640 better recipes

Fresh corn in a shatteringly light tempura batter, deep-fried until golden and lacy. Served with tentsuyu dipping sauce and grated daikon for a crisp Japanese-style appetizer.

Oven pancakes baked on a hot buttered sheet pan with buttermilk batter. No flipping, no standing at the stove. A batch of golden pancakes in under 15 minutes.

Wheaties cereal pancakes made with crushed Wheaties, eggs, milk, and just enough flour for a thin batter. A crispy-edged, nutty breakfast griddle cake ready in 20 minutes.

Savory garlic muffins with crushed garlic and chives baked into a quick bread batter. A warm, fragrant alternative to garlic bread that pairs with pasta, soup, or stew.

Fruit cocktail bars with coconut, maraschino cherries, and a soft cake-like crumb. A vintage pantry-friendly bar cookie made with canned fruit cocktail syrup in the batter.

Banana loaf with lemon zest, dried apricots, and nuts in a moist quick bread batter. A citrus-bright twist on classic banana bread with chewy fruit pieces throughout.

Delicate tulip-shaped cookie cups made from a thin butter and egg white batter, molded while warm over a glass. Fill with ice cream, sherbet, or fresh fruit.

Weinkuechle or wine fritters: German sweet bread slices battered, fried golden, and drowned in hot sweetened wine or cider. A rustic winter dessert from the Black Forest tradition.

Cherry and almond Christmas cake: maraschino cherries, apricots, ginger, and almonds macerated in amaretto and brandy, baked into a lighter apple-puree batter, then soaked in more amaretto. A boozy, fruit-packed festive cake that keeps for a month.

Triple layer chocolate cake with cocoa, unsweetened chocolate, and coffee in the batter, topped with a fluffy Italian meringue chocolate frosting. Lower in fat than classic recipes thanks to yogurt and egg whites.

Marbled pumpkin cheesecake squares swirl a tangy cream cheese topping into a spiced pumpkin batter built with prune puree instead of butter or oil. Lower-fat fall dessert with cinnamon, ginger and clove.

Apple cinnamon cake built on a buttermilk and whole wheat batter, topped with thinly sliced apples and cinnamon sugar. Lighter than a butter-heavy cake, with a tender crumb and warm spice.

Moist coffee cake made with graham cracker crumbs instead of flour, layered with cinnamon-sugar streusel packed with chocolate chips and walnuts. Sour cream batter bakes rich and tender.

Honey bran muffins made in the microwave with All-Bran cereal, buttermilk, and honey. Keep the batter in the fridge and microwave fresh muffins in under 3 minutes anytime.

Baked apple pancake with cinnamon-sugar sliced apples beneath a simple egg batter, baked until the edges are golden and crisp. A one-pan breakfast for the whole family.

Chinese-style caramel fried apples or bananas battered and deep-fried, then coated in crackly spun sugar with sesame seeds. Dipped in ice water for a shatteringly crisp shell.