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
91 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
91
About 10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Classic Marinara Sauce
Julia Moskin, Lidia Bastianich
11267 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
11,267
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
19511 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
19,511
45 minutes, plus chilling
or to save this recipe.
Creamy Homemade Yogurt
Melissa Clark
1389 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,389
20 minutes, plus fermentation and chilling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Magnolia Bakery’s Cupcakes
Susan Campos
3442 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
3,442
About 45 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easiest Vanilla Ice Cream
Julia Moskin
946 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
946
30 minutes, plus several hours' chilling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Katharine Hepburn’s Brownies
The New York Times
13473 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
13,473
About 45 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Tomato Ketchup
Melissa Clark
506 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
506
40 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Bread-and-Butter Pickles
Melissa Clark
794 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
794
About 50 minutes plus 2 hours’ refrigeration
or to save this recipe.
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
Julia Moskin
17327 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
17,327
1 hour 40 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Dark Chocolate Pudding
Melissa Clark
1542 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,542
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
3454 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
3,454
15 minutes, plus 1 hour to heat oven
or to save this recipe.
Mustard-Shallot Vinaigrette
Julia Moskin
2524 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,524
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Everyday Pancakes
Mark Bittman
14331 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
14,331
20 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Buttermilk Biscuits
Melissa Clark
1649 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,649
30 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Chocolate Ganache
Julia Moskin
814 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
814
5 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Mayonnaise
Melissa Clark
1505 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,505
5 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Buttermilk Layer Cake
Jennifer Steinhauer, "Joy of Cooking"
1136 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
1,136
1 hour and 20 minutes, plus cooling time
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Simple Pad Thai
Mark Bittman
3992 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
3,992
25 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Grainy Mustard
Melissa Clark
208 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
208
10 minutes, plus about 2 days’ standing
or to save this recipe.
No-Knead Bread
Mark Bittman, Jim Lahey
22056 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
22,056
1 hour 30 minutes, plus about 20 hours' resting time
or to save this recipe.
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Julia Moskin
4175 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
4,175
1 hour 15 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Excellent White Bread
Melissa Clark
2966 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,966
4 hours 15 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Doris’s Salty Hot Fudge
Kim Severson
393 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
393
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
572 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
572
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
2221 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,221
45 minutes, plus overnight soaking
or to save this recipe.
Chocolate Truffles
Mark Bittman
767 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
767
30 minutes, plus at least one hour’s chilling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Eleven Madison Park Granola
Sam Sifton, Daniel Humm
10036 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
10,036
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
1880 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,880
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
1155 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,155
35 minutes, plus 1 to 1½ hours’ rising
or to save this recipe.
Olive Oil Granola With Dried Apricots and Pistachios
Melissa Clark
1931 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,931
45 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Aioli
Melissa Clark
678 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
678
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Cream Cheese Frosting
Melissa Clark, The New York Times
1670 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,670
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
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