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
100 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
100
About 10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Classic Marinara Sauce
Julia Moskin, Lidia Bastianich
11647 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
11,647
25 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Chocolate Trail Mix
Yasmin Fahr
87 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
87
15 minutes, plus 1½ hours cooling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Chocolate Chip Cookies
David Leite, Jacques Torres
20166 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
20,166
45 minutes, plus chilling
or to save this recipe.
Creamy Homemade Yogurt
Melissa Clark
1405 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,405
20 minutes, plus fermentation and chilling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Magnolia Bakery’s Cupcakes
Susan Campos
3514 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
3,514
About 45 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easiest Vanilla Ice Cream
Julia Moskin
952 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
952
30 minutes, plus several hours' chilling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Katharine Hepburn’s Brownies
The New York Times
14158 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
14,158
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
801 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
801
About 50 minutes plus 2 hours’ refrigeration
or to save this recipe.
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
Julia Moskin
17676 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
17,676
1 hour 40 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Dark Chocolate Pudding
Melissa Clark
1585 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,585
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
3512 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
3,512
15 minutes, plus 1 hour to heat oven
or to save this recipe.
Mustard-Shallot Vinaigrette
Julia Moskin
2579 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,579
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Everyday Pancakes
Mark Bittman
14649 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
14,649
20 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Buttermilk Biscuits
Melissa Clark
1712 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,712
30 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Chocolate Ganache
Julia Moskin
841 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
841
5 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Mayonnaise
Melissa Clark
1538 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,538
5 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Buttermilk Layer Cake
Jennifer Steinhauer, "Joy of Cooking"
1142 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
1,142
1 hour and 20 minutes, plus cooling time
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Simple Pad Thai
Mark Bittman
4034 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
4,034
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
22576 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
22,576
1 hour 30 minutes, plus about 20 hours' resting time
or to save this recipe.
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Julia Moskin
4214 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
4,214
1 hour 15 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Excellent White Bread
Melissa Clark
3028 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
3,028
4 hours 15 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Doris’s Salty Hot Fudge
Kim Severson
403 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
403
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
577 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
577
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
2247 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,247
45 minutes, plus overnight soaking
or to save this recipe.
Chocolate Truffles
Mark Bittman
804 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
804
30 minutes, plus at least one hour’s chilling
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Eleven Madison Park Granola
Sam Sifton, Daniel Humm
10886 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
10,886
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
1901 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,901
About 30 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easy
Blueberry Jam With Lime
Julia Moskin, Kevin West
226 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
226
About 2 hours, plus overnight cooling
or to save this recipe.
Whole-Wheat English Muffins
Melissa Clark
1191 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,191
35 minutes, plus 1 to 1½ hours’ rising
or to save this recipe.
Olive Oil Granola With Dried Apricots and Pistachios
Melissa Clark
1991 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,991
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
1748 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,748
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
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