Imagine the best dessert on Earth. Then ask other people their favorites. Bet you dollars to doughnuts, their answer is different from yours.
From childhood treats to a grandparent's favorite recipes, beloved foods are deeply personal. This seems especially true of desserts, which often take pride of place at celebrations and traditional holidays.
For all the nostalgia of sugary treats, though, some sweets rise above local flavors. Head to any country to find tender slices of Italian tiramisú on cafe menus or sniff out the creamy scent of Hong Kong's dan tats in cities around the globe. And like dan tats, many of these recipes aren't desserts at all -- the eggy tart is more often eaten as an afternoon snack. The idea of serving a sweet at the end of a coursed meal is relatively recent, and in some destinations, including Africa and Asia, desserts are a foreign import.
But with food, like language or culture, determining what's "foreign" turns out to be complicated. Tiramisu relies on chocolate, coffee and sugar that arrived in Italy through global trade, while Hong Kong's most iconic sweet has roots in Portugal.
This list blends the personal with something more broadly appealing. It's the fruit of my nine years in the pastry kitchen, when I traveled to explore new flavors everywhere. In alphabetical order, here's a list of some of the best desserts around the world:
Alfajores, South America
Step into a neighborhood bakery from Argentina to Peru, and you're likely to find these tender, filled cookies piled high behind the counter. The crumbly bite of shortbread gives way to a sweet layer of dulce de leche, a caramel-like candy made by gently cooking sweetened milk until it turns into a rich, mellow treat.
The very simplicity of the cookies has proved to be the perfect base for creative cooks across Latin America. Try versions that are dunked in dark chocolate, coated in a sweet layer of white chocolate, rolled in coconut and dressed up with spices, or opt for the classic -- it's among the world's most comforting snacks.
Apfelstrudel, Austria
For a floury lesson in gluten's architectural wonders, whip up a batch of traditional strudel dough. The real thing is stretched -- not rolled -- into an improbably thin sheet; according to legend, it should be transparent enough to read a newspaper through.
Once extended, the delicate dough is wrapped around a sweet, apple filling that's enriched with buttery fried breadcrumbs, raisins and sometimes walnuts. The delicious result can be found in pastry shops around the world though Vienna provides the classic experience.
Baklava, Turkey
Dozens of delicate layers melt into a single tender bite in this syrupy confection, which is among the sweetest legacies of the Ottoman Empire. While it remains a sought-after treat through the Levant, Balkans, the Caucasus and North Africa -- regions that were once ruled from Constantinople -- the spiritual home of baklava is surely the modern-day country of Turkey.
There, pastry shops serve great trays sliced into diamonds, filled with ground nuts and dripping with honeyed syrup. This is just the most famous of the Ottoman Empire's syrup-soaked pastries, but it's snagged the limelight for good reason. With a simple list of ingredients and endless variations, it easily ranks among the world's most tempting treats.
Black Forest Cake, Germany
Along with fairy tales and mountain-top castles, Germany's Black Forest region is known as the namesake -- if not the origin -- of the country's most luscious cake. Dark rounds of chocolate cake are doused in a cherry syrup spiked with kirschwasser, a sour cherry brandy, then stacked atop a thin, chocolate base with deep layers of whipped cream and fresh cherries.
If that wasn't flavor enough, the whole thing is swathed in more cream, dusted with shaved chocolate and studded with cherries. The resulting cake is a frothy dream dessert that's the star of pastry cases around Germany, where it's known as a Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte.
Borma, Middle East and Turkey
Threads of crisp, golden knafeh dough wrap around a rich nut filling in this sweet dessert, which is an elegant and aromatic relative of baklava. Unlike baklava, borma is often fried, adding an extra infusion of flavor and a crisp texture that stands up to a sugary bath in flavored syrup.
And while baklava hides its filling inside a modest layer of filo dough, borma is rolled and sliced, showing off a cross-section of colorful pistachios, pale pine nuts or walnuts. That eye-catching presentation makes borma especially popular as a present. Pastry shops across the Middle East and Turkey tempt passers-by with piles of borma.
Brownies, United States
Fudgy or cakey? Corner piece or slice from the middle? Aficionados of this beloved American sweet are sure to have a take on the best -- and worst -- way to make a brownie. One of the earliest recipes appeared in Fannie Farmer's 1906 "Boston Cooking School Cook Book," using the unsweetened chocolate that lends brownies a fudgy texture.
In more than a century of brownie making, they've become a mainstay treat, the base for sundaes and a seriously addictive ice cream flavor.
Even Katharine Hepburn had an opinion on how to bake them, and an old story holds that the actress once dispensed the following advice: "Never quit, be yourself and don't put too much flour in your brownies."
Cannoli, Sicily
A shattering-crisp shell gives way to a creamy cheese filling in this Sicilian classic, whose roots reach deep into the island's diverse culinary history. With origins at the wild Carnival celebrations at Palermo, the traditional cannolo is filled with silky-smooth ricotta cheese made from sheep's milk.
Taste that rich filling for evidence of the Arab influence that infuses Sicilian cuisine: The candied citrus that often flavors the creamy interior remains beloved throughout the Middle East.
Cardamom Buns, Sweden
October 4 might be Cinnamon Bun Day on the Swedish calendar, but many bun aficionados insist that the aromatic cardamom version outshines cinnamon's more assertive charms. One of a family of vetebullar, or wheat buns, cardamom buns are best enjoyed as a part of fika, the coffee break that comes twice daily in many Swedish workplaces.
While a freshly baked cardamom bun is a memorable treat, it's also a simple and comforting one. In a classic recipe from author Johanna Kindvall, crushed cardamom seeds are stirred into lightly enriched, yeasted dough, then rolled up with a sweet layer of sugar and spice.
For the perfect fika, whip up a batch of cardamom buns, brew some strong coffee and call a friend, since the iconic Swedish coffee break is as much about talking as it is about treats.
Cendol, Singapore
On afternoons in Singapore, locals cool off with this chilled and silky sweet concoction, which is a favorite at seaside restaurants and sidewalk stands. Iced coconut milk is sweetened with a palm sugar syrup, which lends it a lightly smoky, caramelized flavor.
The rich liquid is a lush base for tender threads of green rice-flour jelly, which gets its vivid color from the pandan juice that's extracted from leaves of the tropical screw pine.
Versions of this blissfully cool dessert can be found throughout southeast Asia, but with the addition of a scoop of sweetened red beans, Singapore's take on the classic treat remains especially tempting.
Chocolate Chip Cookies, United States
