Hello friends.
Welcome to a Sunday together!
I’ve been in a flurry this week shooting the last of the images for the holiday magazine which means I’ve had more bundt cakes in this home than is normal for any non-bakery building. These are sweet little egg nog bundt cakes made with my favorite small bundt pans which means I can bake TWO impressive little cakes from one batch of batter. It’s the little things that thrill me.
Honestly, at the start of the week I wondered if where I’d find the energy to make it through. The energy is there, usually… probably because my parents played a record with a song whose lyrics chimed “Be the best of you that you can be!” when we were growing up and that message echoes in my head even today so, we at least have to try.
This week I’m also thinking about what it looks like to put energy into our friendships. Post panini that’s changing, right? I feel like I’m still getting into the swing of life and friendship outside of the house. Now maintaining friendships means showing up for the birthday dance party on Wednesday night instead of working through the night or getting to bed at a reasonable time. Show up, dance – no regrets, truly.
The offering this week is below. I hope you’re cozy and well and find something that serves you.
• Now more than ever we’re fighting over who gets to vote and how. States across the country are dropping barriers to voting, widening a stark geographic divide in ballot access. (The Washington Post)
• Please take on this week’s long read. There’s so much complicated humanity, somehow beautiful. My Father Vanished When I Was 7. The Mystery Made Me Who I Am. (New York Times)
• #FreeBritney. (Buzzfeed)
• Divorce is Down But Will It Last. Four recently divorced people talk about how Covid impacted their marriages. This satisfies the part of me that is very nosy about other peoples’ relationships. (The Cut)
• Related – a quickie podcast Getting Down and Moving On with Dr Ruth. (The Atlantic)
• This classic Joni Mitchell song calls to me every summer: California (Spotify)
• In Food Blog Land, Jon made Watermelon Daiquiris and Deb made Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches. I still want to make Adrianna’s Miso Peanut Butter Cookies.
• Kendra Scott’s summer collection is cute. (Kendra Scott)
• This week’s skin care splurge is one of my favorites yet. It’s a clay mask that’s not drying, super glowy and brightening: Watermelon Glow Hyaluronic Clay Pore-Tightening Facial.(GlowRecipe)
• I’m still working on my 2021 Summer Bucket list. Have you made yours for this summer? Here’s last year’s. (Joy the Baker)
• You know I love a summer craft and I can feel myself about to go down a Marbled Clay Statement Earring rabbit hole. (A Beautiful Mess)
• I suppose we should all try these chewy Rice Krispie Mashup Cookies, right? (The Kitchn)
Question for you, friends! I’m working on redoing joythebaker.com. It’s high time for a little update around here. If you’ve been here for a long time, what’s your favorite Joy the Baker recipe? I’m going to be cleaning up the archives and want everything you love here for you and extra beautiful.
Have a wonderful Sunday, friends!
My love to you.
xo Joy
Bethany Albing
Smashed raspberry and chocolate chunk pancakes! Makes a small batch which is perfect for my pancake eating monster! (5 year old daughter)
Amy
I save your Let it Be Sunday emails until I’ve got time to really read through them and digest. So glad I kept this one for two weeks as I’ve just gone through it now and have written down some favourites that others have noted and I can’t wait to try. My favourite recipe of yours is the vegan avocado chocolate cake. I’m not vegan, but that is the MOST moist (hate that word) cake I’ve ever made and it’s always a hit. You do you and change up the site if you wish – it’s your blog after all – I’m here for all of it. But I hope that reading through these comments makes you realize that it’s not really the format that counts, it’s the content that you create that makes us love you.
cinnamon
The corn pancakes and the cardamom lemonade, easy.
Hannah
Your Pepperoni Pizza Rolls, Tangerine Curd, English Muffin Bread, and Goat Cheese Guacamole are all essentials in my home!
Claudia Moreno Parsons
Those amazing cream cheese cinnamon rolls! I make them every year for Christmas or New Year’s morning. Mmmmm
Stephanie
Besides your chocolate frosting made with Ovaltine – actually perfect and so genius – my favorite recipes of yours are all breakfast things: all-the-blueberries buttermilk waffles, fresh herb and gruyere cheese puffs, mashed potato cheddar and chive waffles, and especially especially especially your brisket breakfast biscuits with that horseradish sauce!!
Adrienne
Your Marrakesh Carrot salad is on heavy rotation in my house. Everyone who tries it asks for the recipe!
Also love the best chocolate malt frosting. Your one of my top go-to resources!
Soleil
Those are some of my favorites too!!
