Dessert Recipes

My sister-in-law, Clara, had claimed to hate meringue for three decades. She said it was too sweet, too airy, and essentially just sugar dusting the … Read more

The PTA bake sale was in twelve hours and I’d completely forgotten. Everyone else would be bringing those elaborate Pinterest-perfect creations—you know the ones, with … Read more

My nephew Leo asked why I couldn’t just mix the white chocolate into the marshmallow fluff before folding in the cereal. I started to explain … Read more

My neighbor, a retired baker named Carol, watched me trying to wrestle a stubborn cookie sheet from the back of my pantry. She didn’t say … Read more

Leo wasn’t trying to impress anyone. I’d stopped by to return a borrowed cast iron skillet and the smell of browned butter and toasted nuts … Read more

There used to be a tiny, windowless bakery called “The Crumb” on a rainy street corner in Portland that made creamy no-bake Biscoff cheesecake bars. … Read more

This was supposed to be a pumpkin cheesecake. I mean, I had it all planned out in my head—a creamy, layered masterpiece with a gingersnap … Read more

Introduction: The Reluctant Convert My sister-in-law, Jenna, had claimed to hate pumpkin-flavored desserts for a solid decade. Every fall, she’d make a face at my … Read more

My neighbor, Mrs. Gable, asked why I couldn’t just use regular melted butter for the cake batter. I started to explain why that wouldn’t work … Read more

My neighbor, Mrs. Gable, watched me struggle with a piping bag full of sticky, deflating meringue one October afternoon. She didn’t say anything at first, … Read more