Columnist Dorie Greenspan recently answered reader questions. Here are edited excerpts from that online chat. Unless otherwise noted, recipes with capitalized names are found in our Recipe Finder at washingtonpost.com/recipes.

Q: When is a nylon rolling pin preferable to another type? What is the advantage? It would have to be worth it to justify the expense.
A: I’m not sure why they are expensive, but a nylon rolling pin is my favorite kind. I use it for everything, including tarts, pies, cookies and puff pastry. I love its weight: not so heavy that it will crush pastry dough, but not so light that it’s inefficient. Its sleekness also makes it almost nonstick. Plus, it can go into the dishwasher.
If I’m rolling a very heavy yeast dough, I might reach for a weighty pin with handles, but rarely. The nylon pin is my everyday go-to.

Q: What cookie, bar cookie or cake recipe would you recommend for a new baker?
A: Try Dorie Greenspan’s Custardy apple squares. It’s almost foolproof and a good recipe for the season. You might also try Dorie Greenspan’s mediterranean yogurt cake.

Q: I’ve made Dorie Greenspan’s Potato Rosettes several times and love the taste, but my presentation cannot compare to the photo. In preparation for an upcoming dinner party, I bought silicone jumbo muffin tins for baking the rosettes. Is there any reason that would not work, or are there any adjustments that I should make?
A: Mine don’t always look as pretty as the one in the picture. I’ve never tried making them in silicone muffin tins, but I think it’s a great idea that should not require adjustments.

Q: My small indoor Meyer lemon tree is in full bloom, and we are expecting to harvest about 10 pieces of fruit.in the near future. Any ideas for what to put them in?
In the past, I haven’t really baked with them, as I thought they made a lemon bar recipe taste a bit piney.
A:I’m not sure why your lemon bars tasted piney; usually the juice from Meyer lemons is mild and reminiscent of orange. I’d make a Meyer lemon curd — you’ll be so happy to use it in desserts or even just to spread on toast. Try the Meyer lemon variation listed at the end of the Blood orange curd recipe. On the savory side, I like to use Meyer lemons in salads: I use the juice in a vinaigrette and toss small pieces of the lemon into the salad. It’s also great cooked with chicken or put in salsas to go over fish.

Q: I’m entering a cookie competition and I hope you can recommend a winning recipe. My main limitation is that I will be traveling that week, so I need a recipe where I can make and freeze the dough four days in advance before popping the cookies in the oven on the morning of the contest.
A: You’re in luck, because cookies lend themselves to freezing and then baking. A beautiful option are jammers, cookies with a vanilla sablé dough topped with a thick jam and a crumbly streusel. (You can find the recipe for Classic jammers —from my new book — at thekitchn.com.) Make the dough, roll it out, cut out the cookies and freeze them. Make the streusel and pop it in the refrigerator. The morning of the contest, construct the cookies, bake and (hopefully) collect your blue ribbon.