Meg Negrey
Hard to pick a favorite, but I haven’t seen the One-Skillet Dark and Stormy Banana Bread mentioned yet. That bread goes with me to the mountain every winter.
Kaye
Caramelized mushrooms and dumplings ??????
Amy
The orange rosemary brown corn bread with brown butter because .. brown butter!!
Christine
My favorite recipe is the yeasted cinnamon rolls you did in a collab with king arthur flour. The ones with the cream cheese in the dough. My family looks forward to them every Christmas morning :)
Ashley
I love your peach cobbler biscuits. Actually, all your biscuits and scones. Five stars.
Lindsay
I would love if you did some updates (like a 2021/2022 refresh) of your older recipes!
Andrea
Tomato cobbler with blue cheese biscuits
Peanut butter banana bread
Danielle
What a treat to read everyone’s comments! I’m taking note of the favorites! I’ve sent nearly every friend I have to your pie crust posts. And printed and mailed it to Mom. I have your pie dough and crumble topping in my freezer at (nearly) all times. Plus, whenever I’m in charge of bringing a dish to pass, I use your recipe search first. Change it how you need it, but I really do love your recipe archive.
Adriana L
I LOVED reading through everyone’s favorite recipes!
A few (emphasis on few) of mine are:
-Spiced Mulled Wine Fruit Bars
-Strawberry Pie bars
-Peanut Butter and Jam Cobbler
-Homemade Egg Nog w Rum
-It’s Not Summer Yet Greek Pasta Salad
-All the pancakes
Love being able to come here with a vague idea of what I want to make and finding many great recipe options!
Brook
I might have to echo Cyndi’s unpopular opinion and say don’t change anything but that’s because I have my own baggage and negative associations of change… lol and yes, I’m working on it. ;) Of course, this is also your personal blog and you should do with it what you please. Thanks for all the effort and magic that you continue to create!
Laine
chicken pot pie, cheddar/black pepper biscuits, brown butter blueberry muffins
Kaye
YES.
Chris Liskiewitz
Every Fall I make multiple loaves of your Cranberry Orange Coffee Cake. It’s the perfect way to use up all the fresh cranberries I can’t help but buy during the last few farmer’s markets before Winter. It is delicious and turns out perfecting every time!
Cyndi
Hi Joy! Unpopular opinion here. I kind of wish you weren’t redoing your blog. There are so many cooking/baking blogs I no longer visit because of that. I won’t mention them because I don’t want to give them free advertising. I have found that when many redo their blog, it’s because they have made the decision to update less, so the redo is done in a way that just tries to conceal the fact that they update so infrequently. I don’t think that will be the case with you, but another disappointing thing is that we the readers see the same unchanging screen every time we visit. That gets tiresome/redundant, and it’s often a challenge to find anything new (if there is anything new). It’s so fun to see a brand new post, large and in charge and taking up at least the top half of the page!
There are so many favourite recipes here that posters have already mentioned and I wholeheartedly agree with them! Your whole roasted onions (with a pat of butter and small rosemary sprig on top) are a must with our roast beef and steak dinners. Your Friday Fish Fry post in my opinion is one of the best cooking posts on any blog – I have made the cod and the coleslaw and it was wonderful.
Meaghan
Pumpkin pecan scones and browned butter carrot loaf! Also confetti chocolate chips cookies
Sarah
Oooooh. The Tiny Strawberry Cream Scones and the Maple Pecan Muffins. Ok, now my mouth is watering….
Erin
There are so many great recipes! The ones I probably make the most are the sweet potato kale soup, salted brown sugar chocolate chip cookies, honey vanilla marshmallows (I make these every single Christmas), and the avocado buttercream frosting (this might be my favorite frosting ever).
Kristen
I regularly make the browned butter blueberry muffins, buttermilk chocolate chip pancakes, and cream cheese biscuit chicken pot pie. And the orange gingerbread with cream cheese frosting and cranberry orange and pecan coffee cake are holiday staples in my family.
Jennifer Acchiardo
Summer Tomato Galette
Jill
I love the Root Beer baked beans!
Lucy Remtiz
So fun! Too many favourite recipes – but my all time go to is your Peach & Raspberry Crumble recipe. I make it every time I can get my hands on some ripe peaches and perfect reminder to track some down soon now that we’re in to summer properly ;)
Sandy
Chili Cheese Dogs & Chocolate Sprinkle Crinkle Cookies
Mini
In no particular order, but I have made these over the years repeatedly and I still come back to your blog for the exact measurements. So I want you to retain these recipes ;)
Brown butter Banana bread, Cinnamon sugar pull apart bread, small batch granola, dad’s brown butter cookies, buttermilk pancake, everybody’s birthday cake(chocolate one), Chocolate butter cream frosting.
