I've never been a huge fan of Fig Newtons, now somewhat hilariously re-branded as just "Newtons"—what's wrong with figs, guys?—but I'm pretty content with the Cranberry Citrus Oat "Newtons Fruit Thins" hanging out on my desk right now. They're not quite cookies or crackers, but fit comfortably into the in-between "biscuit" genre; at least, that's what they'd be called in Britain. (It's a pretty useful term. I'd like to see more biscuits here.) More

Notes: I usually make 12 2 1/2-inch biscuits with this recipe, but since these are breakfast sandwiches, I like to go a bit bigger with them. You may have a few leftover, but I'm sure there will be no complaints.... More

Madeira biscuits are incredibly simple. They're essentially a flat butter cookie sprinkled with raisins, though I like to make mine with a combination of raisins and Zante currants. This is an aesthetic choice as well as a culinary one: I think the currants make the cookies resemble spotted dick, another very British dessert, and they add a tang that cuts across the richness of the butter. More

[Photograph: Donna Currie] About the author: Donna Currie has been cooking for fun and writing for pay since the days when typewritten articles traveled by snail mail. When she combined those talents in a food column for a newspaper in... More

if you do find yourself with a pool of rendered lamb fat in your roasting pan, consider collecting it to use in these biscuits. More

I've never been able to make a successful batch of biscuits. My botched attempts have reached the double digits. I finally just assumed me and biscuits weren't meant to be. But I reconsidered this notion after coming across a recipe in Andrew Carmellini's American Flavor entitled The World's Best Biscuits—End of Story. Any biscuits with a name like that were certainly worth their weight in flour, buttermilk, and shortening. More

The best Thanksgiving bread baskets are a mélange of flavors and textures: tender Parker House rolls, crumbly cornbread, cakey pumpkin bread, and flaky biscuits. But who has time to bake all that in addition to making the turkey, sides, and pies? Fortunately, there are a number of top-notch baking mixes out there that would be a welcome addition to any holiday feast. More

These biscuits easily pull apart into tender, flaky layers. The rosemary and the thyme perfume every bite. There is just a tiny salt kick and when a pat of butter melts over the warm biscuit, it's like a little bit of heaven. There won't be any leftovers of these, I can promise you that. More

Fluffy, flaky biscuits scented with rosemary and thyme. More

While we've been talking sweets all week, I couldn't resist throwing in one baking recipe that's just a little more savory. Serve these hot from the oven for breakfast, with a bit of melted butter brushed on top. More