Alexander Cowan, Recipe Tester

A list of all the recipes Alexander Cowan has tested.

A bowl filled with spaghetti carbonara, topped with freshly grated Parmesan.

Spaghetti Carbonara

This spaghetti carbonara recipe tosses pasta with eggs, cheese, guanciale, pancetta or bacon, and pepper to form a creamy sauce. Quick and easy.

Bacon peanut brittle in shards, in a mug lined with parchment paper.

Bacon Peanut Brittle

An unexpected yet inspired concoction of sweet, salt, and smoke that’ll put your childhood recollections of brittle to shame.

A slice of sweet potato pie on a large metal plate with a napkin and a knife.

Southern Sweet Potato Pie

Sugar and spice and everything nice—that’s what you’ll find in this magnificently spiced traditional Southern pie from baker extraordinaire, Cheryl Day.

A cast-iron skillet with 8 whole roasted onions with papery skins and creamy interiors.

Whole Roasted Onions

Plonk unpeeled onions on a baking sheet. Shove in oven. Come back later for achingly sweet, tender, mellow oniony goodness. Accept accolades. See how easy that was?

A wire rack on a piece of parchment, with 3 croquettes madame muffins sitting on top.

Croque Madame Muffins

A nifty little ooh- and aah-inducing riff on the classic croque madame that’s perfect to assemble ahead of time for big batch brunches.

A metal sheet pan covered with 8 golden and crisp chicken thighs.

Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs

“Simple.” “Perfect.” “The moistest chicken with the crispiest skin we’ve ever had.” That’s what folks are saying about this crowd-pleasing, weeknight-friendly chicken trick.

A white bowl filled with panna cotta with peaches, garnished with thyme and a spoon resting inside.

Panna Cotta with Peaches

This panna cotta has the most luscious of textures. How to best explain it? Hmmm. It’s sorta like swooping velvet over your tongue.

A basket of fried chicken with a jar of honey on the side.

Simple Fried Chicken

Booyah! We’ve found the secret to simple yet sensational fried chicken. And it’s as basic as can be. Just salt. Pepper. Flour. Water. Patience.

Two smoked spareribs and a knife on a slab of stone

Smoked Spare Ribs

Authentic barbecue joint flavor from your own backyard. No smoker required. Actually, no smoking experience required, either.

A tray of brownies for a crowd with one brownie missing.

Brownies for a Crowd

“So satisfying.” “Cakey and chocolatey.” “Everything a brownie should be.” That’s what folks are saying about this crowd-pleaser of a chocolate fix.

A stack of flour tortillas with bacon fat on a cast-iron skillet.

Flour Tortillas with Bacon Fat

Soft. Supple. Ever so slightly smoky. And frugal thanks to grandma’s trick of saving the fat from breakfast bacon. One taste and you’ll understand our obsession.

A white bowl filled with pimento cheese and some saltine crackers topped with the cheese next to the bowl

Barbecue Pimento Cheese

Not all pimento cheese recipes are created equal. This one, with a touch of barbecue, definitely has an unfair advantage.

Tray of classic dinner rolls glazed with butter, bowl of melted butter with a brush

Classic Dinner Rolls

Practically instant gratification with its blink-and-you’ll-miss-it rise and its straightforward mixing method. And oooooh the taste!

Several cut cinnamon pecan blondies on a white platter.

Cinnamon Pecan Blondies

Chewy, buttery, and teeming with toffee flavor, these are a sophisticated take on those made-from-a-box blondies you scarfed down with your carton of milk in the school cafeteria.

Pieces of batter-fried chicken piled on a white platter.

Batter-Fried Chicken

Proof that it doesn’t take buttermilk or an insufferably long overnight brine to make insanely tender, crazily crisp, gosh darn perfect fried chicken.

Two individual servings of chocolate mouse in glass tumblers served on a small plate with a silver spoon resting beside.

Chocolate Mousse for One

This sophisticated chocolate fix draws on just three ingredients, comes together in minutes, and is satiating beyond belief.