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I followed the Preppy Kitchen recipe from YouTube for this one. His channel is one of the first ones that got me into baking and I still use his recipes a lot. The cake is super moist from the oil and all the grated carrots, and you can't really taste the carrots, they just make it good. I wrapped wet cake strips around the pans and both layers came out totally flat, no domes to trim off. It really works. Cream cheese frosting in the middle and all over, plus a little carrot I piped on top with orange and green frosting.

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This recipe is from Jose el Cook on TikTok. The oats make them way chewier than a regular chocolate chip cookie. The edges get crispy, the middle stays soft, and the chocolate chips stay a little melty. The whole batch was gone the same day.

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Little dough balls rolled in cinnamon sugar, stacked in a bundt pan, and covered in brown sugar caramel. I made two pans because everyone in my family wanted some. The caramel soaks down between all the balls while it bakes so every piece is sticky and gooey. You don't cut it, you just pull off a chunk with your fingers.

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Round two of peach cobbler, done a different way. My June one had the batter underneath the fruit, but this time I dropped big scoops of biscuit dough right on top of the caramelized peaches. The biscuits bake up golden on top and soft underneath where they soak up peach juice. We ate the whole thing before I remembered to take a photo of the finished one. It was that good.

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This is the most expensive thing I have ever cooked so I was a little nervous. The marbling on the raw steak is amazing. I kept it simple with just flaky salt and cooked it two ways to compare: medium rare and well done. The medium rare pieces basically melt in your mouth. Even the well done ones stayed juicy because there is so much fat in there. Definitely a special occasion thing but it was worth it.

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First thing I made with my new Ninja Creami. I did three flavors: banana bread, coffee Oreo, and vanilla bean. You mix the base, freeze it solid for a day, and the machine turns it into really creamy ice cream. The coffee Oreo one is my favorite. Waiting a whole day for the base to freeze felt like forever.

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My mom is vegetarian so she never gets to have fried chicken. I made this for her with tofu instead. You press the tofu, tear it into chunks, marinate it in pickle juice, and double dredge it like my chicken tenders. It came out very crispy and spicy, really close to Chick-fil-A. My mom loved it. It was awesome.

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A blondie is like a brownie but with no cocoa, just brown sugar and vanilla. I made the toffee myself: you cook butter and sugar until it turns deep golden, let it harden, and break it into pieces. The toffee gets melty and chewy when the blondies bake, and the flaky sea salt on top makes every bite sweet and salty. I cut them into squares before the chocolate drizzle dried so it smeared a little, but they still tasted great.

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Orange chicken like takeout but with real oranges, squeezed and zested. I made it two ways: crispy chicken, and crispy tofu in the same sauce so my mom could have it too since she's vegetarian. The sauce is sticky, sweet, and a little spicy from the chili flakes. I think it tastes better than the mall version.

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Creme brulee served inside a real lemon. You hollow out lemon halves and use them as little bowls, which gives the custard extra lemon flavor. The best part is that I got to use a real blowtorch to melt the sugar on top. It turns into a hard candy shell, and cracking it open with a spoon is so satisfying.

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Homemade cinnamon rolls from scratch, no canned dough. Rolling the log tight is the trick to getting good swirls. I frosted them while they were still warm so the cream cheese frosting (same one from my red velvet cake) melts down into all the layers. The middle roll is the softest one and everyone tries to grab it first.

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Classic waffles from scratch. The key is not overmixing the batter. Lumps are fine. A hotter waffle iron setting gives you crispier edges which is way better than soft and soggy. Let them sit on a wire rack so they stay crispy instead of steaming on a plate.

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This is inspired by the viral Dubai chocolate bar, a chocolate crispy pistachio filling inside. I made it into a cake with a ganache top and crushed pistachios sprinkled over. The pistachio layer in the middle is the best part. It's really rich so a small slice goes a long way.

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First time making a seafood dish! You dredge the shrimp in flour, then egg, then a mix of coconut and panko. The coconut gets really toasty and crispy when you fry them. They came out way better than I expected: crunchy outside, juicy inside. Good with a sweet chili sauce.