Thank you!
Courtney
I have so many favorites! Love your apple crisp, ginger chocolate chip cookies and chicken pot pie just to name three!
SB
Brown butter chocolate chip cookies! There s always a roll oud dough in my freezer.
Carrie
Please keep the single pancake recipe! I love that it incorporates blueberries AND chocolate, can be thrown together with what I have on hand (I sub yogurt for the buttermilk), and is a delightful Sunday-morning breakfast for one.
Christine Kregg
I’d be sad to see any recipes go since they’re all gems, but the one I treasure most at the moment is the Peanut Butter Strawberry Jam Cobber. It taste like summer and is flawless, like all of your work. Thank you for being here for us after all these years.
Nicole
Single lady pancake! With bananas and chocolate chips. Not single anymore, but I have been making it since you first posted it! Also, chili, egg roll bowl, cobbler, and every version of a chocolate chip cookie. OOH and the sweet laurel snickerdoodles! You’re the best. This LA girl is still a big fan.
Emily
You have a peanut butter tart from quite a few years ago that I adore. Also a couple of loaf cakes—banana bread and pumpkin bread and one with cornmeal and cranberries. I think you actually removed this recipe a while ago for a cookbook, but I remember a really great carrot cake pancake recipe.
Ally
Spicy Vegetarian Chili and One Pot Lamb Meatballs with Orzo, Spinach and Feta but I always make them with Turkey like you recommended. These are tried and true favorite dinners in my little fam!
Sheryl
I have made your orange dark chocolate buttermilk scones so many times and they have never failed me—always get compliments, too! I also loved the peanut butter banana bread (and much, much more). I have appreciated your blog for sooo long!
Elizabeth Johnston
Chicken pot pie, beef and stout pie, Guinness brownies. Blueberry muffins. Apple crisp. Buttermilk pie crust.
Julie
The chicken pot pie recipe is the only one I’ve ever used, or ever will use!
Jocelyn
Brown butter chocolate chip cookies and sweet potato kale soup! Two of my favorites over many years!
Kathy
soft pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. This is the recipe that brought me to your website the first time.
Ashleigh
The mini chocolate chip cookie baked doughnuts are a favourite, as well as the one dish King cake!
Stella
Hi Joy,
I really loved the story from the NYTimes about the father who vanished. I have always believed that the way in which we respond to and feel towards others, is by far the best reflection of ourselves. The notion that we are islands unto ourselves is just plain nonsense. By our very essence, mankind is a social being; and it is through others that we are able to divine who we are, what we’ve done and why we are to begin with.
My favorite recipe is Everybody’s Birthday Cake:Chocolate Peanut Butter
Hillary
Single lady pancake; strawberry rhubarb crumble pie (I make this every year and also force others to try the recipe!); strawberry shortcake with the cinnamon sugar biscuits. Thank you Joy!!
Emilynn
The tomato cobbler with blue cheese biscuits are essential!
joythebaker
I very much agree with you!
Staci
I’ve got a few but the one that is the most requested is the Chicken Shwarma with pita
MaggieToo
No contest: your Dad’s sweet potato pie!
Teresa
Vegetarian pumpkin pot pie.
Christy
Salty sesame and dark chocolate cookies! They are on repeat for me and my mom :) but really love the pumpkin pie bars and brown butter rosemary orange cornbread too!
Kiante
The brown butter chocolates chip cookies for sure! That was a game changer for me. I like making the gingerbread swirl bundt cake around the holidays and the classic cinnamon rolls.
Alli
Please keep all things peanut butter.
Lyn
Spiced Mulled Wine Fruit Bars- one of the most sublime, comforting and magical recipes I’ve ever had the good fortune to find and bake! They’re like time travel right into all that’s best in the world…..make them every Christmas now.
bethany
I love your sweet recipes, but your lamb and spinach meatballs with orzo are my go to new baby/ thinking of you/ company is coming recipe. I have it written down, but love to be able to send friends to your site to find it.
Lisa Recko
Was the song you mentioned from the album Free to Be, You and Me? It was popular when my children were growing up.
joythebaker
I think that’s it Lisa!
Maureen
Nectarine cobbler for sure! Hands down…
Christine Dell
Ohhh, the Lemon Rosemary Palmiers. Divine.
Amelie
I am very much here for all the grilled cheese recipes!
