Dessert Recipes

My husband had refused banana bread for over a decade. “Too wet,” he’d say, making a face. “It’s basically cake trying to pretend it’s breakfast.” … Read more

Hand me that bowl. Those were the first words my neighbor, Mrs. Gable, said to me through her kitchen window. I was maybe twenty-three, fresh … Read more

My neighbor Carol asked why I couldn’t just use pumpkin pie spice instead of measuring out cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves separately for my cheesecake … Read more

My brother had sworn off sugar cookies for a solid decade. Ten years. He claimed they were “dry, disappointing disks of disappointment”—his exact words, said … Read more

I was halfway through a stack of tax paperwork at my kitchen table—a truly miserable way to spend a Saturday—when my accountant, Mr. Henderson, called … Read more

My brother-in-law, Mark, had claimed for years that he hated pumpkin-flavored baked goods. A solid decade of eye-rolling at every pumpkin-spice latte and pointedly skipping … Read more

I was standing in the spice aisle of the grocery store last Tuesday when the smell of cinnamon hit me — and suddenly I was … Read more

My neighbor Sarah wasn’t trying to impress anyone. I’d stopped by to borrow a ladder—our gutters were clogged and the forecast called for rain—and the … Read more

There used to be a little bakery tucked between a dry cleaner and a shoe repair shop on Main Street that made the most incredible … Read more

The community bake sale was in twelve hours and I’d completely forgotten. Not just forgotten—I’d signed up to bring “something special” and then promptly buried … Read more