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Red velvet cookies sandwiched with cream cheese frosting in the middle. Same flavor as the red velvet cake but in cookie form. The cream cheese filling is the same frosting I use for the cake. I could eat it by the spoonful. These look really impressive and aren't that hard to make.

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Oatmeal cookies loaded with pecans and M&Ms. The oats make them chewier than regular cookies and the pecans add a really good crunch. M&Ms don't melt the same way as chocolate chips so you get these little pops of color and crunch throughout. Made two versions: half with just pecans, half with M&Ms too.

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You can't even taste the zucchini, it just makes the bread really moist. You shred it and squeeze out all the water first or it makes the bread too wet. It's more like a sweet loaf cake than bread. The cinnamon smell while it's baking is amazing.

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This was actually one of the first things I ever made. Brownies are what got me into baking in the first place. The key is not overbaking them. They should look slightly underdone when you pull them out because they keep cooking in the pan. Fudgy in the middle with slightly crispy edges is the goal.

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Way simpler than pie: no crust rolling, no lattice. You just make a simple batter, pour it in the pan, dump the blueberries on top, and the batter rises up around the fruit while it bakes. The edges get golden and crispy and the middle is soft with all the blueberry juice bubbling through.

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Same idea as the blueberry cobbler but with peaches and a little cinnamon. The peaches get really soft and jammy underneath and the top turns golden brown. I think I liked this one even more than the blueberry version. Really good warm with vanilla ice cream on top.

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Made three flavors at once: chocolate peanut butter, matcha, and banana bread. You just mix everything the night before and stick it in the fridge. By morning it's thick and creamy without any cooking at all. The matcha one looks the coolest but the chocolate peanut butter one is really good.

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Brioche has a ton of butter in it which makes it really rich and soft, completely different from regular bread. You have to let it proof twice which takes a while but it's worth it. The egg wash on top is what gives them that shiny golden color. They came out looking really professional.

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From scratch! Letting the dough rest matters. Don't rush it. Rolling them round is harder than it looks.

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Used my homemade tortillas which made these next level. Don't overfill or they explode when you fold them.

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Classic vanilla cake with homemade buttercream and fresh strawberries on top. This is the one that got me into making cakes from scratch. Buttercream is pretty simple: butter, powdered sugar, a splash of cream. The strawberries on top make it look really professional even though it's not the hardest thing to do.

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Soaking the potatoes in cold water first made them way crispier. Fried them twice. Next time, more salt right out of the oil.

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Made this completely from scratch including the frosting. Red velvet is kind of weird. There's cocoa in it but it doesn't really taste like chocolate cake, it has its own thing going on. The cream cheese frosting is SO good, I could eat it with a spoon. Getting the layers even is harder than it looks but I think it came out really good.

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Soaking the chicken in buttermilk first makes it way more tender and helps the coating stick. I made two versions: one with just spices and one glazed with sauce. The double dredge (flour, then buttermilk, then flour again) is what makes the coating really thick and crunchy. The sauced one is honestly incredible.

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You put the pineapple and cherries in the bottom of the pan with butter and brown sugar, pour the batter on top, bake it, and then flip it over so the pineapple ends up on top all caramelized. It looks really cool when you flip it. The brown sugar turns into this sticky caramel situation which is amazing.

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Getting the breading to stick is the trick: flour first, then egg wash, then panko. Panko makes them way crunchier than regular breadcrumbs. The dipping sauce on the side is sriracha mayo which goes perfectly with them. These disappeared really fast.

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Made six completely different flavors in one batch: everything, sesame, jalapeño cheddar, parmesan, plain, and more. They came out really good and way better than store-bought.

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The whole point is to underbake it just enough so the center stays liquid. Timing is everything. One minute too long and it's just a regular chocolate cake. I dusted mine with powdered sugar which makes it look really fancy. When you cut into it and the chocolate flows out it's so satisfying.

