Notes about Recipes in this book

• Simple drop biscuits

  • Shewi128 on June 23, 2022

    I make these all the time for a quick biscuit with soups or stews. They are tender, lightly crispy with a nice buttery flavor.

• The best buttermilk biscuits

  • Shewi128 on June 23, 2022

    These were ok, and I'm not sure if I would have called them the best biscuits I've ever made. They were ok, and I haven't made them again.

  • goodfruit on January 24, 2026

    favorite biscuit recipe! they taste so good and rise up nice and make a big batch!

• Coffee cake muffins

  • Shewi128 on June 23, 2022

    This technique was interesting to have a bit of the streusel in the middle of the muffin.. Not sure if it made a difference in the enjoyment of the muffin. It's an ok muffin, but nothing memorable.

• Corn muffins

  • Emblyadell on May 06, 2026

    Actually made 18 instead of 12

• Spiced pumpkin bread

  • Shewi128 on March 25, 2021

    Very good pumpkin and spice balance. I added chocolate chips.

• Lighter-than-air pancakes

  • Shewi128 on June 23, 2022

    Definitely not worth the extra effort of mixing/whipping egg whites and yolks separately.

• Classic pancakes

  • Shewi128 on June 23, 2022

    Classic pancake recipe that we've made many many times. No complaints here--although the tip to let the pancake batter wait for 10 minutes after mixing is always helpful.

• Multigrain pancakes

  • cthdawn on February 21, 2013

    wonderful pancakes; my go to recipe!! added chai and penzey's baking spice this time and used alton brown's advice to add sugar to wet ingredients not dry. took all dry ingredients for a spin in the food processor also. LOVE this pancakes

• Buttermilk waffles

  • Shewi128 on March 25, 2021

    Just like their pancake recipe, this is another classic one we've made many times. I don't love whipping the egg whites separately; however, they do turn out well every single time.

• Overnight yeasted waffles

  • Shewi128 on June 23, 2022

    I love this recipe for the ease of making the batter overnight for less mess and less noise on sunday mornings. It definitely tastes yeasty, and the waffles end up thin and crispy every time.

• Almond ring coffee cake

  • jtodes on February 10, 2017

    Very good and easy to make. It just takes time because of the 2 rises.

• Quick cinnamon buns

  • Shewi128 on June 23, 2022

    This dough is very soft like a biscuit dough, so the rolling out was very frustrating and sticky. Personally, that process frustrated me enough to not make the recipe again even though the rolls tasted good.

• Almost no-knead bread

  • Shewi128 on June 23, 2022

    This bread is one of my favorite breads for the ease of making it. However, if you put the pan too close to the bottom of the oven, the bread will definitely overcook on the bottom.

• Sheet pan crackers

  • KPmusmag on August 21, 2022

    These are really good, but are best when you roll the dough really thin. I find it easier to get it thin cutting the dough in fourths rather than halves.

• Thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies

  • Shewi128 on June 17, 2022

    I like this recipe better than the one in ATK's Cookie cookbook. I like the chewy texture a little bit more. The recipe is easy enough that my husband will make these and succeed every time.

• Peanut blossom cookies

  • dbuhler on March 26, 2023

    These were delicious, and the best version of this type of cookie I've tried. They are super flavorful and very soft. I used KA AP flour and didn't make any high altitude adjustments. I made mine into bear paws by using a Ghirardelli milk chocolate melting wafers and small milk chocolate chips. My kids loved these and I will definitely make them again!!

• Shortbread

  • KBHughes on February 10, 2019

    The texture is perfection.

  • Shewi128 on June 23, 2022

    This has been my favorite shortbread recipe that I've made over the years. It is not easy to hand-knead the dough to combine the ingredients before rolling out into a shape, but it is worth the effort. The texture is tender and crumbly--shortbread perfection.

• Mexican wedding cookies

  • dbuhler on February 21, 2025

    This is the best iteration of this cookie that I've ever had! They so easy to make and so tender and delicious! I used a #70 scoop and got exactly 48 cookies. These will be my go-to for this cookie moving forward!

• Oatmeal butterscotch bars

  • Shewi128 on June 23, 2022

    Another salty-sweet treat our family loves. Melting butterscotch chips is a pain, but otherwise the bars are easy. Make sure to remove the bars from the pan as the recipe instructs, or the bars will end up overcooked and dry.

• Pantry chocolate cake

  • Shewi128 on February 21, 2026

    This hit the spot for a quick chocolate fix. I added chocolate chips and the recommended glaze. It was easy to make and a tender cake. I'd totally make it again.

• Chocolate chip snack cake

  • Shewi128 on March 25, 2021

    Easy, quick recipe (but only "quick" if you have everything at room temperature) that turned out well. The texture is nice and soft. I added raw sugar on the top to make it crunchy and textured, which was nice.

