Cooking Techniques Baking 12 Recipes Every Beginner Baker Should Master By Maria Yagoda Maria Yagoda Instagram Twitter Maria Yagoda is a senior editor at Food & Wine, where she has worked for five years, specializing in restaurant and travel coverage.Her writing on food, culture, travel, and health issues have been published in People Magazine, the Atlantic, Glamour Magazine, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and more print and digital publications.She lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her chihuahua, Bucatina. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 30, 2021 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Con Poulos So you're not an expert baker—maybe precise measurements scare you, or you prefer French fries to French pastry. But if you're looking to improve your baking skills and add some foolproof cakes, cookies, and muffins to your repertoire, try out any of these classic recipes, which we're pretty sure you'll make for the rest of your life. 01 of 12 Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies © EMILY FARRIS Start to finish, these cookies take only thirty-five minutes to make. Go to recipe 02 of 12 Brown Sugar Cake with Ricotta and Blueberries Jennifer Causey File this under "Easier Than It Looks." Go to recipe 03 of 12 Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping © James Baigrie For soft edges, use liners; for crisp edges, use a well-greased, unlined pan. Go to recipe 04 of 12 Buttery Vanilla Shortbread © Lucy Schaeffer Gail Simmons' five-ingredient shortbread can be stored in an air-tight container for up to a week. Go to recipe 05 of 12 German Chocolate Cake Amy Neunsinger All cooks should have a show-stopping German chocolate cake in their repertoire, and this is one of our favorites. Go to recipe 06 of 12 Golden Cupcakes Kana Okada Classic, iconic, beautiful, and delicious, these cupcakes can be frosted any way you like. Go to recipe 07 of 12 Milk-Chocolate-Frosted Layer Cake Con Poulos Make extra of the milk-chocolate ganache to eat by the spoonful. Trust us. Go to recipe 08 of 12 Carrot Coconut and Zucchini Bread John Kernick Hey, this one has vegetables in it! Go to recipe 09 of 12 Coffee Cookie Crumble Eric Wolfinger Crunchy, salty, and coffee-laced, this streusel topping is one of a kind. Go to recipe 10 of 12 Jacques Pépin's Favorite Pound Cake Edward Pond Equal parts flour, sugar, eggs, and butter, pound cake is a classic for a reason. Go to Recipe 11 of 12 Chocolate-Pecan Shortbread Bars John Kernick Bars are the unsung heroes of the dessert world, as the dough doesn't need to be molded into complicated shapes. Go to recipe 12 of 12 Old-Fashioned Banana Bread © Fredrika Stjärne A great way to use up bananas that are past their prime and a delicious quick bread, banana bread is an easy recipe that anyone can throw together. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit