Introduction Some things in life are unnecessary to our survival. Often, these are the best things. Baked goods, for example. I don''t need them to survive, but I can''t survive without them. And maybe, because you opened this book, you can''t either. Whether you bake brownies for a movie night with friends or Sunday dinner with your family, everybody leaves happy. Baking is an act of love, plain and simple. The process of folding the batter, cleaning the bowl (with your finger, obviously), and experiencing that luxurious brownie perfume as they bake--also extremely enjoyable.

And yet a lot of people fear baking, because there''s science involved, and that oven''s hot! In a dream world, we''d all have a person on call as we bake, giving us tips on how to measure flour correctly, test when a cake''s done, and microwave butter without exploding it. Let me be that person. In Sweet Tooth , my goal is to encourage you to bake more, and bake often. Oh, and help you steer clear of most of the mistakes I made. (I mean, we''re human.) The secret, I learned, is: just start. When I began baking in college, using a binder of printed recipes in 24-point font my mom had made for me, I''m pretty sure I was using baking powder and baking soda interchangeably (oops). I baked like a bull in a china shop, getting flour all over my dorm kitchen and burning my fingertips removing cookies from sheet pans.

But after a few years, I got good enough at baking that I decided to start a blog, Broma Bakery , to document my favorite recipes. I picked the name almost at random, "Broma" because a site with plain HTML text and a magenta background told me it was Latin for "that which is eaten." (Nope. It''s definitely Spanish, and it might be ancient Greek, but the jury''s out on that one.) Mostly, I wanted to satisfy my sweet tooth and practice photography, another side passion, while I worked on majoring in something more responsible--anthropology. But no disrespect to Darwin, it became pretty apparent pretty quickly that I wanted to make my blog a way of living. Because as much as humans have evolved, we still can''t resist a warm chocolate chip cookie. As the blog (and my baking skills) grew, it became my full-time job, and I feel absurdly lucky to say that.

Now I have an invaluable second-incommand, Sofi Llanso, who helps me develop and test recipes, and so much more. Our mission is to consistently deliver desserts that offer home bakers maximum deliciousness. The recipes are predominantly rooted in Americana classics (fudgy brownies, fruit pies, and frosted sheet cakes), but are often updated and/or refined for today''s palates. What I''m saying is, don''t worry, they''re not too sweet, and yes, you really do still want an Oatmeal Cream Cookie (page 105). When I bake, I''m trying to reconnect to a time, place, and even to people. The homemade Coffee, Caramel, Cookies and Cream Ice Cream (page 191) reminds me of scooping endless cones for customers (and myself ) at my first job. The Maple-Glazed Apple Blondies (page 240) bring me back to New England falls, apple picking with my mom and sister. When I make a whole tray of fudgy Crackle-Top Brownies (page 63), I no longer have to break one brownie into tiny pieces to share with my entire cafeteria table, because this time, there''s enough to go around.

It''s crazy and beautiful to me that sweets can make us feel this warm, wonderful contentment deep in our souls. Is it . love? Anthropologists should study that. To me, baking is and should be an everyday thing. That''s why I keep my processes uncomplicated; I want everyone invited to the party. No fancy bread machine, lame knife (don''t even ask), or cheesecloth is required. This cookbook includes easy and crowd-pleasing treats in every chapter, as well as a few higher-skill recipes for anyone who wants to strengthen their pastry muscles. Like any hobby, you''ll get better the more you do it, which is a win-win, because it means there will always--I hope!--be something sweet on your counter.

Whether you''re baking for comfort, to spread happiness, to feel full-blown nostalgia, or to make a single damn cookie whenever you feel like it, Sweet Tooth has recipes for you. After all, we don''t bake out of necessity. We bake for the love of dessert. It''s joyful, rewarding, and just plain fun. This book celebrates dessert for dessert''s sake. And there''s always room for it.