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
99 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
99
About 10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Classic Marinara Sauce
Julia Moskin, Lidia Bastianich
11572 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
11,572
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
20035 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
20,035
45 minutes, plus chilling
or to save this recipe.
Creamy Homemade Yogurt
Melissa Clark
1403 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,403
20 minutes, plus fermentation and chilling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Magnolia Bakery’s Cupcakes
Susan Campos
3496 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
3,496
About 45 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easiest Vanilla Ice Cream
Julia Moskin
951 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
951
30 minutes, plus several hours' chilling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Katharine Hepburn’s Brownies
The New York Times
13995 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
13,995
About 45 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Tomato Ketchup
Melissa Clark
509 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
509
40 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Bread-and-Butter Pickles
Melissa Clark
798 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
798
About 50 minutes plus 2 hours’ refrigeration
or to save this recipe.
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
Julia Moskin
17629 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
17,629
1 hour 40 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Dark Chocolate Pudding
Melissa Clark
1575 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,575
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
3505 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
3,505
15 minutes, plus 1 hour to heat oven
or to save this recipe.
Mustard-Shallot Vinaigrette
Julia Moskin
2570 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,570
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Everyday Pancakes
Mark Bittman
14573 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
14,573
20 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Buttermilk Biscuits
Melissa Clark
1701 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,701
30 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Chocolate Ganache
Julia Moskin
836 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
836
5 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Mayonnaise
Melissa Clark
1533 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,533
5 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Buttermilk Layer Cake
Jennifer Steinhauer, "Joy of Cooking"
1140 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
1,140
1 hour and 20 minutes, plus cooling time
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Simple Pad Thai
Mark Bittman
4024 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
4,024
25 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Grainy Mustard
Melissa Clark
210 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
210
10 minutes, plus about 2 days’ standing
or to save this recipe.
No-Knead Bread
Mark Bittman, Jim Lahey
22503 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
22,503
1 hour 30 minutes, plus about 20 hours' resting time
or to save this recipe.
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Julia Moskin
4204 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
4,204
1 hour 15 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Excellent White Bread
Melissa Clark
3021 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
3,021
4 hours 15 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Doris’s Salty Hot Fudge
Kim Severson
401 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
401
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Cultured Butter
Julia Moskin, Aki Kamozawa, H. Alexander Talbot
105 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
105
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
619 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
619
1½ hours, plus cooling
or to save this recipe.
Hummus from ‘Jerusalem’
Julia Moskin, Yotam Ottolenghi, Sami Tamimi
2243 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,243
45 minutes, plus overnight soaking
or to save this recipe.
Chocolate Truffles
Mark Bittman
799 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
799
30 minutes, plus at least one hour’s chilling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Eleven Madison Park Granola
Sam Sifton, Daniel Humm
10731 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
10,731
40 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Kimchi Radish Pickle
Melissa Clark, Lauryn Chun, Olga Massov
117 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
117
45 minutes plus overnight pickling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Fresh Ricotta
Melissa Clark
1895 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,895
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
1185 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,185
35 minutes, plus 1 to 1½ hours’ rising
or to save this recipe.
Olive Oil Granola With Dried Apricots and Pistachios
Melissa Clark
1982 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,982
45 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Aioli
Melissa Clark
684 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
684
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Cream Cheese Frosting
Melissa Clark, The New York Times
1736 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,736
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
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