Baking

Rich chocolate brownies get jazzed up with fresh or canned pumpkin. Epicurious member Sharon Perry Murphy of Fort Knox, Kentucky, often bakes hers with fresh pumpkin, which is runnier. (To achieve the desired consistency with fresh pumpkin, Murphy recommends adding a little extra flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, or substituting 1 egg for 1/4 cup pumpkin.)

Foolproof and moist, this cake is suitable for birthdays or other celebrations. Tip: It’s better to underbeat the frosting than overbeat it for a frosting that’s easier to spread.

With toasted pecans, dried sour cherries, and creamy milk chocolate chunks, these cocoa-based cookies feature a mix of flavors guaranteed to appeal to every palate. Seek out a high-quality milk chocolate for the richest, smoothest experience, or experiment by replacing some or all of the chunks with premium white chocolate.

The classic apple pie elements are flawless as is, but we think this version topped with a thick layer of cinnamon crumble is pure genius. The buttery, brown sugar–infused topping crowns a generous mound of tart Granny Smith apples, while a traditional American-style pastry features equal parts butter and shortening, with a touch of cider vinegar to ensure tenderness.

Sometimes the simplest things are the most delicious. Epicurious member JynnJynn of Louisville, Kentucky, ensured these moist cookies are easy to make and easier to enjoy. Follow JynnJynn’s advice and add coconut, or use white chocolate and other fruit or nuts. Save a few cookies for the next day, as the banana flavor truly comes out the day after baking.

Crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside, these irresistible cookies get extra crunch from dry-roasted peanuts. The recipe, from Epicurious member Ashlee L. Galletta of Winnipeg, Canada, was inspired by Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, so get ready for a heady dose of peanuts balanced by creamy milk chocolate. If you prefer your cookies a little less sweet, skim a couple of tablespoons of sugar from the recipe and swap in semisweet chocolate chips for the milk chocolate ones.

These deliciously sticky nut bars are like miniature maple pecan pies and are perfect as a dessert, snack, or indulgent breakfast. Swap out the walnuts and pecans with other varieties, or try mixing some dried fruit into the filling to add another layer of sweetness. Make a batch to share with friends—or store them in a container as a gift to yourself.

With a recipe that is simple enough for beginners yet customizable for experienced bakers, this bread will end the days of buying overpriced loaves. Choose your favorite 7- or 10-grain cereal and then experiment with your own mixture of seeds and nuts to determine the taste and texture that suit you. This loaf is special enough to be a gift but requires less than an hour of active prep time. Use it for sandwiches or eat it toasted with a smear of butter or jam.

While several hours are required for the dough to rise twice, this top-rated bread recipe demands little more than 20 minutes of active time. If you prefer milder heat, omit the chile seeds and ribs, as that’s where the majority of their fire resides. A shopping note: Always purchase extra yeast. If it doesn’t foam when combined with water, it’s past its prime and you’ll need to start over with new. Active dry yeast will keep for about a year, but with this recipe in your repertoire, you’re likely to use it much sooner than that.

“Popover” may be one of the most inherently cheerful words in the language; it evokes something baked, warm, and fragrantly delicious. Infused with two savory cheeses, these foolproof, airy popovers, made in a mini-muffin pan, more than live up to their enticing name. They take little time to prepare and are best served hot, but if your oven is juggling multiple priorities, you can mix the batter a day ahead and chill, covered, until you’re ready to bake.

This lemon layer cake is the ultimate dessert for anyone with a gluten-free diet. You may need to hit up a specialty shop or go online for some of the ingredients, but it’s well worth the effort. A brown-rice flour mix combined with the xanthan gum creates light, moist cake layers, while guar gum thickens the rich, silky curd. Generous amounts of lemon zest, juice, and extract infuse the layers, filling, and frosting, adding up to a full-on citrus celebration. Make this cake—or turn it into cupcakes—for birthdays, barbecues, or holidays.

Admittedly, the notion of crème brûlée might seem a bit much in the morning, but when coupled with French toast, it creates a whole new dish that is nothing short of brunch brilliance. Originally from the Inn at Sunrise Point in Camden, Maine, it makes for the ideal breakfast treat or a potluck pleaser of a dessert (one that can be assembled the night before). To make it kid-friendly, replace the Grand Marnier with the same amount of orange juice. And for a slightly healthier take, substitute whole-wheat challah and use 2% milk. Even then, you’ll have a hard time sharing it with others.

Potato samosas are one of the most popular Indian dishes, and one of the easiest to make. Traditionally, they’re a little larger than the ones this recipe yields, but regardless of size, the mix of warming spices, potatoes, and peas makes for a delicious appetizer or snack. And because these are baked instead of fried, they’re healthier. An easier alternative to using phyllo dough is to use wonton wrappers, but they will change the exterior texture from buttery and flaky to crispy and crunchy.

Epicurious member Marsha Klein of Barrington, Rhode Island, shared her everything-but-thekitchen-sink banana bread with our community, and it quickly became popular. Toasted walnuts and chocolate chips add texture, but this flexible recipe can easily be adapted to a baker’s whim. The chocolate-averse can substitute dried fruit—golden raisins or blueberries—for the chips; the nut-allergic, shredded coconut; the health-conscious, white whole-wheat flour.

These chocolate delights manage to be both light and decadent at the same time. Dark chocolate mingles with earthy rolled oats as juicy bits of dried cherry add extra dimension to the already satisfying chewiness. “These cookies are best served light and fluffy, just baked through,” notes Epicurious member alyb2002, the author of this recipe, and they are easy enough to be a cookie jar mainstay all-year round.

Greece is more synonymous with flaky, honeyed pastries than gooey brownies, but amid the hills of Crete, Epicurious member Lisa Lindy swirls a figgy-cherry caramel into a chocolaty batter before baking it into a moist-in-the-middle brownie. These fruity delights will provide sticky fingers and happy faces on kids and adults like.

More than one Epicurious editor considers this cake flawless: buttery and firm, sweet but not too sugary, moist but still cakey. If you’re leery of the dense, oily texture of most zucchini bread, this zucchini cake will be a pleasant revelation. And if you’re buried in a bounty of late-summer zucchini, this is a great go-to recipe to help burn through it using a short list of pantry staple ingredients. (Oh, and don’t be afraid to eat it for breakfast!)