Dessert Recipes

Introduction Last Saturday afternoon, I was wandering through the local farmers market when the sharp, cool scent of fresh mint leaves caught me off guard … Read more

Introduction My friend Laura claimed she’d never been a fan of lemon desserts. For years, she swore off anything with citrus in sweets—too tart, she … Read more

There used to be a tiny beachside café in Monterey called Seaside Sweets that made this insanely good Creamy No-Churn Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream. When … Read more

Last Fourth of July, my neighbor watched me wrestling with a plain vanilla cake mix and didn’t say anything at first. Then, just as I … Read more

“Why can’t we just use regular cookie dough and press it into a pizza pan, then top it with red, white, and blue candies?” my … Read more

The summer I turned twenty-seven, I was rushing through the fluorescent-lit aisles of a neighborhood grocery store when a sudden breeze from the open freezer … Read more

This was supposed to be a simple berry salad for the Fourth of July picnic. I grabbed the wrong container — instead of the usual … Read more

Introduction There used to be this tiny lakeside café in Vermont’s Green Mountains that made the most incredible strawberry shortcake bars shaped like flags. When … Read more

The summer I turned thirty, I was helping out at a local community fundraiser when the quietest person there—a retired taxi driver named Sam—started chatting … Read more

“Hand me that bowl,” my neighbor said without skipping a beat as I dropped by to borrow a cup of sugar. Before I even stepped … Read more