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
84 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
84
About 10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Classic Marinara Sauce
Julia Moskin, Lidia Bastianich
10804 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
10,804
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
18640 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
18,640
45 minutes, plus chilling
or to save this recipe.
Creamy Homemade Yogurt
Melissa Clark
1360 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,360
20 minutes, plus fermentation and chilling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Magnolia Bakery’s Cupcakes
Susan Campos
3378 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
3,378
About 45 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easiest Vanilla Ice Cream
Julia Moskin
936 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
936
30 minutes, plus several hours' chilling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Katharine Hepburn’s Brownies
The New York Times
12812 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
12,812
About 45 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Tomato Ketchup
Melissa Clark
499 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
499
40 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Bread-and-Butter Pickles
Melissa Clark
784 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
784
About 50 minutes plus 2 hours’ refrigeration
or to save this recipe.
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
Julia Moskin
16714 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
16,714
1 hour 40 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Dark Chocolate Pudding
Melissa Clark
1508 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,508
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
3389 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
3,389
15 minutes, plus 1 hour to heat oven
or to save this recipe.
Mustard-Shallot Vinaigrette
Julia Moskin
2456 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,456
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Everyday Pancakes
Mark Bittman
14043 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
14,043
20 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Buttermilk Biscuits
Melissa Clark
1584 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,584
30 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Chocolate Ganache
Julia Moskin
775 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
775
5 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Mayonnaise
Melissa Clark
1459 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,459
5 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Buttermilk Layer Cake
Jennifer Steinhauer, "Joy of Cooking"
1132 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
1,132
1 hour and 20 minutes, plus cooling time
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Simple Pad Thai
Mark Bittman
3941 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
3,941
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
21461 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
21,461
1 hour 30 minutes, plus about 20 hours' resting time
or to save this recipe.
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Julia Moskin
4054 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
4,054
1 hour 15 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Excellent White Bread
Melissa Clark
2899 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,899
4 hours 15 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Doris’s Salty Hot Fudge
Kim Severson
384 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
384
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
568 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
568
About 30 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Almond Birthday Cake With Sherry-Lemon Buttercream
Melissa Clark
613 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
613
1½ hours, plus cooling
or to save this recipe.
Hummus from ‘Jerusalem’
Julia Moskin, Yotam Ottolenghi, Sami Tamimi
2184 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,184
45 minutes, plus overnight soaking
or to save this recipe.
Chocolate Truffles
Mark Bittman
749 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
749
30 minutes, plus at least one hour’s chilling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Eleven Madison Park Granola
Sam Sifton, Daniel Humm
9110 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
9,110
40 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Kimchi Radish Pickle
Melissa Clark, Lauryn Chun, Olga Massov
115 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
115
45 minutes plus overnight pickling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Fresh Ricotta
Melissa Clark
1855 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,855
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
1130 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,130
35 minutes, plus 1 to 1½ hours’ rising
or to save this recipe.
Olive Oil Granola With Dried Apricots and Pistachios
Melissa Clark
1861 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,861
45 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Aioli
Melissa Clark
667 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
667
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Cream Cheese Frosting
Melissa Clark, The New York Times
1550 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,550
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
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