44 pocket recipes

Taco pockets: ground turkey patties seasoned with cumin, chili powder, and cayenne, wrapped in flour tortillas with lettuce, tomato, and Monterey Jack, then cut corner-to-corner into triangle pockets that do not fall apart.

Homemade yeast dough stuffed with seasoned ground beef and shredded cabbage, then baked golden. Like bierocks with a spicy taco twist the whole family will love.

Barley vegetable pockets stuffed with pearl barley, fresh mint, sesame oil, and lemon in pita bread. A bright, chewy vegetarian filling that works as a meal or dip.

Homemade pizza pockets stuffed with pepperoni, pastrami, ham, mozzarella, and pizza sauce. A yeast-dough hand pie that bakes golden and travels great in lunchboxes or freezer bags.

Flaky, buttery pastry triangles filled with jam and kissed with orange zest. A classic Austrian cookie that uses hard-cooked egg yolks for an impossibly tender dough.

Falafel in pita pockets: cumin and coriander-spiced chickpea patties stuffed into warm pita bread. A Middle Eastern street food staple made quickly at home.

New Yorker pita sandwich stuffs warm pita pockets with sauteed chicken, peppers and onion in saucy beans, zipped up with horseradish, plus lettuce and tomato. A fast, hearty handheld lunch or dinner.

Mustard-rubbed chicken breasts baked in parchment with zucchini, cherry tomatoes, peppers, and fresh thyme. A healthy, low-fat dinner with built-in cleanup.

Added sliced Provolone, which I melted over the top under the broiler and made the sandwiches in pita pockets. Delicious!

Lemon raspberry muffins bake up tender with bright lemon extract, jammy raspberry pockets and a golden bakery-style dome. A bright weekend breakfast treat.

Easy pecan pie with butterscotch chips folded into a classic Karo syrup filling. The Thanksgiving and Christmas pie that bakes up glossy, gooey, and dotted with caramel pockets.

Cranberry muffins with chopped fresh cranberries pre-tossed in sugar before folding into the batter. Tangy-sweet pockets of fruit, tender buttery crumb, ready in 40 minutes.

Homemade pita bread that puffs into pockets on a hot baking sheet at 500 degrees. Four basic ingredients, no fat, freezes well, and makes 6 large or 12 small pitas.

Peanut butter brownies made in one saucepan, no mixer needed. Brown sugar keeps them chewy, peanut butter makes them rich, and pockets of melted chocolate run throughout. Quick to stir together.

Cinnamon nut or raisin biscuits with a brown sugar cinnamon filling tucked inside layered biscuit dough. The pocket of sweet spice goes molten as the biscuit bakes, giving you breakfast pastry without the yeast wait.

Roasted garlic stuffed chicken breasts: pockets filled with 20-clove confit garlic paste, pan-seared, then finished in a Provencal tomato-caper-wine sauce. Elegant dinner-party chicken.