Dessert Recipes

I was standing in the checkout line at the hardware store—of all places—buying a new hose nozzle when the woman behind me, who I later … Read more

My sister-in-law Jen wasn’t trying to impress anyone that Tuesday afternoon. I’d stopped by to drop off a book I’d borrowed, and the smell of … Read more

My sister claimed she hated meringue for twenty-seven years. The texture, she said. Too airy, too fragile, too much like eating sweetened nothing. Every time … Read more

My nephew Leo asked why I couldn’t just dump the cocoa powder and black food coloring into the same bowl at the same time. I … Read more

The neighborhood Halloween potluck was in six hours and I’d completely forgotten. Everyone else would be bringing elaborate, Pinterest-perfect creations—I’d seen the sign-up sheet last … Read more

The summer I turned thirty, I found myself standing in the middle of a dusty antique shop in upstate New York, holding a dented pie … Read more

This was supposed to be a simple apple upside-down cake. I had the brown sugar ready, the butter melting in the pan, and I was … Read more

The neighborhood fall bake-off was in twelve hours and I’d completely forgotten. Everyone else would be bringing their grandmother’s heirloom apple pies and painstakingly layered … Read more

Introduction I was standing in the dairy aisle at Aldi last Tuesday, staring at a carton of pumpkin puree like it held the secrets to … Read more

The man at the apple stand watched me picking through his bins, turning each one over like I was searching for buried treasure. He didn’t … Read more