I pull this pumpkin crumb cake from the oven whenever the house smells like cinnamon and warm sugar and I need an instant cozy hug. My version walks […]
Hawaiian Butter Mochi
My mom used to pull a warm square of butter mochi from the oven and you could feel the whole house hum — that sweet, coconut scent floating […]
Peppermint Bark
Okay, confession time: I once hid an entire tray of peppermint bark in my freezer and pretended I “didn’t have room” for guests just so I could snack […]
Mini Chocolate Cakes
Here’s a little chef’s secret: you don’t need a fancy oven or souffle ring to make an impressive single-serving chocolate cake. I learned this trick when I wanted […]
Strawberry Linzer Cookies
When I was little, my grandmother would pull a tin of cookies from the cupboard and I’d know immediately: today would smell like butter and warm jam. Those […]
Slow Cooker Hot Fudge Brownies
I fully admit I once tried to convince a skeptical friend that brownies belong in slow cookers; she laughed until she tasted one. I like to joke that […]
Starbucks Oat and Fudge Bars
My grandma used to stash sweet treats in a tin on the top shelf, and every time I opened it I found a crumb-coated love letter to afternoon […]
Papanasi: Romanian Sweet Cheese Donuts with Blueberries & Cream
When I was small, my grandmother used to make a mountain of warm cheese fritters on Sunday mornings and the whole house smelled like lemon and frying oil […]
Buttermilk Fried Apples with Homemade Crème Anglaise and Salted Caramel
When I was eight, my grandmother pulled a battered iron skillet out of the cupboard and the whole kitchen smelled like cinnamon and butter before she even began. […]
Mud Hen Bars
When I was a kid, our church bake sale table always had a tray of Mud Hen Bars—sticky, nut-speckled slabs that smelled like toasted coconut and chocolate and […]
