Baking

Here’s what happened after carrot cake met carrot halwa, the milky, long-cooking, spoonably-soft confection common in South Asia. Raisins, cinnamon, and cream cheese frosting made way for brown-butter pistachios, cardamom, and sticky carrot glaze and the rest of their romance was history. 

Wheat germ, the nutrient-rich heart of wheat kernels, gives these cookies their hearty, nutty crunch while also keeping them tender and crumbly. You can often find wheat germ in the bulk bin aisle of the grocery store, but toasted rolled oats or ground flax can be used in its place for a similar texture. These cookies are ideal for making in advance, as their flavor and texture improve after a few days. The butter and milk can be substituted with plant-based alternatives without sacrifice, so make them vegan if you want.

We took millionaire bars—shortbread plus caramel plus chocolate—and gave them an upgrade (hence, billions) with sesame seeds and tahini. The shortbread is tender, the filling is gooey, and the chocolate ties it all together.

If you've ever had trouble making biscuits in the past, consider this recipe your saving grace. While many other methods count on pockets of butter and an angel’s touch for pull-apart flakiness, we weren't willing to leave it to chance. Our simple folding technique manually multiplies the number of layers for guaranteed, no-risk success. 

Why have a chocolate- or vanilla-flavored concha when you can have both in this New York–inspired twist on the classic Mexican sweet bread?

White conchas may look plain, but with a boost of high-quality vanilla, they’re unexpectedly flavorful.

If you like the sound of a choco-coconut concha, give the classic Mexican sweet bread tropical twist by using virgin coconut oil.

The secret to the fudgiest, most chocolaty brownies is cocoa powder—not melted chocolate. We borrowed chocolate expert Alice Medrich’s technique, then added a cream cheese topping for tangy balance. Don’t overthink your camo design; the brownies will look even better when sliced.

Store-bought dulce de leche and pulverized pecans give this tender, buttery shortbread a nuttiness and depth of flavor you can’t quite put your finger on. We love the contrasting look of white nonpareil, but feel free to roll the dough in whatever sprinkles you please.

A tea cake that's true to its name, this loaf harnesses the power of citrusy Earl Grey tea for its distinct flavor. Lemon poppyseed can't hold a candle. 

When’s the last time a chocolate chip cookie surprised you? This one, which gets its speckled look, earthy, nutty flavor, and chewy middle from buckwheat flour, might just become your new favorite.

One of the easiest breads to make at home gets pretzel-ified with a highly burnished, salt-coated crust and a delightfully bitter twang. 

Attention, lovers of squishy and chewy foods! This moody-glam dessert packs tons of bold sesame flavor into one super simple one-bowl cake.

So you just ate a a delicious slice of panettone. Congratulations! Now you need to figure out what to do with the rest of it. 

Instead of icing, this spiced loaf from Elizabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson’s ‘Tartine: A Classic Revisited’ is blanketed in a fluffy vanilla meringue.

This cozy, sweet-and-savory make-ahead cobbler is ideal for busy holiday mornings.

Rice Krispies Treats meet sesame halva in these savory-sweet six-ingredient bars (salt doesn’t count!).

Here's the cookie to bake when you want to impress your friends at the cookie swap but you're not about to spend hours cutting out reindeers and piping royal icing. 

Equal parts crunchy-sweet crumb and moist-pillowy cake—plus lots of ginger to balance all that buttery goodness.

Two of our favorite classics, the Thin Mint and New York City’s iconic black-and-white cookie, combined into one.

These rye cookies are something like gingerbread, but softer and way more delicious.

If butter pecan ice cream were a cookie, it would be this sliceable skillet shortbread.

This deceptively simple chocolate tart has a press-in nut crust that just so happens to be gluten-free.

A deconstructed Mexican mole visually inspired by the Mesoamerican pyramids with stained-glass-like bits of dried fruit. NBD.