Dessert Recipes

Icing on the Cake: A Guide to Basic Frosting Types

All the basic cake frostings and when to use them.

Real Talk: DIY Vanilla Extract Is a Waste of Time and Money

Exploring the complexities of commercial vanilla extract and the failings of homemade.

How Silicone Baking Mats Are Ruining Your Cookies

How baking on parchment versus silicone can affect the color, texture, and size of a cookie.

Beyond Vanilla: Extracts, Oils, and Waters That Can Improve Your Baking

How to use essential oils, extracts, and herbal distillates to flavor (or enhance) your favorite desserts.

How to Blanch Pistachios (and When You Need To)

When recipes need a bold pistachio flavor, it's time to ditch those papery skins.

How to Scale (Most) Cake Recipes to Fit Any Pan

How to resize your favorite cakes to bake in other pans.

How to Put a Bundt in the Oven

Everything you need to know about Bundt cakes, from preparing the pan to how to Bundt-ify your favorite cake.

How to Clean Candy (and Other Sticky Stuff) From a Pot

Never scrub a dirty pot of caramel or fudge again!

How to Make a Paper Piping Bag

How to make a classic parchment cone for birthday-cake inscriptions, frosted sugar cookies, and all sorts of other pastry projects.

How to Make a Paper Piping Bag

How to make a classic parchment cone for birthday-cake inscriptions, frosted sugar cookies, and all sorts of other pastry projects.

How to Make Vibrant, Flavorful Fruit Frostings

How to use freeze-dried fruit to make flavorful frostings.

What to Do With Leftover Vanilla Bean Pods

Don't let those pricey pods go to waste.

How to Make a Cake Like BraveTart: The Complete Guide

Everything you need to know about making and assembling the perfect layer cake.

How to Crumb-Coat a Layer Cake

Give any layer cake a flawless foundation with this classic technique.

How to Level a Layer Cake (No Toothpicks Required)

A perfect cake requires perfectly leveled cake layers.

How to Rescue Swiss Buttercream, No Matter the Problem

How to save a Swiss meringue buttercream when things go wrong.

How to Bake a Pie With Frozen Fruit

How to swap frozen fruit for fresh in your favorite pie.

How to Store and Use Leftover Melted Chocolate

How to store and reuse leftover melted or tempered chocolate.

Meet the Umami Bomb of Dessert: Malted Milk Powder

What is malted milk powder, and why does a canister belong in your pantry?

The Difference Between Blackstrap and True Molasses

It may be called blackstrap "molasses," but in the kitchen, blackstrap should never be confused with true molasses.

How to Bake a Million Cookies and Live to Tell the Tale

Make the most of your time in the kitchen with a few simple tips for holiday cookie baking.

Master Blind-Baked Pie Crust With These 6 Simple Tips

Six tips for a perfectly pre-baked pie crust.

Don't Blame the Humidity: How "Room Temperature" Can Ruin a Pie Dough

When things heat up in the kitchen, don't give up on pie!

How Muffin Pans (and Liners) Can Affect Your Favorite Recipe

Do you know the muffin pan, the muffin pan, the muffin pan?

6 Unexpected Factors That Can Ruin Your Gelatin Desserts

Because knowing is half the battle.

Cookie Science: How Do Eggs Affect My Cookies?

What are those eggs doing in your cookie dough?

Cookie Science: The Real Differences Between Brown and White Sugars

Different sugars do very different things in cookie doughs.

How Does Baking Powder Affect My Cookies?

Answers to all your baking powder questions.

How Does Baking Powder Affect My Cookies?

Answers to all your baking powder questions.

Cookie Science: How Baking Soda Works

The mysteries of baking soda explained.

Cookie Science: Why Cream Butter and Sugar?

The science behind creaming butter and sugar.

An Illustrated Tour of Ice Cream Styles Around the World

How well do you *really* know your ice cream?

The Real Rules of Making Boozy Ice Cream

The secrets to awesome boozy ice cream, revealed

Taste Test: The Best Fancy Drinking Chocolate

Is there anything a good, rich cup of drinking chocolate won't solve?

