Muffins

Coconut Cream Cupcakes
Coconut Cream Cupcakes

Coconut Cream Cupcakes excerpted from Better Than Grandma’s, Comfort Desserts We Grew Up Loving co-written by Justin Ellen and Brianna Ellen. Photography by Paul Johnson.

Better Than Grandma's, Comfort Desserts We Grew Up Loving co-written by Justin Ellen and Brianna Ellen. Photography by Paul Johnson

Better Than Grandma’s by Justin Ellen

Your grandma’s recipes have met their match.

Inspired by the Nana who first made Justin Ellen fall in love with baking, Better Than Grandma’s brings more than 80 nostalgic desserts into the modern kitchen. Think rich cakes, gooey brownies, pies, cookies and breakfast bakes, all reimagined to be richer, softer and completely foolproof.

Justin, the baker behind Everything Just Baked, started baking at 16, selling custom cakes while still in high school. Since then, he has created desserts for celebrities and chefs and taught millions of people online how to bake with more confidence, joy and creativity.

At the heart of it all is the same love of baking he discovered in the kitchen with his Nana.

Every recipe comes with clear instructions and a step by step video, making it easy for bakers of all levels to succeed. No shortcuts. No complicated techniques. Just really good, homemade baking. (more…)

Blueberry Spelt Muffins
Blueberry Spelt Muffins

Blueberry Spelt Muffins excerpted from Pulp: A Practical Guide to Cooking with Fruit by Abra Berens. Photography by EE Berger.

Pulp: A Practical Guide to Cooking with Fruit Hardcover by Abra Berens

Pulp is a hardworking book of recipes that focuses on all the ways fruit can enhance simple, delicious mains—for example, by elevating roasted vegetables, garnishing soup, or adding perfume to a roasted pork or brisket. Unlike Ruffage and Grist, Pulp is about regularly incorporating fruit to add variety and seasonality to main dishes.

Home cooks and bakers alike will rejoice in the alternately sweet and savoury recipes such as Roast Chicken over Blueberries, Cornbread + Lemon; Melon, Cucumber + Chickpea Salad; and Rum-Plum Clafoutis. The book also features helpful reference material, a Baker’s Toolkit, and more than 100 atmospheric photos, delivered with the can-do attitude and accessibility of the Midwestern United States. This next generous offering from beloved, trusted author Abra Berens is a necessary addition to any kitchen shelf alongside its predecessors and other mainstays like Plenty, Six Seasons, and Small Victories. (more…)