BA’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookies and More Recipes We Made This Week
It’s no secret that Bon Appétit editors cook a lot for work. So it should come as no surprise that we cook a lot during our off hours too. Here are the recipes we’re whipping up this month to get dinner on the table, entertain our friends, satisfy a sweet tooth, use up leftovers, and everything in between. For even more staff favorites, click here.
September 18
Some friends and I recently drove up to Shalimar Alpacas, a farm in Warwick, New York. The owner, Patricia, showed us her beautiful wooly animals and weaving. She also had chickens with stunning heirloom eggs. I wanted to stare at their wintry blue and pretzel brown shells for as long as possible, so I bought a dozen and made Soy-Marinated Eggs, followed up by a batch of blogger Maggie Zhu’s Chinese Tea Eggs. Soft-boiled, the yolks ooze all the colors of a soy-saucy sunset. They’ve been delightful to have through my busy first week working for the magazine! —Sangita Vasikaran, research fellow
For my 40th birthday, my mother and husband went nontraditional for my cake: a retro (but timeless, really) Caviar Pie, plus plenty of extra Osetra for me to enjoy on the side. Briny things always win out over sweets in my book, so this departure from standard birthday operating procedure made me feel particularly well seen and loved. —Rachel Tepper Paley, site director
I was telling my colleague Nina that I made these stuffed sweet potatoes for dinner, but I subbed in a different kind of ground meat than the suggested turkey in the recipe. And maybe I’ve created too strong of a brand for myself here at the office, because she knew it was ground bison. The meat gets a whole lot of flavor from tomato paste, gochujang, soy sauce, sesame oil, and honey. Then adding water keeps the mixture incredibly saucy. If you happen to have extra ground meat, you can eat it over a bed of rice the next day. —Kate Kassin, editorial operations manager
Now that I have a pizza oven (thank you, shopping team), my friends have been begging me to host pizza night every couple of weeks. This week I obliged, and made four pies for my beloveds. The first was a classic margarita topped with a canopy of sweet basil. Next came a lemon pie (olive oil, mozzarella, garlic, lemon zest and juice at the end) which we finished with a drizzle of habanero maple syrup. The grand finale was two green pies slathered with this reliable pesto. My friends let out a sigh, “Is this vegan pesto? It’s so green.” As if! Blending the Parmesan, garlic, and pine nuts before adding the basil ensures the herbs stay bright and fresh as a daisy. —Nina Moskowitz, associate editor, cooking
There’s no gift like a dessert baked with love, so when my friend was in need of a little extra TLC, I brought her a batch of food director Chris Morocco’s BA’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookies. They’re easy, and remove two of the most annoying cookie steps: creaming the butter and sugar and chilling the dough. And you’re not sacrificing flavor or texture; these turn out perfectly crinkly with crispy edges and a gooey interior. This time I added extra dark chocolate and flaky salt, because why not? —Emma Jacobson, social media manager
September 11
I’d like to thank my colleague Rebecca Firkser for the new low-prep protein in my weeknight dinner rotation: mussels. She’s been testing a few recipes with the briny bivalves lately and I was struck by how swiftly she was able to both clean and cook them in the Test Kitchen. No laborious scrubbing over the sink or long soaks and sandy rinses needed (ahem, I’m looking at you clams). So this past Wednesday, I made chefs Claire Wadsworth and Nikki Hill’s Mussels Dijonnaise (from our story on what chefs actually cook at home). A mini food processor made the aromatic compound butter a cinch. Fennel and shallots, plus a heaping dollop of Dijon, infused the cooking liquid with flavor that tasted like it took hours to develop. —Kelsey Jane Youngman, senior cooking editor
