One of the many great aspects of baking is how multifaceted it is. Talk about this wide-ranging category of cooking and you may be referring to anything from simple homemade muffins to showstopping, multitiered cakes.
And, now, on to the countdown.
10. Don’t Peel Your Banana Bread. This recipe, adapted by Food editor Joe Yonan from the famous Zingerman’s Bakehouse, makes use of the whole banana, peel included. Having tested it, I can promise it tastes and feels no different from banana bread made with just the flesh. Wrote one reader: “I was skeptical but had to try this. It’s delicious! Really unique flavor for anyone tired of the same old banana bread.”
9. Marbled Shortbread. Meet the breakout hit of this year’s holiday cookie issue. Elana Berusch walks you through exactly how you can make your own gorgeous version of her signature cookie, and we share step-by-step photos as well. It has particularly taken off on Instagram, with dozens of bakers showing off their own creations and raving about this “genius,” “fabulous” and “super fun” recipe.
8. Tear-and-Share Drop Scones With Baked Berry Compote. I developed this recipe to help me satisfy my scone cravings on weekend mornings when I don’t have the energy or time for rolling and cutting. Readers said, “Very moist and delicious,” and “these turned out great!”
7. Hazelnut Chiffon Cake With Nutella Ganache. Jessie Sheehan shows with this one-bowl stunner how oil-based baking recipes can be just as great as their butter-based counterparts. It earns points for appearance and flavor. “I can’t wait to make it — it looks delicious,” said one commenter.
6. Carrot Cake With Brown Butter-Cream Cheese Frosting. Just going to turn this one over to a fan from the comments: “I made this for my husband, who is a carrot cake fanatic. I usually find them too oily, too heavy, and with a too sweet icing. This one is great! The texture is wonderful, it’s not oily in the least, the spices are just right, and the browned butter adds a nuttiness that offsets the sweetness of the icing.”
5. Jewish Apple Cake. I shared my family’s take on the oil-based, cinnamon-and-apple cake that you’ll find in many other families’ recipe books as well. “I tried this recipe as written and it was a hit with young and old,” raved a commenter in our Recipe Finder.
4. Cherry Clafoutis. The easy yet elegant French dessert is a must in summer when stone fruit is at its peak, but you can try using frozen fruit or diced pears and apples in this recipe from David Lebovitz shared by my colleague Aaron Hutcherson. “This was easy … delicious and super fast to prep with my new four-at-a-time cherry pitter kitchen gadget!” shared one commenter.
3. Thanksgiving Tassies. My colleague G. Daniela Galarza knocked it out of the park with an entire array of two-bite pies perfect for a holiday or any other spread. She offers apple crumble, pecan, cranberry, pumpkin, buttermilk chess, chocolate and lemon fillings, which you can mix and match. Wrote one reader, “You have brought great joy to my friends and family. … The filling recipes are exquisite. … Everyone raved about how cute they are and they are truly fun to make.”
2. Whole Lemon Tart. The food processor makes easy work of both the cookie-like crust and the mouth-puckering lemon filling (no need to make a curd!). Of Olga Massov’s recipe, one reader said, “This was really delicious! I am amazed and pleased that the pulses of the food processor needed for the mixing steps were exactly right. Thanks for the great recipe and SPECIFIC directions!”
1. 3-Ingredient Blueberry Muffins. Olga also called to our attention this brilliant, fun recipe adapted from “TikTok’s favorite grandma,” Barbara Costello, or, Babs, as she’s affectionately known. Softened vanilla ice cream is the ingredient that makes it work. If you’re willing to bump it up to five ingredients, try Olga’s additions of lemon zest and turbinado sugar. “They were absolutely delicious, but were a cakelike rather than traditional muffin-like texture,” said one cook. “My two fussy teenage boys ate them in one night.”
More from reader favorite recipes from Voraciously: