The jar of sourdough discard sitting in your fridge turns into a full pan of golden, olive-oil-dimpled focaccia here. A small amount of instant yeast does the actual lifting, since discard alone is too sluggish to raise a dough on its own, so you get …
Sifting the almond flour, whipping a stable meringue, and folding to the exact right consistency — the French method gets walked through start to finish here, so these vanilla macaron shells come out with the smooth tops and ruffled “feet” that define a proper macaron. …
Whipped egg whites folded into a cocoa powder batter give this chiffon cake its signature airy, springy crumb, baked in an ungreased tube pan and cooled upside down — the same technique that gives angel food cake its height, adapted here for a chocolate version rich enough to skip the frosting.
Per slice (1/12 of the cake) (estimated)
Estimated from USDA FoodData Central values for the ingredients and amounts listed above. Optional toppings, garnishes and ingredients added “to taste” are not included. Actual values vary with brands and portion size.
Whipping the egg whites separately and folding them in last is what gives chiffon cake its height and light texture — the air trapped in the whites expands in the oven and holds the crumb open. Baking in an ungreased pan and cooling the cake upside down keeps the delicate structure from collapsing under its own weight while it’s still warm and fragile.
Make sure the bowl and beaters for the egg whites are completely free of any grease or yolk — even a trace of fat will keep the whites from whipping to full volume. Cake flour (not all-purpose) gives the finest, most tender crumb for this style of cake. Cooling the cake fully upside down before removing it from the pan is not optional — skipping this step will cause the cake to sink.
Greasing the tube pan is a common mistake carried over from other cakes, but chiffon cake actually needs to cling to the ungreased sides as it rises and cools. Overmixing once the egg whites are folded in deflates the batter and results in a denser, flatter cake. Removing the cake from the pan before it’s fully cooled will cause it to collapse since the structure is still delicate while warm. Skip tasting the raw dough or batter, since the FDA notes that raw flour is not a ready-to-eat ingredient.
This cake is light enough to serve plain with a dusting of cocoa powder, or topped with whipped cream and fresh berries. For a dessert spread, set it alongside black forest cupcakes for two different chocolate textures.
Store the cake covered at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to a week. Chiffon cake also freezes well wrapped tightly for up to 2 months — thaw at room temperature before serving.
Can I use a bundt pan instead of a tube pan for chiffon cake? A traditional tube pan with a removable bottom and feet for inverting works best. Bundt pans are typically greased and don’t allow the cake to cling and rise the same way, so results can vary.
Why did my chiffon cake sink after baking? This usually means the cake was removed from the pan or turned right-side up before it was fully cooled, or the egg whites weren’t whipped to stiff enough peaks before folding in.
Can I frost this choco chiffon cake? It can be frosted, though it’s traditionally left plain or lightly dusted since the cake itself is already rich and airy. A light glaze works better than a heavy buttercream, which can weigh down the delicate crumb.
Why is my chiffon cake dense instead of airy? Dense chiffon cake usually points to underwhipped egg whites or overmixing once they were folded into the batter. The whites should hold stiff, glossy peaks, and folding should stop as soon as no streaks remain.
Spiced Biscoff cookies swap in for the classic ladyfingers here, with Biscoff cookie butter folded into the mascarpone cream, layered using the same coffee-soaked technique that makes traditional tiramisu work. Biscoff Tiramisu ★★★★★ Be the first to rate this recipe Prep: 30 minCook: 0 min …
Leftover lasagna gets a second life here: chilled squares get breaded and deep-fried until the outside turns crackling and golden while the inside stays molten and cheesy. It works as a starter, a party snack, or a way to make lasagna leftovers feel like a …
Seared chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and wilted spinach come together in a garlic-parmesan cream sauce for this Tuscan pasta — the kind of dish that tastes like it took much longer than the 30 minutes it actually needs.
Per serving (1 of 4) (estimated)
Estimated from USDA FoodData Central values for the ingredients and amounts listed above. Optional toppings, garnishes and ingredients added “to taste” are not included. Actual values vary with brands and portion size.
Searing the chicken separately and deglazing the pan with broth pulls the browned bits (and their flavor) into the sauce instead of leaving them stuck to the pan. Whisking parmesan directly into the simmering cream rather than adding it cold is what keeps the sauce smooth instead of clumping into stringy bits of cheese. The sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan reflect the pantry staples of Tuscan cuisine, where simple, high-quality ingredients carry the dish.
Use the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar in place of some of the olive oil for extra flavor. Grate the parmesan yourself rather than using pre-shredded — it melts into the sauce far more smoothly. Reserve pasta water before draining; the starch in it helps the sauce cling to the noodles if it thickens too much while sitting. Use a thermometer to confirm the chicken reaches 165°F, the USDA safe minimum internal temperature for poultry.