The Real Deal With White Chocolate, Dessert's Delicious Underdog

We tasted over 20 white chocolates to find the very best, and it's awesome stuff.

The Food Lab: The Best Way to Temper Chocolate

Join @thefoodlab as he discovers the best way to temper chocolate (hair dryer? sous vide?!)

What's the Difference Between Dutch Process and Natural Cocoa Powder?

Everything You Need to Know About Baking With Chocolate

The Science of the Best Sorbet

Secret Tools and Tricks of the Ice Cream Pros: How to Make Creamy Ice Cream

The Best Way to Store Ice Cream in Your Freezer

Do I Need to Use Eggs in Ice Cream (and How Many?)

What's the Difference Between Gelato and Ice Cream?

Serious Chocolate: How to Store Chocolate

Spice Hunting: Pairing Chilies and Chocolate

What to Do with Cocoa Nibs

Cookie Science: How Baking Soda Works

The mysteries of baking soda explained.

How Banana Pudding Became a Southern Icon

[email protected] shows how banana pudding became Banana Pudding

The Food Lab Video Series: Cookies

Join Kenji Lopez-Alt and Katie Quinn as they break down the science behind our excellent chocolate chip cookies.

How Ice Cream Got Its Cone

Spoiler alert: It didn't start with a rolled-up waffle.

Where Have All the Chocolate Sprinkles Gone?

An ode to chocolate sprinkles.

Why Have I Never Tried: Whatchamacallit?

The Best Stand Mixer for Bakers

Why our resident pastry wizard is so obsessed with one stand mixer in particular.

Real Talk: DIY Vanilla Extract Is a Waste of Time and Money

Exploring the complexities of commercial vanilla extract and the failings of homemade.

These Cake Stands Won't Let You Down

Sturdy and well balanced, these stands are so much more than just a pretty base.

Our Favorite Chocolate Easter Bunnies, Eggs, and More

The most delicious chocolate bunnies, chocolate eggs, and other classic Easter candy from our taste test.

The Best Pan for Sheet Cakes, Brownies, and Bars

Our absolute favorite pan for sheet cakes.

The Best Extra-Dark Supermarket Chocolate Bars for Baking

Explore an even darker chocolate style with these seven bars in the 80% range.

Our Top 6 Dutch-Style Cocoas for Brownies, Hot Chocolate, and More

Dutch-style cocoas are alkaline and dark, with a flavor that's earthy and deep. These six brands are guaranteed to please.

16 Essential Pie-Making Tools

From a creamy pumpkin pie that never cracks to a juicy cherry pie that's crispy on the bottom, successful pie-making depends on having the right tools for the job.

The Best Ice Cream Makers

The best homemade ice cream needs a good ice cream maker.

The Best Ice Cream Scoops

We tested 17 ice cream scoops to find the shape and design that work best.

BraveTart's Essential Baking and Pastry Gear

All the equipment you need for a well-stocked pastry kitchen.

How to Choose the Best Cake Pans

How different types of cake pans can make or break your favorite recipe.

How to Choose the Right Pie Pan (Hint: Cheaper Is Better)

When it comes to pie plates, you don't always get what you pay for.

How Muffin Pans (and Liners) Can Affect Your Favorite Recipe

Do you know the muffin pan, the muffin pan, the muffin pan?

Taste Test: The Best Fancy Drinking Chocolate

Is there anything a good, rich cup of drinking chocolate won't solve?

The Real Deal With White Chocolate, Dessert's Delicious Underdog

We tasted over 20 white chocolates to find the very best, and it's awesome stuff.

The Rise of Awesome Milk Chocolate

Think milk chocolate is kids' stuff? Some bars to change your mind

Taste Test: Kinoko No Yama vs. Choco Boy, Mushroom-Shaped Chocolate Snacks

Taste Test: Does Premium Dairy Make Better Homemade Ice Cream?

Taste Test: Chocolate-covered Toffee Bars: Heath, Daim, and Skor