Dessert

If you know me, you know that I'm not a huge fan of making fussy desserts. Creamy. Buttery. Rich. Yes. But fussy, not my speed. (Don't get me wrong, I love fancy pastry, but life's...

Here's my favorite pumpkin pie recipe (plus a tribute to one of the handiest cookbooks ever). This pie is easy enough to bust out on a weeknight.

If you know me, you know I have a great fondness for jam, jelly, and marmalade. It actually kind of borders on a problem. If you've been at The Mouse House late at night, you may...

OK, kids: This is coffee. In solid form. It's been sweetened with condensed milk and booze-ified with a healthy dose of Kahlua—then rubberized into a blissful, cocktail-hour finger food thanks to the magic of gelatin. Now, you have to like Jello, or Jello-like food, for this to work. If you do, you're in for a treat.

Our good friend the Baron Von Hammer came to visit us recently, right around his birthday. That being a rather auspicious occasion, I wanted to make him something special. This chocolate cheesecake didn't disappoint!

Psssst, hey, you! You need to make these. Like, now. I almost never say that, but seriously: You do. Stop what you're doing and get yourself into the kitchen. You can thank me later.

This cake is like a coffee cake, but better. It's rich, but still manages to have a light crumb. It gets a subtle, mollasses-tinged sweetness from dark brown sugar, and a burst of brightness from a generous amount of fresh lemon zest.

For this recipe, squares of chewy chocolate caramel get all dressed up in chocolate. They're chewy and chocolate-y and have a deep, sweet earthiness from a generous amount of molasses.

These bars are one part cookie, and one part granola bar. And they're one of the best homemade bars...or whatever you want to call them...I've ever made. They're chewy and caramel-y and earthy and studded with tangy, dried cranberries.

Want to be a superhero? Start making doughnuts at home. It might not get you a part in the sequel to Kick Ass, but you'll definitely earn points with your kids, your neighbors, and your dog. Making doughnuts at home is easy. It's fun. And they're delicious. Trust me.