It's no news to you that we're firmly planted in the season of heavy, decadent eating. And I don't quibble with any of it: I love any chance to splurge on soft cheeses, good wine and special desserts. But when you save those treats for special occasions, what are you left with on an average weekday night when craving a lighter dessert option? More

This recipe for fudge is a classic one from my childhood. I like it because it requires no special equipment or ingredients — just sugar, cocoa powder, milk, salt, butter and vanilla. Even a candy thermometer is optional if you are gutsy enough to use the soft-ball test. I like this recipe for its practicality and deliciousness, but I love it because it's my father's recipe and every time I make it, it's like I'm spending time with him again. More

Let's talk caramels. The candy kind. The chewy, melt-in-your-mouth, deeply sweet, and insanely addictive kind. These make some of the best gifts ever, whether the event is Christmas, a birthday, or a thank you for a favor. Or no reason at all. You probably already have the ingredients in your pantry, and if you haven't made caramels recently, you probably don't know how easy they can be. Grab a bag of sugar and your candy thermometer, folks! We're making caramels today. More

Getting a head start on holiday shopping is one way to ease December stress. Another way is to check your pantry now for holiday baking essentials so you can avoid beginning a recipe and realizing you're out of sprinkles, parchment paper, or your cookie cutters are sub-par. We have a few great tips to get ready for holiday cookies, quick breads, cakes and pies. More

As kids, my brother and I knew the holidays had truly arrived when our mom broke out the sanding sugars. A coating of these crunchy, brightly colored sugars made even her simplest sugar cookies take on a sparkly magic. Even now, I can't resist taking one of these from the cookie platter. Add some sparkle! Pick up a jar of sanding sugar for your holiday cookies. More

Crème brûlée is simply one of the sexiest recipes going. You know that tap-tap moment, when the caramelized crust shatters, and you dip into the creamy custard below? Heaven. The rustic burnt topping makes each bite different and more delicious than the last. I confess, though, that I find classic crème brûlée a little fussy. I do make it and love it (see our basic crème brûlée recipe here), but when I was working on my forthcoming book about pudding, Bakeless Sweets, I wondered whether there was an easier way. Could I make crème brûlée without the oven and water bath? More

Did you hear that Twinkies are about to be no more? As much as we love to hate those spongy confections, they do hold an outsized place in American food kitsch and childhood nostalgia. Our friend Casey Barber brings us a few thoughts on the subject!

I've spent a lot of time thinking about Hostess and its sister snack companies—Little Debbie, Tastykake, Frito-Lay, and the like—over the past year while writing my cookbook Classic Snacks Made from Scratch. Creating the book's 70 recipes meant tasting every single treat under consideration until I nailed the homemade version; I've probably taken more bites of Sno-Balls and lemon fruit pies in 2012 than I had in the preceding decade. More

Pies are the component of the holiday meal that I look forward to the most. They're something we don't generally indulge in on average weeknights (or weekends, for that matter) and they seem like such a celebratory dessert, such a happy dessert. So why not make life a little easier this year by doing your pies in advance so you don't have to think about them on Thanksgiving morning? Here are three ways to get your pies done now so you can enjoy them later! More

I'm not sure if it's the family obligations or the frenzied pace that starts to settle in this time of the year, but I find myself reacting by grabbing onto any little thing I have control over. One such example is eating whatever I please for breakfast, occasionally chocolate. More

Our friend Deb Perelman, who runs the enormously adored cooking site Smitten Kitchen just published her first cookbook and I got to spend an afternoon in her kitchen making one of the recipes, an insanely decadent breakfast treat: think pretzel meets chocolate meets the most tender brioche dough you've ever laid teeth on. (Here's a peek into her kitchen!)

This is just one of over 100 recipes (and more than 300 photographs, all by Deb) 105-plus recipes. 300+ full-color photos. Smitten Kitchen fans will be pleased to know the book has almost all new material, with just a few old favorites from the site, re-tested and re-worked to perfection. More