Best of Smitten Kitchen Food Blogger Shares Thicker, Chewier Granola Bar Recipe After Whole Foods Envy Prior Frost · 2026-08-27 Issue 01 A food blogger revisits homemade granola bars after trying a thick, chewy version at Whole Foods. She adapts a King Arthur Flour recipe by reducing sugar and using a smaller pan to achieve the desired texture, aiming to solve her breakfast-skipping habit.
Best of Smitten Kitchen Parent Makes Cheddar Crackers at Home After Toddler Discovers Goldfish Prior Frost · 2026-08-27 Issue 02 A parent who thought their toddler disliked cheese discovered he loved goldfish crackers at a park. That led to a decision to make homemade cheddar crackers, drawing on a prior discovery that cheese straws taste like Cheez-Its.
Best of Smitten Kitchen One-Skillet Caramelized Onion Chicken and Rice Recipe for Weeknights Prior Frost · 2026-08-27 Issue 03 A one-skillet chicken and rice recipe builds on deeply caramelized onions, thyme, white wine, and chicken broth, with bone-in thighs browned first and finished with the rice. The dish takes about 70 minutes, serves four to six, and keeps and freezes well, according to the recipe's author.
Best of Smitten Kitchen Smitten Kitchen's Summer Slaw Recipe and a Personal Plea After Mass Shootings Prior Frost · 2026-08-27 Issue 04 Smitten Kitchen shares a summer slaw recipe with miso-sesame dressing and a 2:4:1 ratio of cabbage to vegetables to crunchy elements. The blogger also describes dropping her 6-year-old at school amid fears of gun violence, notes more mass shootings than days in the year, and links to Everytown for Gun Safety and Sandy Hook Promise for donations.
Best of Smitten Kitchen Honey-Soaked Babka Wreath Recipe Blends Babka and Baklava Prior Frost · 2026-08-27 Issue 05 A recipe for a babka wreath soaked in honey syrup combines elements of babka and baklava, drawing on a 2014 baklava sweet bread from the blog Sprinkles Bakes. The honey soak, common in Middle Eastern and Levant desserts, gives the buttery, nutty bread a glossy, baklava-like finish.
Best of Smitten Kitchen Marbleized Hamantaschen Recipe Adds Dairy Twist to Purim Baking Prior Frost · 2026-08-27 Issue 06 A food writer shares a marbleized hamantaschen recipe that combines chocolate and vanilla doughs with a cream cheese filling, departing from traditional pareve versions. The recipe, adapted from Breads Bakery, uses a food processor for quick dough and yields 30 to 36 cookies, offering a dairy-rich alternative for Purim.
Best of Smitten Kitchen Vodka Pasta Recipe Ditches Chicken Broth for Pasta Water in 30-Minute Update Prior Frost · 2026-08-27 Issue 07 A home cook revises a 30-minute vodka pasta recipe, replacing chicken broth with seasoned pasta water and adding shallots, tomato paste, and heavy cream. The update keeps the dish fast while reflecting a shift toward simpler, more flavorful pasta sauces.
Best of Smitten Kitchen Tested Checkerboard Cookie Recipe Uses Egg Yolk Sable Dough Prior Frost · 2026-08-27 Issue 08 A first-person baking account describes testing multiple doughs before settling on an egg yolk-enriched sable for checkerboard cookies. The recipe includes instructions for checkerboard, spiral, and marbled variations, with detailed ingredients and steps.
Best of Smitten Kitchen Smitten Kitchen Revisits David Leite's 24-Hour Chocolate Chip Cookies Prior Frost · 2026-08-27 Issue 09 Smitten Kitchen's Deb Perelman has revisited the David Leite chocolate chip cookie recipe from The New York Times, a dough that requires at least 24 hours of chilling and yields 18 cookies up to 5 inches wide. She explains why the oversized, three-textured cookie has become worth the wait.
Best of Smitten Kitchen A Kale Skeptic's Conversion: Salad With Golden Raisins, Walnuts and Pecorino Prior Frost · 2026-08-27 Issue 10 A self-described kale skeptic describes an unforgettable salad at Barbuto during a Chef's Table birthday dinner and attempts a home version. The salad pairs raw slivered kale with wine-plumped golden raisins, toasted walnuts, olive oil-toasted breadcrumbs and aged pecorino romano.
