2,556 bitter recipes

Old-fashioned bean and bacon soup made with dried pinto beans, smoky bacon, carrots, celery, and a splash of vinegar at the end. Slow-simmered, hearty, and far better than the canned version.

Portuguese rubble soup with dried red beans, bacon, pumpkin, turnips, carrots, potatoes, and hand-torn cabbage. Even better with a ham bone simmered in the pot.

Whole wheat carrot pineapple muffins with brown sugar, cinnamon, and crushed pineapple juice in the batter. Tender, fruity, and best served warm straight from the oven.

Flourless chocolate mousseline cake with rum, coffee, and whipped cream folded into a rich chocolate-egg batter. Baked in a water bath for a dense, silky texture.

Golden-browned whole chicken pieces simmered with okra, fresh tomatoes, cumin, and white wine until fall-off-the-bone tender. A soulful one-pot stew that tastes even better the next day.

Pumpkin swirl bread with a cream cheese and sour cream filling layered through spiced pumpkin batter. Two loaves of fall baking at its best.

Natural bran muffins with whole wheat flour, buttermilk, and raisins. A big-batch recipe that makes 30 muffins with batter you can refrigerate for weeks and bake as needed.

Marinated asparagus salad with red pepper, red onion, and tangy raspberry vinaigrette. A make-ahead cold side dish that gets better overnight. No oil, naturally light.

Morning glory muffins pack shredded carrots, apples, raisins, coconut, and walnuts into spiced whole wheat batter sweetened with applesauce and yogurt. Hearty 24-muffin breakfast loaded with fruit and fiber.

Simple cornbread with whole wheat flour, cornmeal, honey, and real corn kernels blended into the batter. No eggs, no butter, no dairy for a vegan-friendly loaf.

Rustic French potage with bacon, cabbage, root vegetables, and beans simmered for 2 hours. The kind of peasant soup that feeds a crowd for pennies and tastes better the next day.

No-bake chocolate wine balls rolled in sugar, made with crushed vanilla wafers, ground walnuts, honey, and sweet red wine. They get better with age, like a fine confection should.

A fruit-packed bundt cake with bananas, crushed pineapple, applesauce, and chopped nuts spiced with cinnamon. Stir-together batter, no mixer needed. Moist, dense, and dusted with powdered sugar.

Dense, jewel-toned fruit cake packed with whole dates, walnuts, and candied cherries held together by just enough batter. A showstopper for holiday giving.

Cajun cake with crushed pineapple batter and a boiled pecan-coconut icing. A simple Southern sheet cake where the pineapple keeps it moist and the sticky topping steals the show.

Double chocolate drop cookies with melted unsweetened chocolate in the batter, semi-sweet chips throughout, and a from-scratch chocolate frosting on top.