Makes 25 small brownies

Note that for the caramel, you will need a candy thermometer or an instant-read thermometer that registers high temperatures. Use a ¼-cup dry measuring cup that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray to drizzle the caramel over the brownie batter in step 5. Be very careful when working with the hot caramel; if the caramel cools to the point where it is no longer pourable, reheat it briefly in the microwave (do not let it boil).

http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/bake-it-better/2012/06/secrets-to-making-turtle-brownies/

Makes 8

You will need a large pastry bag with a ½-inch plain tip and a ¼-inch plain tip for this recipe. Be sure the pastry cream is thoroughly chilled before filling the pastries.The chocolate glaze should still be warm when glazing the éclairs.

http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/bake-it-better/2012/02/secrets-to-making-eclairs/

SERVES 4

While the bananas cook, scoop the ice cream into individual bowls so they are ready to go once the sauce has been flambéed. Before flambéing, make sure to roll up long shirt sleeves, tie back long hair, turn off the exhaust fan (otherwise the fan may pull the flames up) and turn off any lit burners (this is critical if you have a gas stove).

http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/super-quick-video-tips/2013/02/how-to-set-bananas-on-fire-safely-video/

Serves 8

You will need a 9-inch nonstick cake pan with sides that are at least 2 inches high for this cake. Alternatively, use a 10-inch ovenproof stainless steel skillet (don’t use cast iron) to both cook the apples and bake the cake, with the following modifications: Cook the apples in the skillet and set them aside while mixing the batter (it’s OK if the skillet is still warm when the batter is added) and increase the baking time by 7 to 9 minutes. If you don’t have either a 2-inch high cake pan or an ovenproof skillet, use an 8-inch square pan.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Pineapple has become synonymous with upside-down cake ever since canned pineapple was introduced into this country in the early 1900s. But at one time, upside-down cakes were made with seasonal fruit, such as apples. We loved the idea of resurrecting apple upside-down cake. We wanted a rich buttery cake topped with tightly packed, burnished, sweet apples.

We started our testing with choosing the type of apple. Most apples turned mushy and watery and were simply too sweet, but crisp, tart Granny Smiths made the cut. Following the lead of recipes found in our research, we shingled the apples in the pan and poured the cake batter over the top. But once baked and inverted, our apple layer was shrunken and dry. The solution turned out to be increasing the number of apples, for a hefty layer of fruit. This effort yielded better results, but we found the apples to be overcooked, so we turned to a method uncovered in our recipe for Deep-Dish Apple Pie—we precooked half the apples by sautéing them on the stovetop then we cut the remainder thin, so they baked through evenly. For the butter cake, we tested milk, buttermilk, yogurt, and sour cream. Sour cream won hands down—its subtle tang balanced the sweetness of the cake and complemented the caramelized apples. And another addition—cornmeal—gave the cake a hint of earthy flavor and a pleasantly coarse texture. Our final discovery came when we attempted to release the cake cleanly from the pan. Typical recipes instruct a 5 to 10-minute cooling period, but we found that a full 20 minutes was required to allow the apple filling to set. And turning the cake out onto a rack to finish cooling let the bottom of the cake breathe, preventing sogginess, which is typical of so many upside-down cakes.

http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/gadgets-and-gear/2013/01/meet-the-apple-slicer-of-your-dreams/

Serves 8 to 10

The heavy cream must be ice cold; if not, it won’t hold stiff peaks, no matter how long or hard you beat it. Soften the cream cheese at room temperature; the microwave will cause the cheese to separate.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
We wanted our Raspberry Chiffon Pie recipe to produce an intensely flavored pie, so we ramped up its flavor by including a layer of sweetened, thickened fruit on the crust and beneath the chiffon. We also stiffened our recipe’s chiffon filling by using extra gelatin and a little cream cheese, which enabled it to hold additional raspberry puree for even more flavor.

A chocolaty twist on the classic dessert.

Serves 12

You will need 1 tablespoon of melted butter for brushing the pan. For neat, professional-looking pieces of cake, clean the knife thoroughly between slices (see photo).

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: To prevent our chocolate swirl from getting grainy, we combined it with some cream. This kept the swirl smooth and alleviated any potential grittiness. Dipping our knife in water between slices made sure every piece was as clean and pretty as the one before it.

http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/bake-it-better/2012/11/secrets-to-marble-cheesecake/

This recipe can compete with any classic version, pound for pound.

Makes one 8-inch loaf

This recipe will also make four miniature pound cakes; use four 2-cup mini loaf pans and reduce the baking time to 40 minutes.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: After some extensive testing, we found the answers to a fussy batter: hot, melted (rather than softened) butter and the food processor. The fast-moving blade of the processor plus the hot butter emulsifies the liquid ingredients quickly before they have a chance to curdle.

http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/bake-it-better/2012/09/secrets-to-perfect-pound-cake/

Serves 18 to 20

We prefer an 18 by 13-inch nonstick baking sheet for this pie. If using a conventional baking sheet, coat it lightly with cooking spray. You will need 4 ounces of animal crackers.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Unlike a traditional apple pie, a slab pie is prepared in a baking sheet and can feed up to 20 people. Its filling is thickened to ensure neat slicing, and it’s topped with a sugary glaze. But rolling out the dough to cover both the bottom and top of this mammoth pie proved problematic, as was making the filling thick enough to hold up to slicing. To avoid these challenges, we used store-bought crusts for our Apple Slab Pie recipe, which proved sturdier than homemade. Gluing two crusts together with water and then rolling the dough into a large rectangle allowed us to get the crust into the large pan without a tear. To improve the bland flavor of the pie crust, we rolled it in crushed animal crackers, which contributed a sweet and buttery flavor to the crust of our Apple Slab Pie. Flour helped thicken our apple filling, but the result was too pasty. Cornstarch made the filling slimy, but tapioca thickened it well without making it starchy.

http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/bake-it-better/2013/01/secrets-to-apple-slab-pie/

MAKES ABOUT 24 TWO-INCH PUFFS

A serving of profiteroles consists of three baked puffs filled with ice cream and topped with sauce. This recipe makes 24 puffs, technically enough to serve 8, but inevitably a few bake up too awkwardly shaped to serve to guests.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
To develop a perfect profiteroles recipe—for a crisp, tender, and airy pastry encasing cold, creamy ice cream and napped by dark, luxurious chocolate sauce—we began with the pastry, using both milk and water for puffs that were crisp and browned nicely. We used the powerful food processor to incorporate whole eggs into the choux paste and baked the puffs on an uncrowded baking sheet to keep them from collapsing. We slit the baked puffs to release steam and then returned them to the oven for 45 minutes to ensure crispness.

http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/bake-it-better/2013/01/secrets-to-profiteroles/

MAKES 1 1/2 CUPS

Whisk the sauce gently so as not to create tiny air bubbles that can mar its appearance.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
For the best bittersweet chocolate sauce recipe—flavorful and rich with just the right consistency—we added corn syrup to a mixture of cream and butter, giving our smooth sauce a shiny finish. In our chocolate sauce recipe, we used bittersweet chocolate rather than cocoa or semisweet chocolate for a complex sauce that fell off the spoon in deep chocolate ribbons.