Dessert Recipes

I swore I hated dirt cups. Honestly, for years I did. The whole concept felt like a gimmick—crushed cookies pretending to be soil, gummy worms … Read more

There used to be this tiny café tucked away on a side street in Portland called The Gilded Spoon that made the most incredible pumpkin … Read more

This was supposed to be a perfectly respectable batch of classic Rice Krispie treats for my niece’s birthday party. I mean, you can’t go wrong … Read more

I wasn’t expecting baking advice from my accountant, but there I was, stuck in his office during tax season, watching him pull a crumpled, flour-dusted … Read more

My nephew had refused to have anything to do with Halloween baking for years. He’s eight, and in his world, cupcakes were fine—but ghosts? That … Read more

The neighborhood Halloween block party was in six hours and I’d completely forgotten. I mean, completely. I was standing in my kitchen at 2 PM, … Read more

It was 11:47 PM on a random Wednesday, and I had a very specific problem. I wanted a pumpkin bar—that soft, spiced, almost cake-like bar … Read more

The woman behind the counter at the hardware store—I’m telling you, the last place you’d expect a baking revelation—was the one who handed me this … Read more

My sister swore she hated banana bread. For years. “It’s always so dense and soggy in the middle,” she’d say, wrinkling her nose every time … Read more

Jen wasn’t trying to impress anyone. I’d stopped by her place to borrow a pastry blender—mine had given up mid-batch of pie crust—and the smell … Read more

The power went out halfway through my niece’s third attempt to make whipped cream by shaking a jar. She’d been at it for ten minutes, … Read more

I was standing in the spice aisle of our local grocery store last Tuesday when it hit me — that warm, almost nutty smell coming … Read more

I was standing in the dairy aisle of our local Aldi last Tuesday, staring at a half-gallon of heavy cream that was on sale, when … Read more

Standing in front of my open freezer at 10 PM, spoon in hand, staring at a half-empty carton of heavy cream and a can of … Read more

The first whisper of summer always smells like strawberries to me. Not just any strawberries, but the ones my grandmother would bring in from her … Read more

I ruined zucchini bread three times before I finally got it right. The first loaf came out so soggy in the middle I could have … Read more

Last Tuesday, I was elbow-deep in a batch of something that was turning out all wrong. My butter was too cold, my dough looked like … Read more

My friend Jenna had refused to eat “fake” desserts for years. Icebox cakes, pudding pies, anything that didn’t come from a hot oven—she claimed they … Read more

The craving hit at 9:47 PM on a Tuesday. Not the kind of craving you can talk yourself out of, either—the deep, chest-tightening kind where … Read more

The faint crackle of butter browning in the pan—that’s the sound this whole cake hinges on. It’s not the pumpkin spice or the cinnamon that … Read more