Easy Sweets

That first crack across the top — the one that splits just enough to let a ribbon of steam escape — is what I wait … Read more

My neighbor’s kid, Leo, stood at my front door holding a plastic pumpkin bucket full of this stuff and just said, “My mom made too … Read more

This was supposed to be a simple batch of snickerdoodles. I had the butter softening, the cinnamon ready, and I was feeling pretty good about … Read more

The doorbell rang at 8:47 PM on a Tuesday that had already gone sideways. I was in sweatpants, the kids were technically supposed to be … Read more

I was at my local hardware store last October—picking up a new rake, of all things—when the woman behind me in line started talking about … Read more

The woman at the farmers market stand watched me pick up and put down the same sugar pumpkin three times. I was trying to look … Read more

My neighbor showed up at my door holding a brown paper bag full of what looked like orangey-red tomatoes. “You bake, right?” she asked, thrusting … Read more

It was 11:47 PM on a drizzly Wednesday in early October, and I had an unreasonable craving for something warm, spiced, and dunkable. The kind … Read more

My sister-in-law, Jenna, had claimed to hate apple desserts for years. “Too mushy,” she’d say with a little shudder, pushing away a perfectly good apple … Read more

My neighbor, a guy named Leo who can barely boil water, asked why I couldn’t just skip the crust and pour the pumpkin filling straight … Read more