Laurel Randolph

The quest for cookie perfection is real. Especially around the holidays, my social feeds fill with videos and images of perfectly shaped, perfectly decorated cookies. They’re like works of art, too pretty to eat.

While I admire these edible artworks, I don’t want to make them myself. Sometimes I just want to have fun baking and not worry about every little visual detail. I took this rebellious attitude and channeled it into these smash cookies. They’re the punk rockers of sugar cookies.

No matter what you call it—Muddy Buddies, puppy chow, reindeer chow, monkey munch, that delicious stuff in the bowl over there—the crunchy, sweet snack featuring Chex cereal is delicious. The classic recipe you see on the cereal box uses chocolate chips, peanut butter, and powdered sugar for a crowd-pleasing treat.
I must confess, I’ve always found puppy chow too cloying thanks to the sweet chocolate and generous powdered sugar. So I started experimenting.

As we close in on the end of 2023, I’d like to get sentimental for a moment. As the recipe editor for Simply Recipes, I feel incredibly lucky to work with such talented co-workers, contributors, photographers, and recipe testers. They are the reason our site chugs along and continues to put out awesome recipes day after day, month after month.
OK, gushing aside—these are our top 10 new recipes for 2023 and they’re all spectacular.

One of my all-time favorite cooking personalities is none other than the queen of Tiktok and Instagram, The Pasta Queen. Her videos are sultry and hilarious, her recipes look so delicious, and she’s got an incredible Italian accent to boot. Who can resist that hair toss? No one.

A couple of years ago she posted a video of assassin’s spaghetti and I’ve been obsessed ever since.

Salty, sweet, and spicy—you can’t eat just one handful.
In my house, it is simply not the holidays without Chex Mix. My mom would always make batches and batches for us to munch on around Christmas, a salty counterpoint to the countless cookies and sweets we also consumed. She made the recipe on the box, and it was always delicious.
Since I started making my own Chex Mix many moons ago, I’ve tried lots of variations.

I thought I had reached the end of the rabbit hole when it came to making potatoes. I really should have known better, since potatoes are endlessly versatile—from fries to mash to patties to hash and beyond, I stand in awe of the almighty potato. When I recently discovered fondant potatoes, my eyes were opened to a whole new world.
Fondant potatoes (sometimes called melting potatoes or pommes de terre fondantes, for you Francophiles) is a French method for preparing potatoes.

Baking is a beloved holiday tradition — and these recipes prove it can be easy, too. Whether you’re planning a party, making homemade gifts or just getting in a festive mood, you can take your pick from our cookie recipe roundup (or make them all!). From quick, shortcut-based cookies to totally made-from-scratch treats, there’s a recipe here to fit every occasion and schedule.

Nutty shortbread and tangy-sweet raspberry jam are perfect partners in these thumbprint cookies.

This crunchy, salty delight calls for only five ingredients and five minutes of prep time.

Ricotta adds moisture and richness to these charming, cake-like cookies.

Thanks to my Southern childhood, I’ve eaten countless cornbreads over the years. This is not a complaint—I love cornbread. Each of my grandmothers had their own recipes and methods, and so did my mom. I make it often to this day; it tastes like home.
Being from the South, I grew up largely eating unsweetened cornbread that contained no flour, only cornmeal. It was baked in a blistering hot oven until risen and crisp on the outside. I still enjoy this type of cornbread (especially when made in...

Have you ever taken a bite of a dish and thought, “This could really use more garlic”? Have other garlic mashed potato recipes left you underwhelmed? Dear readers, do I have the recipe for you.

I entered my first Los Angeles pie contest in 2013. There were hundreds of bakers with hundreds of pies in tow—it was truly a sight to behold.
The fun thing about this particular contest (KCRW’s Good Food Pie Contest) is one pie goes to the judges while bakers serve a second pie to the public in a festive outdoor event, complete with music and food trucks. In a game of random chance, I was lucky enough to be stationed next to the eventual best-in-show winner, Sharon Graves.

An easy, festive salad perfect for your Thanksgiving spread.

This homemade stovetop mac and cheese is almost as quick and just as easy as the boxed stuff, but oh, so much better.