Baking Recipes to Distract You

Take a break from your screen and make something delicious. It’s a win-win.

Lidey Heuck’s classic brownies.Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

By Sharon Attia

Published Nov. 4, 2024Updated Nov. 4, 2024

Scraping chocolate sauce out of a bowl with a spatula. Rolling cookie dough into balls with your hands. Frosting cinnamon rolls while they’re still hot from the oven. For many, baking is a great way to pass the time. It’s hands-on, methodical and requires your full attention. (You can’t doomscroll and whisk at the same time.) Best of all, there’s a delicious reward at the end.

It may take a few days, or more, before we know this year’s election results. The recipes below are just the thing to do as you wait. Then you can go back to reading the news.

See more Easy Recipes for Distractibaking on NYT Cooking, alongside collections of Easy Baking and Easy Fall Baking.

Peanut butter and chocolate are a natural pairing, and this recipe (which also happens to be our most popular Christmas cookie) further proves that point. Crisp on the outside, and still slightly soft on the inside, these easy peanut butter treats, ready in 35 minutes, are rolled in granulated sugar for an extra crunch before going in the oven. A Hershey’s Kiss is pressed into the center of each in the last couple minutes of baking.

Recipe: Peanut Butter Blossoms

These pull-apart rolls from Naz Deravian are a version of Japanese milk bread, also known as Hokkaido bread, popular at many Asian bakeries. The key to these pillowy soft, springy buns is tangzhong, the traditional Chinese technique of cooking flour and liquid (milk or water) into a paste and adding it to the dough when cooled.

Recipe: Milk Bread Pull-Apart Rolls

Melissa Clark unlocks a terrific flavor combination here: a fragrant, bittersweet richness, thanks to Campari, olive oil and melted butter. Three types of fresh citrus juice and zest — grapefruit, orange and lemon — add brightness. If you want to go the extra mile (highly recommended), simmer some Campari and a bit of sugar into a syrup to drizzle atop the cake. (And maybe even make yourself a Negroni. The Campari’s already out!)

Recipe: Campari Olive Oil Cake

Lidey Heuck achieves a desirable shiny, crackly top by dissolving the sugar into the butter, then stirring in chocolate chips until melted. You can use semisweet or dark chocolate, depending on your preference. Add in a half cup of chopped nuts if that’s your thing.

Recipe: Brownies

These classic treats from Scott Loitsch strike the ideal balance of salty and sweet, crispy and gooey. The secret to achieving the soft, chewy texture is melting the marshmallows evenly and gently. (Too much heat and the sugars can caramelize, resulting in harder or drier treats.) Browned butter gives the treats a toasty, rich flavor, and the rainbow sprinkles are optional, but highly encouraged.

Recipe: Rice Krispie Treats

Gone apple picking and not sure what to do with your orchard haul? Try this simple, one-bowl dessert from Vallery Lomas. Apple slices nestled in buttery batter become jammy, while the exterior gets crispy and caramelized. Serve with a scoop of ice cream, obviously.

Recipe: Easy Apple Buckle

Yossy Arefi elevates a food court-style giant chocolate chip cookie with the addition of browned butter. And at least one reader agrees: “Much better than any mall cake … I used the recommended icing just around the edges (added chocolate to half) and sent it with my husband to work for a birthday celebration. It was a hit!”

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Beautifully flaky and golden brown, these five-star biscuits from Sam Sifton are excellent on their own, or smothered in white sausage gravy, with eggs and grits. They’re easy to bake even if you’ve never made biscuits before, and ready in an hour from start to finish.

Recipe: All-Purpose Biscuits

Yes, you can make cinnamon rolls without waiting an hour for the dough to rise. This recipe, which Margaux Laskey adapted from “At Home With Magnolia: Classic American Recipes From the Owner of Magnolia Bakery,” by Allysa Torey, is ready in 45 minutes from start to finish. Instead of yeast, baking powder and baking soda achieve a quick rise. Toasted pecans add crunch to the cinnamon-sugar filling, and a tangy cream cheese glaze coats the tender, caky rolls once they’re out of the oven.

Recipe: Easy No-Yeast Cinnamon Rolls

Light and moist, these dairy-free, egg-free chocolate cupcakes from “Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World,” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero are a hit with everyone. (“Even the non-vegans!” one reader wrote.) Cocoa powder in the batter and glaze gives these treats their sweet, chocolaty flavor.

Recipe: Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

Yossy Arefi has once again gifted us with an exceptional afternoon snacking cake (which is also great at breakfast or really anytime). This recipe is lightly spiced and nut- and fruit-free, but don’t let that stop you from adding a half cup of chopped nuts or dried fruits, if you like. The grated carrot in the lemony glaze is more for color than flavor, so feel free to skip if that feels like too much effort.

Recipe: Carrot Loaf Cake With Tangy Lemon Glaze

Dan Pelosi’s take on the classic pumpkin muffin introduces earthy cardamom to both batter and topping for an extra layer of warmth. Pair them with a cup of coffee and your coziest cardigan.

Recipe: Pumpkin Cardamom Crumb Muffins