Boiling the cream sauce too hard once the parmesan is added can cause it to separate or turn grainy — keep it at a gentle simmer. Adding the spinach too early means it overcooks and turns the sauce a dull, watery green; stir it in just at the end. Skipping the sear on the chicken and just simmering it in the sauce leaves the chicken pale and steamed rather than browned and flavorful.
A simple green salad and crusty bread for soaking up the sauce round out this dish well. It also pairs nicely with naan bread on the side if you want something to scoop with. For the nutrition side of the chicken in this dish, see our breakdown of calories in boneless skinless chicken breast.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The cream sauce will thicken as it chills, so reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of milk or broth stirred in to loosen it back up.
Can I make Tuscan pasta without chicken? Yes — shrimp or Italian sausage both work well in place of chicken, or leave it out entirely and add extra spinach and mushrooms for a vegetarian version.
Can I use half-and-half instead of heavy cream? Half-and-half will work but produces a thinner sauce that’s more prone to separating over high heat. Heavy cream gives the most stable, restaurant-style texture.
Why did my Tuscan pasta sauce turn grainy? This usually happens when the parmesan is added over too-high heat or the sauce boils hard after the cheese goes in. Keep the heat at a gentle simmer once the cheese is whisked in.
Can I make this creamy Tuscan pasta ahead of time? It’s best served fresh since the sauce thickens significantly on standing, but you can prep the chicken and chop the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic ahead to speed up cooking.
A real cheese sauce starts from a butter-and-flour roux here, finished under a layer of buttery panko for the crunchy top that separates baked macaroni and cheese from the stovetop version. Macaroni and Cheese with Bread Crumbs ★★★★★ Be the first to rate this recipe …
The lunchbox classic gets rebuilt from scratch here: soft, chewy oatmeal cookies with a hint of cinnamon, sandwiched around a fluffy marshmallow filling. They taste unmistakably like the packaged version, just softer and fresher. Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies ★★★★★ Be the first to rate this …
The same cold-butter technique behind a traditional scone carries over here, just swapped onto a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend for these blueberry scones. The result is a flaky, slightly craggy scone studded with juicy blueberries that doesn’t taste like a compromise.
Per scone (estimated)
Estimated from USDA FoodData Central values for the ingredients and amounts listed above. Optional toppings, garnishes and ingredients added “to taste” are not included. Actual values vary with brands and portion size.
Cold butter cut into pea-sized pieces is what creates flakiness in any scone — as the pieces melt in the oven, they release steam that pushes the layers apart. Because gluten-free flour blends behave differently under heat, the short 15-minute freeze before baking is what keeps the shape from spreading, since gluten-free doughs don’t hold structure the way wheat-based ones do.
Keep the butter, cream, and even the blueberries cold right up until they go into the oven — a warm gluten-free dough spreads instead of rising. If using frozen blueberries, toss them into the flour mixture straight from the freezer so they don’t bleed purple streaks through the dough. A 1:1 gluten-free flour blend that already contains xanthan gum gives the most reliable structure for this scone recipe.
Overworking the dough while folding in the wet ingredients activates whatever starches are in the gluten-free blend and can make the scones gummy instead of tender. Skipping the freeze step before baking is the most common reason gluten-free blueberry scones spread flat rather than holding their wedge shape. Using a gluten-free blend without a binder like xanthan gum can leave the scones crumbly and difficult to slice. Skip tasting the raw dough or batter, since the FDA notes that raw flour is not a ready-to-eat ingredient.
These scones are best served warm with a pat of butter or a drizzle of honey alongside a cup of coffee. For a full gluten-free breakfast spread, pair them with vanilla almond granola and fresh fruit.
Store cooled scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days. Freeze the baked scones for up to 2 months and reheat in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes to restore the flaky texture.
Can I make these gluten free blueberry scones dairy-free too? Yes — substitute the butter with a cold, cubed vegan butter stick and use full-fat coconut cream in place of the heavy cream.
Why is my gluten-free scone dough so sticky? Gluten-free flour blends absorb liquid more slowly than wheat flour, so the dough can feel sticky at first. Chilling it for a few minutes before shaping makes it much easier to handle.
Can I freeze the scones before baking instead of after? Yes — freeze the shaped, unbaked wedges on a tray until solid, then transfer to a bag. Bake straight from frozen, adding 3-4 extra minutes.
Do I need to thaw frozen blueberries before using them? No — keep them frozen until the moment they go into the flour mixture. Thawed berries release extra moisture and juice that can turn the dough purple and soggy.
A simple enriched dough turns into a showstopping pull-apart bread here by stacking four rounds with cinnamon-sugar butter between them, then cutting and twisting the layers into a star. It looks like a bakery showpiece, but the technique is really just rolling, stacking, and a …