Best of Smitten Kitchen Broiled Open-Faced Grilled Cheese on Tomato Soup: A Recipe Idea Prior Frost · 2026-08-27 Issue 11 A food writer describes a long-considered recipe idea: broiling an open-faced grilled cheese sandwich directly on top of a bowl of tomato soup. The approach draws on the French onion soup technique and aims to merge two classic comfort foods in one vessel.
Best of Smitten Kitchen Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Squash Toast Recipe, Adapted for Home Cooks Prior Frost · 2026-08-27 Issue 12 A home cook discovers a famous winter squash toast recipe from Jean-Georges Vongerichten's ABC Kitchen. The dish combines roasted squash, tangy onion confit, ricotta or goat cheese, and mint on olive oil-toasted bread, offering a crowd-pleasing weeknight meal.
Best of Smitten Kitchen One-Bowl Chocolate Loaf Cake Suits Summer Cravings, Baker Says Prior Frost · 2026-08-27 Issue 13 A food blogger shares a one-bowl chocolate loaf cake recipe designed for summer, contrasting it with heavier cold-weather chocolate desserts. The cake uses buttermilk and Dutch-processed cocoa, bakes in 60 to 70 minutes, and the blogger says it tastes even better on days two and three.
Best of Smitten Kitchen A Quick Raspberry Buttermilk Cake for Weeknight Baking Prior Frost · 2026-08-27 Issue 14 A simple raspberry buttermilk cake, adapted from Gourmet, requires about one hour from start to finish and yields a thin 9-inch cake. The recipe uses basic pantry ingredients and fresh raspberries, making it suitable for weeknights or potlucks.
Best of Smitten Kitchen Recipe: Thick and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Adapted from Quaker Oats Prior Frost · 2026-08-27 Issue 15 A home baker shares a recipe for thick and chewy oatmeal raisin cookies, adapted from the standard Quaker oats canister recipe. The adjustments include reducing sugar, using only brown sugar, and increasing raisins to achieve a soft, chewy texture.
Best of Smitten Kitchen Smitten Kitchen Adds Challah Recipe, Filling a Jewish Recipe Gap Prior Frost · 2026-08-27 Issue 16 Smitten Kitchen founder Deb Perelman is adding a challah recipe after realizing her archive lacked Jewish staples like brisket, kreplach, and kugel. She describes challah as an egg- and oil-enriched bread that makes exceptional French toast when slightly stale.
Best of Smitten Kitchen Sour Cream-Chocolate Cake With Peanut Butter Frosting Marks a Birthday Addition Prior Frost · 2026-08-27 Issue 17 A home baker added a chocolate peanut butter layer cake to an annual birthday dessert tradition, drawing on a recipe from the Sky High cookbook. The cake combines a sour cream-chocolate base, cream cheese peanut butter frosting and filling, and a chocolate peanut butter glaze.
Best of Smitten Kitchen Bechamel-Based Baked Mac and Cheese Recipe Reheats Creamy, Not Clumpy Prior Frost · 2026-08-27 Issue 18 A food writer shares a baked macaroni and cheese recipe that uses a bechamel sauce to solve the problem of clumpy leftovers. The recipe, described as a centerpiece dish, differs from the site's stovetop and hands-off baked versions, each with a distinct purpose.
Best of Smitten Kitchen Caramelized Onion, Sage and Butternut Squash Galette Recipe Returns With 2024 Photos Prior Frost · 2026-08-27 Issue 19 A food writer shares a caramelized onion, sage and butternut squash galette built on a sour cream dough, noting the recipe received fresh photos in 2024. The free-form tart roasts squash at 375°F, caramelizes onions for about 20 minutes, and bakes the assembled galette at 400°F for 30 to 40 minutes.
Best of Smitten Kitchen A Traveler's Kitchen Rescue: Homemade Chocolate Sandwich Cookies Prior Frost · 2026-08-27 Issue 20 After a three-day business trip filled with disappointing food, a traveler returns home and bakes homemade chocolate sandwich cookies—a reliable recipe that's easy to make and always requested. The recipe yields 24 cookie sandwiches in 45 minutes.