Tracy
There are so many favorites around here, but granola, sweet potato pie are common. Any time I need a quick reset of mood or kitchen your brown butter banana bread is sure to do the trick every single time!
Eva
Hi Joy!
I hope that most of the recipe and blog posts will stay accessible on the blog, because when I discovered it, ten years ago, it was such a pleasure to jump from one blog post to another and discover everything… Why not an index by year of publication, maybe in addition to the favorites ?
Speaking of favorites, I would say tomato cobbler with blue cheese biscuits, strawberry rhubarb crumble pie, sweet potato pie…
Eva
And also the chicken pot pie of course… and the baked donuts recipes…
Terry S.
Many hard choices! Both your chicken pot pie recipes and the extra-special deviled eggs. The homemade eggnog, warm herb and jam goat cheese spread. I am sure that there are others. These are the ones that popped right into my head!
Beth
Breakfast polenta two ways, all your scone recipes (especially orange chocolate!), birthday cake, brownbutter rice krispies, and and and and feels like so many others! Sending love
Heather Young
Lemon ricotta waffles with poppyseeds! So good.
Susan
Very hard to choose, but the toasted marshmallow squares are one of my very favorites. Also the green goddess tea sandwiches are awesome.
Rachel F
So many great recipes, but I make the pumpkin millet muffins ALL THE TIME (usually without millet ;))
Lanette
Your browned butter blueberry muffins are a classic at my house. Can’t beat them. Even from a bakery! Long time reader and your Let It Be Sunday’s are usually some of my favorite reads of the week.
Beth
Me too with the Sunday reading! Look forward to hearing your voice plus love your reading choices every week!
Sue
Your brownie recipes are the best I’ve found anywhere!
Hannah
So hard to pick! the glazed pumpkin scones, double chocolate chip cookies, marrakesh carrot salad, oatmeal cocoa nib cookies, spinach and artichoke grilled cheese are definitely in my top items.
Stacy
Lots of great ones here, but the one recipe I have made so often I have it memorized is for the 2 doughnuts. I don’t make them into two large twists as you did in the photos, but it is a PERFECT quantity of dough for two people wanting a treat on a weekend morning.
B
So many recipes I love it’s hard to pick white bean crostini, everyday oatmeal cookies, all the breakfast especially granola, all the blueberry waffles and buttermilk cheddar waffles. Also so many good dinners pumpkin pot pie always a hit.
Susan Kennedy
I would have to say your chicken pot pie is right up there me. And a big thanks for these Sunday reads. I’ve been with you since the start but don’t usually comment.
Caroline Leigh
I think your triple berry Dutch baby is the recipe we make the most often! ??
Cherelle
I make all your granola recipes and often search the donut archives!
KCF
My fave recipe of yours is rosemary brown butter cornbread. THE definitive cornbread in my home now.
Rachel B
Sit and stay apple crisp. I make it for myself for my fall birthday every year =)
Jenn P
Your pie crust (and accompanying post cheering me on) and your gumbo poutine. I use the pie crust recipe for Thanksgiving and Christmas every year, and sometimes in between, and every time I ask my husband what he wants for dinner he answers “gumbo?” so I’ve made that 9000 times. Oh! And the pretzels from your virtual bakehouse last year! I’ve used that TONS!!!
Tania
Dulce de lèche cupcakes and the chocolate orange cream cheese pound cake!
Allison
Your Grapefruit White Chocolate Brown Butter Cookies!! They are so unique but beyond delicious and they’re the sleeper hit everywhere I’ve brought them. I haven’t tried de-glutening them since I’ve had to go gluten free but it’s certainly on my list…
Amy
Girl, your all butter pie crust and browned butter chocolate chip cookies are my GO-TOs. Making me look so good out here.
Kristin
I love all your soups, pot pies & biscuit/dumpling dinners. Tomatoes. Strawberries! Slight-fear-of-commitment roast chicken is a great recipe (that admittedly I’ve made so many times it’s nearly memorized) & I love your writing with it too. My fave cookies are the dark chocolate pistachio w/ sea salt & the cookies+cream cookies. Also jazzed up rice krispie treats (I’m especially excited to try your neapolitan krispie cake!)
Stephanie
I make your strawberry rhubarb crisp every summer. The topping is just right!
Joyce
So any good recipes! Save anything small bath, muffins, quick bread, brownies and bars. One layer cakes? So manyGoodones, just can’t!
Rita
I’ve made the cream cheese cinnamon rolls and spicy lentil soup a million times each! (And the former is what really inspired me to bake and cook as I prepared to move into my very own space postcollege.)
