Dessert Recipes

I was standing at the community garden plot last October, staring at a pumpkin that had somehow survived the first frost. It wasn’t the prettiest … Read more

I had sworn off apple desserts for nearly a decade. Ten years of watching friends dive into pie and crumble while I sat there with … Read more

“Why can’t you just brown the butter in the microwave?” my friend Jen asked, peering over my shoulder as I stood ready to melt a … Read more

The neighborhood fall potluck was in three hours and I’d completely forgotten. Not just forgotten—I’d blocked it out, apparently, because the thought of facing Karen’s … Read more

My neighbor, a retired pastry chef named Eleanor who grows pumpkins in her front yard like some people grow marigolds, watched me struggle with a … Read more

My cousin Mark swore he hated popcorn balls. For years. Since we were kids, actually. He’d make this face at the county fair booth, wrinkling … Read more

There used to be a tiny bakery tucked behind a used bookstore in Portland called “The Witching Hour” that made the most incredible pumpkin snickerdoodles … Read more

My neighbor wasn’t trying to impress anyone. I’d stopped by to grab a book I’d lent her, and the smell—butter and sugar, warm and almost … Read more

The Halloween potluck was in six hours and I’d completely forgotten. Everyone else would be bringing those elaborate Pinterest-perfect creations—you know the kind, with fondant … Read more

My sister swore she hated Halloween. For years. Every October, she’d roll her eyes at the inflatable skeletons and complain about the sugar rush that … Read more