Editors’ Collection

Things You Should Make, Not Buy

From marinara to mustard, more than 30 recipes for dishes and pantry staples that are so much better homemade.

Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.

Recipes

Buttermilk
Melissa Knific
95 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
95
About 10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Classic Marinara Sauce
Julia Moskin, Lidia Bastianich
11448 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
11,448
25 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Chocolate Trail Mix
Yasmin Fahr
85 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
85
15 minutes, plus 1½ hours cooling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Chocolate Chip Cookies
David Leite, Jacques Torres
19861 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
19,861
45 minutes, plus chilling
or to save this recipe.
Creamy Homemade Yogurt
Melissa Clark
1399 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,399
20 minutes, plus fermentation and chilling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Magnolia Bakery’s Cupcakes
Susan Campos
3473 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
3,473
About 45 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easiest Vanilla Ice Cream
Julia Moskin
948 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
948
30 minutes, plus several hours' chilling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Katharine Hepburn’s Brownies
The New York Times
13751 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
13,751
About 45 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Tomato Ketchup
Melissa Clark
508 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
508
40 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Bread-and-Butter Pickles
Melissa Clark
796 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
796
About 50 minutes plus 2 hours’ refrigeration
or to save this recipe.
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
Julia Moskin
17522 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
17,522
1 hour 40 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Dark Chocolate Pudding
Melissa Clark
1563 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,563
20 minutes, plus at least 4 hours’ chilling
or to save this recipe.
Pizza Margherita
Sam Sifton, Carlo Mirarchi, Brandon Hoy, Chris Parachini, Katherine Wheelock
3489 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
3,489
15 minutes, plus 1 hour to heat oven
or to save this recipe.
Mustard-Shallot Vinaigrette
Julia Moskin
2550 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,550
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Everyday Pancakes
Mark Bittman
14482 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
14,482
20 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Buttermilk Biscuits
Melissa Clark
1679 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,679
30 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Chocolate Ganache
Julia Moskin
830 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
830
5 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Mayonnaise
Melissa Clark
1519 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,519
5 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Buttermilk Layer Cake
Jennifer Steinhauer, "Joy of Cooking"
1139 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
1,139
1 hour and 20 minutes, plus cooling time
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Simple Pad Thai
Mark Bittman
4007 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
4,007
25 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Grainy Mustard
Melissa Clark
209 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
209
10 minutes, plus about 2 days’ standing
or to save this recipe.
No-Knead Bread
Mark Bittman, Jim Lahey
22366 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
22,366
1 hour 30 minutes, plus about 20 hours' resting time
or to save this recipe.
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Julia Moskin
4191 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
4,191
1 hour 15 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Excellent White Bread
Melissa Clark
3000 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
3,000
4 hours 15 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Doris’s Salty Hot Fudge
Kim Severson
396 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
396
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Cultured Butter
Julia Moskin, Aki Kamozawa, H. Alexander Talbot
104 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
104
20 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Perfect Corn Muffin Mix
Julia Moskin, Magnolia Bakery
575 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
575
About 30 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Almond Birthday Cake With Sherry-Lemon Buttercream
Melissa Clark
617 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
617
1½ hours, plus cooling
or to save this recipe.
Hummus from ‘Jerusalem’
Julia Moskin, Yotam Ottolenghi, Sami Tamimi
2234 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,234
45 minutes, plus overnight soaking
or to save this recipe.
Chocolate Truffles
Mark Bittman
791 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
791
30 minutes, plus at least one hour’s chilling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Eleven Madison Park Granola
Sam Sifton, Daniel Humm
10429 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
10,429
40 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Kimchi Radish Pickle
Melissa Clark, Lauryn Chun, Olga Massov
116 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
116
45 minutes plus overnight pickling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Fresh Ricotta
Melissa Clark
1891 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,891
About 30 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Blueberry Jam With Lime
Julia Moskin, Kevin West
225 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
225
About 2 hours, plus overnight cooling
or to save this recipe.
Whole-Wheat English Muffins
Melissa Clark
1176 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,176
35 minutes, plus 1 to 1½ hours’ rising
or to save this recipe.
Olive Oil Granola With Dried Apricots and Pistachios
Melissa Clark
1963 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,963
45 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Aioli
Melissa Clark
680 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
680
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Cream Cheese Frosting
Melissa Clark, The New York Times
1704 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,704
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
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