DESSERTS

I like to say that serving dessert after dinner makes a well-balanced meal, and my kids never seem to argue with me on that point. I always crave something sweet after a savory dinner, and the kids seem to take after their mama! But for me there’s more to it than just how much I enjoy eating sweets (although that really can’t be overstated). Of all the types of cooking I do, preparing desserts and baking make me feel the most nostalgic in the best possible way. Cutting butter into flour to make a pie crust or mixing up a batch of cookie dough makes me feel really knit into my family—my kids, parents, grandparents, and all the generations that came before them. This is probably part of why I’ve always liked to keep that cake stand on my kitchen counter full of something freshly made and delicious. To me, baking is a tangible expression of the profound love and gratitude I feel for my family and friends.

This means that when I go into the kitchen and bust out all the pots and pans for dinner, I almost certainly plan to prepare a sweet afterward as well. But I don’t believe that desserts need to be fancy or complicated. Most of my favorites are easy to prepare, and my pantry quite literally always includes the makings for a handful of them. I typically have on hand no fewer than three bags of chocolate chips (it never occurs to me to buy just one bag at a time), nuts, graham crackers for crusts, cocoa, lemons, and plenty of butter, eggs, flour, and sugar so I can always whip something up even if I haven’t planned ahead. And with make-ahead options like Key lime or lemon and lavender icebox cookies, filling the house with amazing aromas is as simple as slicing and baking some cookie dough.

The recipes that follow are all favorites of my family. Each of the kids has his or her preference, the ones that they shout out first when I ask them what I should make for dessert. Invariably, at least one person wants lemon pie, brownie pie, or chocolate chip cookies. If it were up to me the chocolate-cola cake would always be in the house, and Chip would be happiest with strawberry shortcake on biscuits, since that’s the closest thing to breakfast in this chapter. I really hope that you and your family will also find some favorites to love. And remember, if anyone you know is worried about the extra calories that come with dessert, tell them there is always the option of skipping breakfast, lunch, or dinner!