858 bitter recipes

No-bake bourbon whiskey balls rolled in powdered sugar with vanilla wafer crumbs, pecans, and cocoa. A classic Southern holiday treat that gets better the longer it chills.

Buttery blueberry muffins bursting with berries thanks to a clever trick: mashing half a cup of blueberries into the batter for intense fruit flavor in every single bite.

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.

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.

Homemade cinnamon raisin bagels with your bread machine doing the kneading. Plump raisins tossed in cinnamon sugar, boiled for a chewy crust, baked until golden. Better than anything from the store.

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.

Beer-battered hush puppies with cornmeal, self-rising flour, and chopped onions. Beer adds lightness and tang. Drop in hot oil, fry until crisp for pub-style cornbread bites.

Red cabbage slow-braised with toasted caraway seeds, currants, red wine, and vinegar until sweet and tangy. A vegetarian Northern European side that tastes even better the next day.

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.

Golden fruitcake with dried apricots, raisins, candied cherries, orange peel, citron, and shaved almonds in a light cake flour batter. Baked low and slow for 4 gorgeous holiday loaves.

Old-fashioned prune muffins with brown sugar, nutmeg, and soft cooked prunes that melt into the batter. A simple mix-and-bake recipe with domed tops and tender crumb.

Homemade Thai sweet chili sauce with rice vinegar, fish sauce, plum sauce, and serrano chilies. Sweet, tangy, and spicy dipping sauce ready in 30 minutes. Better than store-bought.

Baked bananas and pancakes with quartered bananas, beer-batter pancakes, Calvados or Grand Marnier, orange juice, and molasses. A British-style pudding-dessert that's part crepe, part bananas Foster.

Holiday muffin mix blends whole wheat, white flour, cinnamon, and cloves into a DIY dry mix for gifting. Jar it up with a label for instant spiced-muffin batter.