Nicole
Thank you for this week’s offerings.
I enjoy making the comforting weeknight chicken, and although I haven’t made in a while, the pull apart cinnamon sugar bread that seemed to break the internet.
xo
Vaughan
Cinnamon roll muffins! They are a perfect blend of a biscuit and a yeasty cinnamon roll – and they are easy.
thanks joy!
Lisa
White bean kale and sausage soup!!!
Susan
Don’t even have to think twice — Dad’s Sweet Potato Pie
jenny
Marrakesh Carrot Salad is extraordinary, and obviously your famous Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are classic.
Jen
Cranberry orange & pecan coffee cake. I make it every year as soon as fresh cranberries are available. And multiple times during fall and winter.
Wendy
I use the small batch granola recipe all the time! And the vanilla bean confetti cookies are perfect for birthdays.
Karen
I also love the small batch granola recipe! Maybe I’ll make granola today!
Karen
Honey cranberry cornmeal quick bread!
JoDee
Oatmeal and peanut butter cookie sandwiches.
I’ve gotten lots of compliments on them!
Delightful
Christina
Apple cranberry crumb pie! It’s a Thanksgiving non-negotiable at my house.
Angie
The raspberry cheese danish thumbprint cookies were arguably the best thing I baked during the global parfait.
Melanie
These two savory recipes are ones I go back to over and over again – Baked Polenta with Tomato Basil and Roasted Vegetable Winter Crumble. And I’ve made and gifted the Apple Cranberry Crumble Pie several times!
Anna
Weekday oatmeal and everything cookies!
Meg
Cannot do without the Maple Blueberry Scones, and all the ways that can be adapted.
Karen B
you put me in sheer panic mode when you stated to pick a favorite recipe – I can’t. I go to you for ideas in recipes because of you willingness to try something different to a recipe.
I have been on your site before your first cookbook. I remember when you were all excited about it.
You like a each and very child you have but you really like their different qualities they have. You like each and every recipe but you like the differences that each recipe offers. HOW CAN YOU JUST CHOOSE>.
Natasha
I second the apple crisp!
Joey Gates
Now I am looking for an eggnog bundt cake recipe. It’s Sunday morning so I will make your pancake recipe for the kids instead :).
Angela
I’ve made that one chocolate bundt from the Big Sur Bakery cookbook fairly frequently. The cappuccino cookies (even the ones without the brown butter), the apple crisp, the apple pie, and the cherry pie bars I have also made multiple times. I’ve only made the avocado pound cake once, but please don’t get rid of it – I’ll need it for the next time I have a surplus of ripe-to-almost-overripe avocados! Keep the cream cheese cinnamon rolls too. Don’t get rid of your roasted vegetable winter crumble just yet – I’ve had it on my “to make” bookmark folder for too long.
….honestly, most/many of your recipes have always turned out for me. Thank you for doing what you do!
Nancy
Your yogurt pita bread! I also make the galette de rous cookies..all the time.
Virginia
Every year I make the everybody’s birthday cake for one of my kids and the brown butter chocolate chips many times a year! Thank you
Allison Gillenwater
12 frosted cupcakes -1 stick of butter allows me to say yes without hesitation when my daughter asks to make cupcakes. Also the brown sugar molasses cookies from your magazine are a favorite.
Jayme
Dark chocolate Guinness brownies. One of the only sweets my husband will eat! :)
Gina
French onion pasta is a real winner in my house. Oh, and special deviled eggs. I may need both of those this week now.
Sarah
I make the Sit and Stay Awhile Apple Crisp a lot and the Blackberry Buttermilk Pie
Bethany
I make your biscuit cinnamon rolls for those special breakfasts with a close heart friend. During the global panna cotta, when my friends and I did our own makeshift Easter sunrise gathering, I brought those cinnamon rolls to break the fast. They were strongly requested to be a part of our sunrise ritual again this year. The recipe has grown beyond me as I recommended the recipe to a friend, who made it for her family, and now it’s her dad’s go-to special breakfast meal. Biscuit cinnamon rolls are now one of my love languages.
Melanie
12 frosted cupcakes; one stick of butter (the 2009 one) is my go-to birthday celebration or actually any celebration treat. Also, still love the Mother’s Day menu of a similar vintage for creme fraiche quiche and homemade ceasar salad. Those early-year recipes remain lovely classics.
Julia
Beetroot chocolate cake with beet cream cheese frosting!
Frankie
Always love your sunday reads. On favourite recipes: I make your pumpkin cookies at least once a year, people started asking me when I’m going to bake them – and I am not known as a baker!