Welcome to Always Eat Dessert! If you’re a seasoned scratch baker - or if you’re new to baking and want to learn the basics - you’re in the right place! I’m committed to sharing detailed, easy-to-follow dessert recipes for everyday life along with practical baking tips to help you bake indulgent treats from scratch with confidence. I’m so glad that you’re here, and I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
About Always Eat Dessert
Since its founding in 2014, Always Eat Dessert is a trusted source for baking inspiration, dessert recipes, and confidence-boosting kitchen tips. Here you’ll find hundreds of kitchen-tested, from-scratch recipes for baking family favorites, classic desserts with a unique twist, fresh, seasonal treats, and more along with expert baking tips to guide you to baking success. And since I have a sweet spot for quick and easy desserts from scratch, you’ll find an entire section of dessert recipes that require less than 60 minutes (many less than 30 minutes) of hands on time!
Why Bake from Scratch?
First of all, let me just say that I’m not here to judge anyone’s baking style. At the end of the day we’re all just here to satisfy that sweet tooth, am I right?
To me, baking from scratch means that I’m using basic ingredients to bake something that’s entirely homemade. With that said, I’m not churning my own butter over here or grinding peanuts to make peanut butter. I’m simply working with basic ingredients - like flour, sugar, baking powder, etc. - rather than baking with boxed mixes or other pre-assembled ingredients.
I personally love baking from scratch for a multitude of reasons, such as:
- I enjoy the process. There’s something so satisfying and relaxing about turning basic ingredients like butter and sugar into something truly delicious.
- I believe it tastes better. Cakes, pies, cookies… you name it. They all taste better when baked from scratch. I know that so many people love boxed mix brownies, but you just can’t beat the rich chocolate flavor, chewy texture, and thickness of these homemade brownies!
- It gives me more control over the recipe I’m making. Once I’m familiar with a recipe, I can make small tweaks to the ingredients in order to get the exact results that I’m looking for. (Note that I never recommend making changes to a recipe that you haven't made before, since you don’t know how it will turn out. Even minor changes to ingredients used or ingredient measurements can have a big impact in baking.)
- I know exactly what goes into my baked goods. Choosing quality ingredients means that I’m able to bake without adding preservatives, dyes, and other unsavory ingredients to my baked goods.
- It’s how I learned to bake, so it’s what I feel most comfortable doing. If you didn’t grow up baking from scratch or it’s not how you learned to bake, it’s never too late to learn! Check out my baking tips and you’ll be well on your way to scratch baking.
Recipes for Busy Bakers
Even though some of my favorite days are the ones spent in the kitchen, and I love to occasionally spend a free Saturday tackling a big baking project, the reality is that life is busy and I usually don’t have time to spend all day in the kitchen. Baking from scratch does not have to be an all-day affair. That’s probably why cookies are my favorite thing to bake… I’m impatient and want to eat a treat, like, now! If, like me, you’re most often looking to bake desserts that are impressive yet simple, you’re in good company. Be sure to check out my quick and easy dessert recipes, and know that most of the recipes you’ll find here are intended for everyday baking and not just for special celebrations. That’s the whole idea behind “always eat dessert”!
And because I know that your time is precious, you’ll also find very detailed recipe timing in every recipe on this website. Recipe times are a big pet peeve of mine (Don’t tell me that a recipe takes just 15 minutes if there’s 20 minutes worth of ingredient prep work. Or that the cook time is just 10 minutes if I have to bake multiple trays for 10 minutes each. Or that the recipe takes 1 hour total if the dough has to chill for 3 hours before baking.), so I’m careful to make sure you know just how long a recipe will take to make so that you can plan accordingly. I don’t want you to realize too late that your dessert has to set in the fridge for 8 hours but guests are on their way over. (Side note: this is also why it’s always a good idea to read a recipe all the way through before you begin baking!)
About Allison
I’m Allison, the cookie-obsessed, self-taught baker, recipe creator, and food stylist/photographer behind Always Eat Dessert. I come from a family of avid bakers. My grandma was an absolute wizard in the kitchen, and I will always remember the blueberry pies, pancakes, and muffins she would bake with the fresh blueberries we picked every summer. She passed her skills and passion along to my mom, whose cookie jar is always stocked with the best homemade cookies! In turn, my mom instilled in me a love for baking from a young age.
I have loved to bake for as long as I can remember and have always thought that sharing homemade treats was one of the most sincere expressions of love. Eventually, as I discovered my passion for food photography, I found that I could share my recipes and love for baking with even more people online. It means the world to me that you invite my recipes into your own kitchen and that they become your loved and trusted recipes, too!
When I’m not baking or photographing, you can find me eating cookies, laughing with my family, going for long walks, cross-stitching, or enjoying a cocktail outside. I live in Pittsburgh, PA with my husband, Alex, and our two children.
Allison's Favorite Recipes
Having a hard time choosing which recipe to try first? Here are some of my favorite recipes that I make again and again!
Get in Touch
Want to know more? Interested in working with me? I can’t wait to hear from you! Please get in touch by sending an email to [email protected]. I also love connecting with other bakers on Instagram, so send me a DM and say hello!