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Shortbread crust on the bottom, lemon curd layer on top, powdered sugar dusted over everything. The filling is really tart which I like. It's not just sweet, it actually tastes like lemon. You have to let them cool completely before cutting or they fall apart. Worth the wait.

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Used the KitchenAid to cream the butter and sugar. I browned the butter first which gives them a way better flavor, kind of nutty and caramel-y. They came out soft in the middle with slightly crispy edges, which is exactly how a cookie should be.

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Way easier than apple pie because there's no crust to deal with. You just slice the apples, toss them with sugar and cinnamon, dump the oat topping on, and bake. The topping gets all crunchy and caramelized while the apples underneath get soft and bubbly. Really good with ice cream on top.

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Press them down really hard in the pan or they crumble when you cut them. Refrigerating before slicing helps a lot too. These are way better than store-bought. You can taste that they're actually made with real ingredients. Good for a snack or breakfast.

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Making pasta with the KitchenAid attachment is honestly so fun. You mix the dough, let it rest, feed it through the machine, and actual spaghetti or fettuccine just comes out. The dough has to be exactly right. Too wet and it sticks everywhere, too dry and it cracks. First batch got stuck but after that I figured it out. Way better than store-bought.

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Only three ingredients but it's actually really hard to get right. The trick is using the starchy pasta water to make the cheese into a creamy sauce instead of a clumpy mess. I made this with my homemade spaghetti which made it extra good. Took a few tries to get the sauce smooth.

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Threw everything in the food processor and blended it up. I've made it with pine nuts and also with walnuts. Both are good but pine nuts taste more like actual pesto to me. Use enough olive oil or it gets too thick and clumpy. Goes perfectly on the homemade pasta.

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This sauce is so good. You cook down the tomatoes with butter and garlic, add the cream, and it turns this amazing orange-pink color. It's called vodka sauce but you cook the vodka off so it's fine. I made it spicier than the original recipe because we like heat. Really good on the homemade pasta.

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Made the gnocchi from scratch: you boil the potatoes, rice them, mix in flour and egg, and roll them into little pillows. Then I pan-fried them in butter with fresh sage until they got crispy on the outside. That crispy outside with the soft inside is SO good. Don't overwork the dough or they get tough.

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Basically a giant cookie baked in a pan with chocolate frosting and sprinkles on top. It's like a cookie and a cake at the same time.the edges get a little crispy and the middle stays soft and chewy. The frosting makes it look like an actual birthday cake. Everyone loved it.

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The cinnamon streusel on top is what makes this so good. It gets all crunchy and sweet while the cake underneath stays soft. I drizzled icing on top after it cooled. It's the kind of thing that makes the whole house smell amazing while it's baking. Good for breakfast or dessert honestly.

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Pecan pie filling is basically just eggs, syrup, and butter, and it sounds too simple but it sets up into this incredible gooey sweet layer under all the pecans. I arranged the pecans on top myself which took a while but it looks really professional. The crust was homemade too. This one is really sweet so a small slice goes a long way.

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Made the pie crust completely from scratch including the lattice top,that part takes forever but looks so good. The filling is just blueberries, sugar, and a little cornstarch to thicken it up. Mine got a little dark on top but the inside was perfect. Next time I'll cover the edges with foil so they don't overbake.

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Bundt cakes look super fancy but they're actually not that hard. The pan does all the work. The sour cream makes it really moist. Getting it out of the pan is the scariest part; you have to let it cool and then flip it and hope it doesn't stick. Mine came out clean. Drizzled the glaze on top and it ran down the sides perfectly.

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The first pancake is always a disaster, I don't know why but it just is, every single time. After that they come out way better. The trick is not overmixing the batter or they get tough, and waiting until you see bubbles before you flip. Powdered sugar on top is the move.

Chef notes

Made these in the air fryer instead of frying them in oil. They come out golden and fluffy without all the mess. Used a donut cutter to punch out the holes. They don't taste exactly like a fried donut but they're really good and way easier. You can dip them in glaze or cinnamon sugar after.