Court Pastry Shop

It was one of those days when only the smell of almond extract would put a smile on my face. Strolling around Cobble Hill, an old Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn, I discovered exactly what I was looking for at Court Pastry Shop, the 62-year-old family-run bakery whose sign reads "Italian Specialties-Biscuits-Cakes for All Occasions-Cookies" in the colors of the Italian flag. Though it's known for its lemon ices, sfogliatelle (those flaky clamshell-shaped pastries), and cannoli, it was the diseri almond cookies that did me in. Swirled into a circle and loaded with almond paste, the cookie (dotted with a cherry) has a texture unlike anything else—chewy, crunchy, and wonderfully supple. —Alex Guarnaschelli, Butter, New York City