Dessert Recipes

The neighborhood bake sale was in six hours and I’d completely forgotten. Everyone else would be bringing those fancy layered cakes with Swiss meringue buttercream, … Read more

Last Tuesday, I was standing in the checkout line at the grocery store when a kid behind me started unwrapping a candy corn—that waxy, crinkly … Read more

I was supposed to be making a layered peppermint cheesecake for a holiday cookie swap. I had the crust chilling, the cream cheese softening, and … Read more

My younger brother swore he hated Halloween cupcakes. For years. Every October, when I’d pull out the mixing bowls and food coloring, he’d roll his … Read more

It was 10:47 PM on a dreary Wednesday, and I had this ridiculous, almost urgent need for pecan pie. Not just any pecan pie, but … Read more

“I don’t do pumpkin,” my friend Rachel said flatly for years. She had sworn off anything pumpkin-spiced as a passing fad, a cliché too tired … Read more

This was supposed to be a perfectly respectable batch of plain cream cheese brownies for a Halloween party. I had everything planned out—the glossy fudge … Read more

My neighbor, Mrs. Gable, had a rule about her apple cake. She swore it was the only apple cake worth making. For three years, I … Read more

The church bake sale was in twelve hours and I’d completely forgotten. Everyone else would be bringing those elaborate layered cakes with perfect buttercream rosettes … Read more

I was standing in line at the DMV—a place where dreams go to die slowly—when the woman ahead of me turned around and started describing, … Read more