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
81 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
81
About 10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Classic Marinara Sauce
Julia Moskin, Lidia Bastianich
10628 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
10,628
25 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Chocolate Trail Mix
Yasmin Fahr
83 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
83
15 minutes, plus 1½ hours cooling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Chocolate Chip Cookies
David Leite, Jacques Torres
18415 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
18,415
45 minutes, plus chilling
or to save this recipe.
Creamy Homemade Yogurt
Melissa Clark
1351 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,351
20 minutes, plus fermentation and chilling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Magnolia Bakery’s Cupcakes
Susan Campos
3236 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
3,236
About 45 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easiest Vanilla Ice Cream
Julia Moskin
929 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
929
30 minutes, plus several hours' chilling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Katharine Hepburn’s Brownies
The New York Times
12444 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
12,444
About 45 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Tomato Ketchup
Melissa Clark
493 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
493
40 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Bread-and-Butter Pickles
Melissa Clark
750 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
750
About 50 minutes plus 2 hours’ refrigeration
or to save this recipe.
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
Julia Moskin
16630 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
16,630
1 hour 40 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Dark Chocolate Pudding
Melissa Clark
1500 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,500
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
3357 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
3,357
15 minutes, plus 1 hour to heat oven
or to save this recipe.
Mustard-Shallot Vinaigrette
Julia Moskin
2431 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,431
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Everyday Pancakes
Mark Bittman
13973 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
13,973
20 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Buttermilk Biscuits
Melissa Clark
1561 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,561
30 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Chocolate Ganache
Julia Moskin
767 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
767
5 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Mayonnaise
Melissa Clark
1443 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,443
5 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Buttermilk Layer Cake
Jennifer Steinhauer, "Joy of Cooking"
1127 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
1,127
1 hour and 20 minutes, plus cooling time
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Simple Pad Thai
Mark Bittman
3930 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
3,930
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
21321 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
21,321
1 hour 30 minutes, plus about 20 hours' resting time
or to save this recipe.
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Julia Moskin
4038 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
4,038
1 hour 15 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Excellent White Bread
Melissa Clark
2881 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,881
4 hours 15 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Doris’s Salty Hot Fudge
Kim Severson
380 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
380
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
612 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
612
1½ hours, plus cooling
or to save this recipe.
Hummus from ‘Jerusalem’
Julia Moskin, Yotam Ottolenghi, Sami Tamimi
2171 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,171
45 minutes, plus overnight soaking
or to save this recipe.
Chocolate Truffles
Mark Bittman
748 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
748
30 minutes, plus at least one hour’s chilling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Eleven Madison Park Granola
Sam Sifton, Daniel Humm
8755 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
8,755
40 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Kimchi Radish Pickle
Melissa Clark, Lauryn Chun, Olga Massov
114 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
114
45 minutes plus overnight pickling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Fresh Ricotta
Melissa Clark
1832 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,832
About 30 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Blueberry Jam With Lime
Julia Moskin, Kevin West
223 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
223
About 2 hours, plus overnight cooling
or to save this recipe.
Whole-Wheat English Muffins
Melissa Clark
1123 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,123
35 minutes, plus 1 to 1½ hours’ rising
or to save this recipe.
Olive Oil Granola With Dried Apricots and Pistachios
Melissa Clark
1817 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,817
45 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Aioli
Melissa Clark
659 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
659
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Cream Cheese Frosting
Melissa Clark, The New York Times
1526 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,526
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
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