10 Baking Recipes to Try at Home

Baking is a method of cooking that uses dry heat in an enclosed space. Typically done in an oven, baking occurs when heat makes contact with dough or batter and causes the starches in the dish to change form. This results in the development of a firm, browned surface due to the Maillard reaction, and a soft inside as a result of moisture getting trapped within the baked good. An enclosed space is necessary for baking in order to uniformly distribute heat, resulting in evenly cooked baked goods.

Here is a roundup of simple recipes for bakers of all levels, ranging from simple baked goods to multi-day baking projects:

1. 1. Apple crumble: An apple crumble is a baked dessert consisting of tender pieces of cooked apple tucked under a buttery, crumbly topping made from flour, sugar, butter, and other ingredients, such as rolled oats, spices, and nuts. The apple crumble is a simple variation of traditional baking recipes—like apple pie and peach cobbler—that requires less time, effort, and baking prowess. You can serve an apple crumble warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and a cup of ice-cold milk or hot coffee.
2. 2. Bread: From country loaves to baguettes, bread is an indispensable culinary format around the world. Try out an easy homemade bread recipe or brioche for a crispy crusted loaf or a no-knead quick bread like cranberry bread, zucchini bread, or banana bread for a sweet, more flavorful treat.
3. 3. Chocolate cake: From red velvet to carrot cake, cake and cupcakes are a staple of Western dessert bars, bakeries, and birthday parties. Make a traditional chocolate sponge cake topped with buttercream or cream cheese frosting for an easy baking recipe. Ambitious bakers can try their hand at a German chocolate cake or Chef Dominique Ansel’s French-style chocolate cake recipe, made of thin layers of delicate gluten-free sponge cake and silky smooth chocolate mousse enrobed in a slate-black chocolate mirror glaze.
4. 4. Ice cream sandwiches: An ice cream sandwich is a versatile frozen dessert that combines baking and ice cream—consisting of a layer of ice cream between two baked goods, like biscuits, wafers, brownies, blondies, oatmeal-raisin cookies, sugar cookies, or chocolate chip cookies are all popular baked bases in Western-style ice cream sandwiches. Try our ice cream sandwich recipe.
5. 5. Dessert pie: Dessert pies are quintessential American desserts featuring filling inside a flaky pie crust. Pecan pie combines a mosaic of nutty pecan halves within a silky blend of eggs, butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup; strawberry rhubarb pie features tart rhubarb and spring's first strawberries and heralds the beginning of summer pie season.
6. 6. Pound cake: A pound cake is a dessert that gets its name from the ratio of simple ingredients in its traditional recipe: a pound of flour, butter, eggs, and sugar, respectively. Bakers typically use Bundt or loaf pans as vessels for baking pound cakes, which give the classic dessert its signature density. You can incorporate additional ingredients, flavorings, or toppings (such as powdered sugar or icing) to enhance the dense cake. Modern pound cakes typically feature less than a pound of any given ingredient, but the ratios are still reasonably equal.
7. 7. Spanakopita: Spanakopita is a savory pie consisting of layers of soft-cooked spinach and salty feta cheese, sandwiched between crackly sheets of phyllo, a dough composed of many buttery paper-thin layers. Try our spanakopita recipe.
8. 8. Tarts: Tarts are open-faced pastries that come in sweet or savory, or fruity or fudgy varieties. All tarts require a sturdy tart shell, which is a freestanding shallow, formed pastry crust that provides the base for an open-faced pastry. Chef Dominique blind-bakes his tart shells, which involves baking the dough fully by itself (weighted to keep its shape) so that you can serve it with unbaked fillings, like pastry cream and fruit.
9. 9. Three-ingredient cookies: Three-ingredient cookies are fast to prepare and require few ingredients. While some simple recipes may include a fourth pantry ingredient, like salt or the addition of a bit of water, the bulk of the cookie recipe only requires three ingredients. Try three-ingredient peanut butter cookies for a gluten-free, flourless recipe that results in a chewy cookie with a sweet peanut butter taste.
10. 10. White chocolate macadamia nut cookies: These cookies combine the salty-smooth crunch of toasted macadamia nuts with buttery, aromatic white chocolate, which gets its ivory color from extracted cocoa butter and milk. White chocolate has a notably high fat and sugar content, so it melts easier than its milk chocolate and dark chocolate counterparts, making for an even creamier crumb than the standard chewy chocolate chip cookie. Try our white chocolate macadamia nut cookie recipe.

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