640 better recipes

Lemony cranberry cornmeal muffins balance tart fresh cranberries against bright lemon zest in a cornmeal-buttermilk batter, kept light by whipped egg whites and non-fat sour cream.

Cappuccino cupcakes blend espresso into a moist chocolate batter lightened with prune puree as a butter substitute. Topped with whipped cream and cocoa for that cafe-style finish.

Light and airy blueberry cake with a folded meringue batter, juicy fresh berries throughout, and a crackly sugar-dusted top. An old-fashioned snacking cake that lives up to its name.

Fluffy lemon verbena ricotta pancakes with whipped egg whites for lift and bright lemon zest. Ricotta drained overnight gives the batter a tender, soufflé-like texture worth the wait.

Cream cheese brownies marbled with German sweet chocolate batter and a tangy cheesecake swirl. Fudgy, dense, and just slightly tangy thanks to the cream cheese running through every bite.

Chocolate chip pop't wheat cookies fold puffed wheat cereal and quick oats into a honey-sweetened batter loaded with chocolate chips. Light, crackly edges with a chewy oatmeal center.

Moist homemade banana bread made with three ripe bananas and a full cup of sour milk. The buttermilk-style batter bakes up tender with a tight, even crumb and rich banana flavor.

Hot apple muffins with chopped apples in the batter and a cinnamon-sugar apple ring baked on top of each one. A big-batch breakfast muffin best served straight from the oven.

Blueberry crumb cake squares from a jelly roll pan with a rich butter batter, a full quart of blueberries, and a cinnamon-nutmeg brown sugar crumb topping. Makes 24 generous squares.

Rich double-chocolate cake or brownies from one batter: melted unsweetened chocolate plus a fold of chocolate chips, baked thick for brownies or thin for cake. Topped with chocolate glaze.

Soft, springy steamed cake made without an oven, a brown sugar and honey batter poured into cups and steamed into fluffy little sponges. A simple no-bake-style treat from Sri Lanka.

Homemade fortune cookies with custom paper messages folded inside crisp golden wafers. Five ingredients, butter-egg-white batter spread thin and shaped over a glass while still hot from the oven.

Dense, fudgy brownies with melted chocolate and cocoa in the batter plus mini chocolate chips throughout. Made with just one egg and canola oil for an intensely chocolatey, chewy center.

German pancake (Dutch baby) puffs sky-high in a hot oven from a four-ingredient batter, then collapses into a custardy, eggy pancake topped with lemon juice and powdered sugar.

Double fudge saucepan brownies made in one pot. Half the chocolate chips melt into the batter for fudgy depth, half stay whole for melty pockets in every bite. No mixer, no double boiler.

Apple bran spice muffins sweetened only with honey and applesauce, no oil or butter. High-fiber breakfast bake with five warm spices, buttermilk tang, and grated apple folded through the batter.