Easy Sweets

This was supposed to be a batch of classic sugar cookies. You know, the kind you roll out, cut into perfect little shapes, and decorate … Read more

It was 11:47 PM on a drizzly Tuesday in March, and I had a very specific, almost irrational craving for something that tasted like a … Read more

My niece asked why I couldn’t just use black cocoa powder instead of all that food coloring. I started to explain why that wouldn’t work … Read more

My sister swore she hated Jello. For years. Since we were kids fighting over the last orange slice in the bowl, she’d turn up her … Read more

There used to be a tiny, brick-walled café tucked behind the main square in my old neighborhood that had the most incredible simmer pot going … Read more

I was at the grocery store last October, standing in the baking aisle, when a kid ran past me clutching a bag of candy corn. … Read more

I was digging through my glove compartment last October, searching for a forgotten tube of lip balm, when the smell hit me. It wasn’t perfume … Read more

I was standing in line at the post office—honestly, the last place you expect to find culinary inspiration—when the woman ahead of me started describing … Read more

My niece asked why I couldn’t just use store-bought pudding cups and crush up some cookies on top. I started to explain why that wouldn’t … Read more

My sister claimed she hated pumpkin desserts for seventeen years. Seventeen years of Thanksgiving pies sliding her way, and she’d pass them along with a … Read more