Dessert Recipes

My neighbor Karen wasn’t trying to impress anyone. I’d stopped by to borrow a bundt pan—mine had gone missing after a particularly chaotic Thanksgiving—and the … Read more

Introduction My neighbor Dave asked why I couldn’t just use a store-bought crust and skip the bourbon soak for the chocolate chips. I started to … Read more

The woman at the community garden plot next to mine watched me for a solid five minutes before she said anything. I was wrestling with … Read more

My neighbor asked why I couldn’t just brown the butter first. I was in the middle of explaining my great-aunt’s snickerdoodle method—cream the butter, sugar, … Read more

I wasn’t supposed to be at my neighbor’s house that day. I was supposed to be picking up a package that got delivered to her … Read more

I was digging through my freezer last Tuesday—looking for a bag of frozen peas, honestly—when a ziplock bag of dried cranberries tumbled out and hit … Read more

I was supposed to be making granola bars. Honest. I had the oats measured, the honey measured, and I was feeling pretty good about myself … Read more

My sister asked why I couldn’t just use Greek yogurt instead of heavy cream in the filling. I started to explain why that wouldn’t work—then … Read more

I was hunched over a pile of tax receipts at the local library, a truly miserable way to spend a Saturday, when the woman at … Read more

I was standing in line at the county assessor’s office—a place I’d rather be anywhere than, honestly—when the woman behind the counter started talking to … Read more