Baked goods recipes

Vanilla wafer pie crust with melted butter, lemon zest, and sugar pressed into an 8-inch pan. A quick no-bake crust with a subtle citrus twist that pairs beautifully with cream pies and cheesecakes.

Sweet buttermilk biscuits with a touch of sugar, made with shortening for a tender, flaky crumb. Six ingredients, patted by hand, and baked golden in 15 minutes.

A sugar-free dirt cake made with devil's food cake mix, chocolate pudding, cream cheese, and crushed cookies on top. All the fun of a classic dirt cake without the added sugar.

Old-school Southern buttermilk biscuits made with pure lard for flaky layers and tender crumb. Just five ingredients and minimal kneading for biscuits like grandma used to make.

Three-layer lemon whipped cream torte with a cloud-light cake made from whipped egg whites, filled and frosted with a lemon custard folded into fresh whipped cream.

Chocolate cream torte made from four cocoa cookie layers stacked with whipped chocolate cream filling. Chills overnight so the cookie layers soften into cake-like slices.

Cinnamon-topped mini muffins spiced with nutmeg and allspice, brushed with melted butter and rolled in cinnamon sugar while warm. Donut-style muffin bites in 30 minutes.

Beaten biscuits, a historic Southern recipe made by beating dough with a rolling pin until it snaps. Crisp, tender, and shelf-stable for weeks. Makes about 100 small biscuits.

Three-ingredient garlic knots made from pizza dough, rolled in garlicky olive oil and baked golden in under 10 minutes. Soft, chewy, and impossibly easy.

Sweet pastry dough (pate sucree) made in a food processor with butter, sugar, flour, and egg. A rich, tender, forgiving tart crust that's ideal for lemon tarts and fruit flans.

Soft baked pretzels with sharp cheddar cheese mixed right into the dough. These easy cheesy pretzels use baking powder instead of yeast for quick results in 35 minutes.

Crispy, lacy fried pastry cups made with a timbale iron and a simple batter of flour, egg, and milk. Fill them sweet or savory for an elegant presentation that looks way harder than it is.

Simple sweetened whipped cream filling with just three ingredients: heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla. Whip until stiff in 5 minutes for cakes, pastries, and pies.

Homemade croutons and croutes from French or Italian bread, tossed in extra-virgin olive oil and baked until golden and crisp. Two essential bread toppers, one simple method.

Old-fashioned Bishop's bread with brown sugar, buttermilk, cinnamon, and a buttery crumb topping. Tender, warm, and best served straight from the pan. Simple baking at its finest.

Twisted bread dough shaped like candy canes, lightly sweet with brown sugar and chopped nuts, then drizzled with powdered sugar icing. A charming Christmas baking project the whole family can help shape.