10 Recipes Every New Baker MUST Make, According To Our Senior Food Editor

Who doesn’t love a cinnamon roll on a lazy Sunday morning? If you’ve never made them homemade before, you may be surprised to learn they’re pretty easy to make. “These aren’t complicated, and honestly are difficult to mess up. Even if your spirals aren’t great, they’ll still taste delicious,” says Gore. “Plus, they’re great practice for making a yeasted dough.”

Get the Homemade Cinnamon Rolls recipe.

White cake and chocolate cake are great and all, but carrot cake is a true star. “It’s a great classic cake that doesn’t require a mixer, so it’s pretty simple to make while still being a step-up from stirring together a box mix,” says Gore. “While a layered cake may seem intimidating, it’s good practice.”

Get the Carrot Cake recipe.

Biscuits are not only an endlessly versatile treat (and are a welcome addition at any potluck), but they’re great for practicing many must-master baking skills. “Biscuits require working cold butter into dough, but our method uses grated butter, which makes it easier to start with and learn on,” says Gore. “Once you master this, you can move onto the next step: pie crust!”

Get the Homemade Biscuits recipe.

Chocolate chip cookies are the shining star in the cookie hall of fame, and no one knows that better than chocolate chip cookie MVP Makinze Gore. “I will always argue that these cookies are a great place to start on your baking journey,” says Gore. “They’re quick to make without a complicated technique, and are a great base recipe to ace before moving onto more-complicated projects.”

Get the Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe.

“Pound cake is one of the most classic, simple cakes there is, and everyone needs a recipe for one in their baking repertoire,” says Gore. It’s “buttery and unfussy but never boring,” which makes it ideal to master for brunches and easy desserts.

Get the Pound Cake recipe.

While this may technically not feel like a baking recipe, it’s so easy to create, while also giving you the experience of tackling a few necessary baking techniques. “There’s nothing complicated about this recipe, but it does require whipping cream and folding, which are two very important and frequently used techniques you should master.”

Get the Banana Pudding recipe.

Cheesecake has a reputation for being difficult to make, and while it’s not impossible, it’s not for the faint of heart. Before tackling the classic dessert, try this dessert shortcut: cheesecake bars. “They’re so much easier to make than a full cheesecake, and take way less time in the oven,” says Gore.

Get the Raspberry Cheesecake Bars recipe.

Once you’ve mastered chocolate chip cookies, you can move onto an extremely versatile cookie: sugar cookies. While sugar cookies are also pretty simple to master, Gore says that these cut-out cookies add the step of rolling out a dough, and also give you practice for decorating with buttercream frosting.

Get the Cut-Out Sugar Cookies recipe.

Before you start on you sourdough or brioche journey, you should spend the time mastering quick breads. Zucchini bread can often feel like the long-lost cousin to banana bread, says Gore, but its savory notes and moist texture elevate it to quick bread royalty.

Get the Zucchini Bread recipe.

If you need an impressive romantic dessert that will give you some great technique practice, then turn to rich chocolate mousse. “This is another great recipe to practice whipping and folding, and also helps you learn to work with melted chocolate,” says Gore.

Get the Chocolate Mousse recipe.