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
90 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
90
About 10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Classic Marinara Sauce
Julia Moskin, Lidia Bastianich
11075 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
11,075
25 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Chocolate Trail Mix
Yasmin Fahr
84 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
84
15 minutes, plus 1½ hours cooling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Chocolate Chip Cookies
David Leite, Jacques Torres
19058 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
19,058
45 minutes, plus chilling
or to save this recipe.
Creamy Homemade Yogurt
Melissa Clark
1380 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,380
20 minutes, plus fermentation and chilling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Magnolia Bakery’s Cupcakes
Susan Campos
3415 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
3,415
About 45 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easiest Vanilla Ice Cream
Julia Moskin
942 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
942
30 minutes, plus several hours' chilling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Katharine Hepburn’s Brownies
The New York Times
13207 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
13,207
About 45 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Tomato Ketchup
Melissa Clark
503 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
503
40 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Bread-and-Butter Pickles
Melissa Clark
791 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
791
About 50 minutes plus 2 hours’ refrigeration
or to save this recipe.
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
Julia Moskin
17095 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
17,095
1 hour 40 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Dark Chocolate Pudding
Melissa Clark
1525 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,525
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
3425 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
3,425
15 minutes, plus 1 hour to heat oven
or to save this recipe.
Mustard-Shallot Vinaigrette
Julia Moskin
2488 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,488
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Everyday Pancakes
Mark Bittman
14176 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
14,176
20 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Buttermilk Biscuits
Melissa Clark
1618 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,618
30 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Chocolate Ganache
Julia Moskin
797 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
797
5 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Mayonnaise
Melissa Clark
1487 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,487
5 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Buttermilk Layer Cake
Jennifer Steinhauer, "Joy of Cooking"
1135 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
1,135
1 hour and 20 minutes, plus cooling time
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Simple Pad Thai
Mark Bittman
3977 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
3,977
25 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Grainy Mustard
Melissa Clark
207 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
207
10 minutes, plus about 2 days’ standing
or to save this recipe.
No-Knead Bread
Mark Bittman, Jim Lahey
21781 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
21,781
1 hour 30 minutes, plus about 20 hours' resting time
or to save this recipe.
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Julia Moskin
4144 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
4,144
1 hour 15 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Excellent White Bread
Melissa Clark
2932 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,932
4 hours 15 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Doris’s Salty Hot Fudge
Kim Severson
388 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
388
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Cultured Butter
Julia Moskin, Aki Kamozawa, H. Alexander Talbot
103 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
103
20 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Perfect Corn Muffin Mix
Julia Moskin, Magnolia Bakery
569 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
569
About 30 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Almond Birthday Cake With Sherry-Lemon Buttercream
Melissa Clark
614 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
614
1½ hours, plus cooling
or to save this recipe.
Hummus from ‘Jerusalem’
Julia Moskin, Yotam Ottolenghi, Sami Tamimi
2203 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,203
45 minutes, plus overnight soaking
or to save this recipe.
Chocolate Truffles
Mark Bittman
756 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
756
30 minutes, plus at least one hour’s chilling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Eleven Madison Park Granola
Sam Sifton, Daniel Humm
9563 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
9,563
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
1863 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,863
About 30 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Blueberry Jam With Lime
Julia Moskin, Kevin West
224 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
224
About 2 hours, plus overnight cooling
or to save this recipe.
Whole-Wheat English Muffins
Melissa Clark
1145 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,145
35 minutes, plus 1 to 1½ hours’ rising
or to save this recipe.
Olive Oil Granola With Dried Apricots and Pistachios
Melissa Clark
1898 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,898
45 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Aioli
Melissa Clark
672 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
672
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Cream Cheese Frosting
Melissa Clark, The New York Times
1619 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,619
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
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