Dessert Person

Get ready to party! And by party, we mean stay at home and be safe. But fortunately, you need no special occasion to make this delicious, celebratory, kid-friendly, and deeply nostalgic confetti cake. A tender white birthday cake studded with rainbow sprinkles and covered in smooth, tangy cream cheese frosting, it tastes like childhood (which is to say, better than the box). We took a hiatus but Claire and her crew are back with Season II of Dessert Person -- check out this first episode!

Allow us to get philosophical for a minute: brownies contain multitudes. Is there a more metamorphic recipe out there? Brownie recipes can be cakey, chewy, light, dense, fudgy, tender, shiny, matte, bitter, sweet, thin, thick -- and yet, they’re all brownies. Claire's favorite brownie is chocolatey but not too intense brownies with multiple textures, but chewiness above all. Enter, Claire's recipe for Malted Forever Brownies -- so good, it’s pretty much the only one she plans on making until the end of time.

A lot of baking successfully is having the right tool for the job. Want a beautifully glazed tart or shiny pastry? You need a pastry brush. Want even, perfect cream puffs? You really should use a pastry bag. Here Claire Saffitz goes through and explains her 13 essential kitchen tools, most of them small, simple and inexpensive, that put her (and all home bakers) on the road to success. Do you need them all? Maybe not. But if you’re committed to learning how to bake at home, these certainly help.

What’s more fun than making fried empanadas? Making fried dessert empanadas with a friend! (That is, socially distanced). In this special episode of Dessert Person, Claire Saffitz and her special guest go off-script and decide to make a recipe together just for fun. Check it, and learn from the one and only Gaby Melian how to make empanadas with the prettiest twisted edge.

One of Claire’s favourite desserts from childhood is, Gooey Butter Cake, a St. Louis tradition unlike any other cake. While most recipes call for a box cake mix, Claire takes it back to its German origins as a yeasted coffee cake base with a buttery, gooey, vanilla-scented topping. THEN, Claire puts fellow STL-native, long-time friend, and comedian extraordinaire Jo Firestone to the taste test while the two settle old Gooey Butter Cake beefs.

With a flavor and aroma like nothing else, vanilla is the one ingredient Claire can’t live without. It’s a tropical product that requires intense labor to harvest and ferment, making it both precious and pricey. In this episode, Claire shows you how to make the most of whole beans, from extracting the seeds to making your own vanilla extract. It’s a simple process but will ensure that no part of the splurge-worthy ingredients goes to waste.

Is there such a thing as a sweet, sticky, nutty bun that doesn’t put you down for the count? Claire set out to find it! After much testing, this is her ideal sticky bun, a soft, nutty, maple-y swirl scented with cardamom and orange zest. Claire thinks it’s a whole lot better than a giant, overly sweet Cinnabon cinnamon roll, although — ahem — some family members disagree. It’s a family affair this episode!

Spring is around the corner, but if you need a pick-me-up in dessert form, look no further than this sunny, zingy, Meyer lemon tart with a hidden ribbon of raspberry jam. It’s one thing Claire loves to make in winter, using the gift of Meyer lemons, but is even more classic if made with regular lemons all year round. Be warned, it’s very tart, but that’s how lemon desserts should be!

Claire make all sort of cakes, pies, and confections in her small NYC apartment kitchen? Well, it’s often a challenge, but she gives herself a leg up by staying organized (or, at least organized enough) and designating zones for different equipment, tasks, and ingredients. Join Claire as she takes you around the space for a quick kitchen tour and provides quick tips for making the kitchen as functional as possible.

Time for some real talk about muffins -- they’re cake without frosting, filled with sugar and deserving of no place on a breakfast table. That is, until now. Claire Saffitz engineered this seedy maple breakfast muffin to actually taste good while also providing some nutrition (in the form of seeds, whole wheat, and blueberries). It’s finally a blueberry muffin you can feel good eating -- and did we mention it’s vegan?