• Applesauce snack cake

  • Analyze on March 12, 2019

    This is SO good! The base cake has a wonderful apple flavor and a great texture. I tried both this recipe, and the Oat-Nut Streusel variation. My husband, who doesn't normally like oat streusel or sweet quick breads, loved the streusel variation. I actually preferred this original version with the cinnamon-sugar topping, as in my opinion it complements the apple flavor in the cake better, and actually makes the cake taste more apple-y. You can't go wrong with either version, or try half and half like I did :) I already have several apple cake recipes that I love, and didn't think I needed another, but I did! I'm excited to try the ginger-cardamom version next. Personally, we had it for breakfast, but this would be great with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream too.

• Black bottom cupcakes

  • Shewi128 on June 23, 2022

    I've made these a few times, and I really like the combo of chocolate with cream cheese. It's like a cupcake version of cream cheese brownies. I forgot about this recipe--maybe I'll have to make them again soon!

• Pumpkin sheet cake

  • Shewi128 on November 14, 2025

    Really easy to whip up on a random Friday night. The cake was moist and flavorful, and the frosting wasn't too sweet.

• Rich chocolate bundt cake

  • Trepess on May 15, 2021

    Bundt is in the oven. I added 1 cup of chocolate chips. All I can say so far is that you do have to wait for things to get to room temperature, and then for the chocolate mixture to cool down after adding boiling water. Also, the batter is delicious ;-)

  • dbuhler on February 09, 2025

    An incredibly moist and delicious chocolate Bundt cake that I've been baking for years. I love the velvety texture and deep chocolate flavor. I'm at high altitude and the only change I make is reduce the baking soda to 7/8 tsp.

  • cynthia_lx08f9 on February 16, 2026

    Gorgeous Rich cake with lots of bittersweet chocolate, eggs, Dutch cocoa, and hardly any flour it seems.

• Apple dapple cake

  • goodfruit on February 04, 2026

    It is like having Bread Pudding for Breakfast. Or dessert ;) Next time I will top with cinnamon sugar, not powdered sugar.

• Cold oven pound cake

  • cynthia_lx08f9 on February 16, 2026

    I always love the texture of pound cakes as they are so rich and buttery.

• Strawberry cream cake

  • Emblyadell on April 22, 2026

    Labor intensive but lovely

• Blueberry buckle

  • rsmalberg on June 21, 2011

    This is a great summer recipe, with fresh blueberries and lemon zest. Not too sweet, it has a lovely crumb topping. Easy and delicious!

• Blue-ribbon apple pie

  • dbuhler on August 04, 2023

    This has been my go-to apple pie for years! There is a reason that CI, ATK, and CC keep republishing this recipe in all their books...it is just so darn good, and loaded with apples. I made this pie for Thanksgiving (like I do every year!) but this year I decided to try the chevron lattice topping that is in ATK's Perfect Pie book and it was a stunning looking pie, and I almost didn't want to cut into it! The presentation was well worth time and effort! NOTE - this is also the same recipe that ATK often refers to as Deep-Dish Apple Pie

• Lattice-top fresh cherry pie

  • porterbl1 on September 04, 2010

    This is my quintessential cherry pie recipe. It takes 3 jars of sour cherries to equal 6 cups. I ended up using 1 cup + one heaping tablespoon sugar in the filling. The tablespoon sugar on top of the pie was perfect! I did use Rose Levy Berenbaum's cream cheese pie crust for the lattice instead of the one called for.

• Icebox key lime pie

  • dbuhler on March 26, 2023

    I love this pie! It is so easy to put together and it is an awesome version of key lime pie that doesn't need to be baked (crust needs to be baked, but the filling sets in the fridge) which makes it perfect for summer, and it doesn't have any eggs, so there are no concerns about consuming raw eggs. This has an intense lime flavor that has just the right amount of sweetness. I used regular limes, but key limes can be used. I've made this filling before to fill eclairs and cream puffs, but this is my first time making as a pie. I made it for a work potluck for my husband and it received rave reviews! It set perfectly and it wasn't too gelatinous...just smooth and creamy! I will definitely make this again!

• Grasshopper pie

  • Shewi128 on December 05, 2022

    This is another recipe that I had to trust the process. I wasn't sure if the filling would set, or if the filling would turn the lovely shade of mint green (it looked liked a barfy green before I mixed in the whipped cream). However, the flavor and texture were absolutely lovely. One of my friends requested this for her birthday as well. Just a lovely dessert that is deceptively light.

• Baklava

  • dbuhler on January 11, 2024

    This was not difficult, but it did take quite a bit of time to assemble. I made clarified butter using Cook's Illustrated quick clarified butter technique and got one and a quarter cups of butter. I think I used too much butter on my first layers of phyllo because I ran out at the end and had to use regular melted butter for the top. The excess butter also made the bottom super "juicy" and a little hard to eat. I didn't want to waste the extra phyllo layers so I just added them to the top, but I don't think I will do that next time, I will just add an extra sheet to all the other layers. I used orange blossom honey and would definitely do that again. Even though I made some mistakes, they were still extremely delicious and I will definitely make these again!

• Simple tarte Tatin

  • jbuchman on November 30, 2014

    Page 480. Made sauce with Calvados instead of Grand Marnier. Excellent and easy.

• Cream cheese frosting

  • Karen_S. on April 03, 2022

    Fluffy, yummy. Makes 4 C, but has a 3 C variation.