When my fellow Test Kitchen buddy Rebecca Firkser first developed Peaches Foster with an out-of-season haul (she started many moons ago), I knew I needed to revisit the recipe when peaches were in season. So last week, after a trip to the market, I did just that. It’s warm and boozy, and brought to life with a touch of sharp black pepper. I served mine over vanilla ice cream and felt like I’d truly honored the fleeting moment that is peach season. —Jesse Szewczyk, senior Test Kitchen editor
Reading about Trader Joe’s new shredded rotisserie chicken, I was intrigued. And I knew just the recipe to try it out: my colleague Shilpa Uskokovic’s Mango Chicken Summer Rolls. It was a perfect use for all the crunchy, colorful vegetables I spied at the farmers market over the weekend, and the peanut sauce was good enough to eat straight. (Yes, in fact, I did.) —Emma Laperruque, cooking director
I just returned from walking a portion of the Camino de Santiago, a hilly, coastal pilgrimage in Spain’s Basque region. The route was practically lined with towering fig trees, which made for encouraging snacks on 20-kilometer days and sleepless camping nights. So when I spotted a crate of black Missions at my local market, I decided it was only right to take them home and make senior Test Kitchen editor Shilpa Uskokovic’s Vinegar Chicken With Figs. It’s made with two types of vinegar—red wine and balsamic—to build a sharp, tangy complexity. And cooked down with the fruit, shallots, and butter, the sauce magically turns sticky sweet. —Nina Moskowitz, associate editor, cooking
September 4
It’s no secret that I love these tofu meatballs from BA alum Kendra Vaculin. This week I made them for a super simple dinner: spaghetti, jarred marinara, and a flurry of grated parm. The recipe comes together in one bowl—with your hands!—just like meat-meatballs, then cooks in the oven versus a splattering pan. Any leftovers make for a great next-day sandwich or snack. —Emma Laperruque, cooking director
When watermelon is as good as it is in late summer, you don’t need a recipe to enjoy it. (Of course we have a great collection of watermelon recipes, should you appreciate some inspiration.) This week, I cut a honking melon into big batons, Salt Bae’d them, drizzled them with olive oil, and tore some basil with its little pink flowers on top. I then sat down and ate each of those batons by hand, from the plate I was meant to share with my partner as he puttered around. You snooze, you lose. —Joe Sevier, senior editor, SEO & cooking
’Tis the season for zucchini recipes. When there’s so much of it around (for such affordable prices!), I like to grate as much as I possibly can into my evening bowls of pasta. Like in this spaghetti recipe, which I developed for the 2026 Farmers Market Challenge. It’s like Amatriciana, sort of, thanks to plenty of guanciale and garlic. But instead of tomatoes, there are three whole pounds of shredded zucchini tossed into the pot. I’ll be eating it outside until fall hits. —Rebecca Firkser, Test Kitchen editor
Years ago, I was dating a guy who would make cilantro-mint chutney in big batches and freeze it, defrosting it block by block so we could use it as a dip or drizzle over pretty much everything. This week, I found myself with a hankering for that same spicy sauce, so I cast around for a recipe I thought might be similar. I landed on this one, but allowed for adjustments—less spice, no sugar, and I was generous with my salt. I also added in a spoonful of Greek yogurt to make it creamy. I’ve used it all week—as a dip for quesadillas, as a drizzle atop scrambled eggs, and as a secret weapon to juice up rotisserie chicken tacos. —Sam Stone, senior editor
It’s not often that I cook for lunch. I’m quite happy scrounging around my fridge for a fistful of baby carrots and a few knobs of cheese. But when Test Kitchen editor Rebecca Firkser published her newest Good for You recipe, she had my full attention. Her Veggie Club Sandwich promises to keep you pleasantly full while supplying a meal’s worth of veggies between three slices of bread. Rebecca makes the point that you hardly need a recipe to make a sandwich, but in this case you’ll be glad to follow her direction. A marvel of edible construction, this sando requires strategic placement of each component to ensure no filling slips out the back when you take a bite. A well-placed toothpick won’t hurt either. —Carly Westerfield, manager, audience strategy
