and bamboo shoots in crisp fried egg roll wrappers. A classic takeout starter you can pull off at home.