Panettone, which makes its traditional Italian Christmas appearance, is gussied up here with any dried fruit you fancy. An ever so slight twist on a classic.
Jessica Berndt, Recipe Tester
A list of all the recipes Jessica Berndt has tested.
Dorie Greenspan’s Rugelach
These butter and cream cheese pastries are filled with cinnamon-sugared nuts, a slick of jam, currants, and a handful of chopped chocolate.
Easy Skillet Lasagna
Those days when meal planning goes south and weeknight weariness looms, simple salvation can be found in this easy skillet lasagna made with store-bought ravioli.
Chocolate Cream Pie with Oreo Crust
First you make an Oreo cookie crust. Then you smother it with a bittersweet and semisweet chocolate custard. The final flourish is whipped cream infused with vanilla. Sigh.
Almond Roca
Studded with almonds and coated in silky chocolate, this roca—essentially toffee—is utterly impossible to resist. Give it as a holiday gift.
Viennese Crescent Cookies
A holiday cookie if we ever saw one! So buttery, so nutty, so delicate, so mind-bendingly charming, these traditional Viennese cookies rival the city’s fancier pastries as our fave.
Strawberry Rhubarb Compote
Strawberries, rhubarb, lemon, and sugar are all it takes to fix a batch of the sassiest pink sauce you’ve ever tasted.
Alfajores ~ Dulce de Leche Cookies
We know many who’ve fallen for these dulce de leche-filled shortbread cookies while in Latin America. Few have recovered. Rightly so.
Blueberry Lemon Layer Cake
Pretty much guaranteed to be one of those desserts that makes people do face-plants onto their dessert plates. A David Leite original recipe.
Kugelhopf
Part bread, part cake, kugelhopf is made like brioche except it’s studded with raisins, brushed with butter, and dusted with sugar.
Asparagus Frittata
When spring is in the air, or if you just wish it was, this beguiling asparagus frittata will make your heart go pitter-patter.
Carrot Sheet Cake with Chai Cream Cheese Frosting
Easily the most unique carrot cake we’ve ever experienced. And we mean that in the best possible way.
Lemon Pull-Apart Coffee Cake
“Absolutely the best thing I’ve put in my mouth in a long time!” That’s what we’re hearing about this buttery, citrusy, playfully easy-to-eat coffee cake. We’re not arguing with that sentiment.
World Peace Cookies ~ Korova Cookies
There’s a double whammy of chocolate in these indulgent cookies that are loaded with chunks of chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt.
Old-Fashioned Minestrone Soup
An updated Italian classic made with all the usual suspects along with an unexpected drizzle of pesto that turns a frugal veggie-bin catch-all into something truly astounding.
Fresh Tomato Tart
A perfectly flaky crust. A simple goat cheese filling. Some fresh pesto. And those spectacular heirloom tomatoes sitting on your counter. Surprisingly simple. Impressively spectacular.
Plum Torte
One taste and you’ll understand why this is the most popular recipe from The New York Times. A new American classic.
Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies
As easy as the classic Toll House recipe but a lot more memorable, these beauties boast ample chocolate chunks, a subtle nuttiness from the tahini, crackly edges, and oh so soft centers.
Rhubarb Brown Sugar Pie
Dare we say this is better than your mom’s rhubarb pie? We dare. This lovely rendition flaunts a lovely custard filling with sweet-tart rhubarb atop an impossibly buttery and flaky crust.
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Crisp at the edges, chewy in the center, and (sorta) wholesome through and through, these are a revelatory riff on the classic.