Top 10 dessert and sweet drink recipes from L.A.’s best restaurants

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Both Bill Addison and Patricia I. Escárcega, our restaurant critics, care about sweets. As they should. As we all should.

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We should care about cookies. Like these great espresso macadamia nut cookies from Hans Röckenwagner and Josiah Citrin of Dear John’s and these shortbread with cardamom and mahleb from Jessica Koslow’s Sqirl. Just as easy to make is this hazelnut brown butter cake from Suzanne Goin’s Lucques.

Honeycomb adds a deep sweetness to ice cream.

(Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

For more ambitious dessert-makers, we have from-scratch ice cream: a honeycomb version from Jeremy Fox and a licorice ice cream recipe from Genevieve Gergis of Bestia.

Panforte is a heady mix of fruits, nuts and fragrant spices.

(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Those excited to experiment with yeasted sweets should start with Margarita Manzke’s hot cross buns. And if you want to try your hand at confections, go for this panforte from Tartine’s Chad Robertson and Liz Prueitt.

Some desserts can double as drinks. Case in point: horchata. The almond horchata from Gilberto Cetina of Chichén Itzá/Holbox gets extra sweetness from brown sugar, while the coconut mixed into the horchata at Sonoratown makes it extra creamy.

A little cup of atole is an ideal way to end a meal.

(Christina House / For The Times)

For the ultimate drink-as-dessert, make the atole from Carlos Salgado of Taco Maria. Thick with maize and sweet with charred strawberries, it’s the perfect way to end a meal.