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Desserts

End every meal with something sweet. From flaky homemade pies and seasonal crisps to cookies, cakes, bars, cobblers, and holiday desserts, you'll find from-scratch dessert recipes inspired by the seasons and made for sharing with family and friends.

  • Spring honey cake with lemon buttercream frosting topped with lemon zest and fresh lemon slices on a wooden cake stand.
    Honey Cake with Lemon Buttercream
  • Freshly baked St. Nicholas speculaas cookies topped with red and green sugar on a festive platter.
    St. Nicholas Cookies (Speculaas)
  • Close-up of homemade peppermint bark topped with crushed candy canes, showing the dark and white chocolate layers with festive red and white peppermint pieces.
    Homemade Peppermint Bark (Easy Chocolate & Candy Cane Recipe)
  • Black bowl filled with apple pie ice cream topped with crumbled graham crackers and caramel sauce.
    No Churn Apple Pie Ice Cream
  • A no-bake strawberry cheesecake topped with vibrant strawberry sauce and fresh sliced strawberries, garnished with whole berries in the center, sitting on a rustic dark surface with graham cracker crumbs scattered around.
    Easy No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake
  • Homemade salted caramel sauce in a jar
    Easy Homemade Caramel Sauce Recipe – Rich and Velvety
  • Homemade pumpkin donut holes coated in cinnamon sugar with creamy pumpkin filling
    Homemade Pumpkin Donut Holes with Pumpkin Cream Filling and Cinnamon Sugar Coating
  • closeup of chocolate chip cookies on a plate
    Soft & Chewy No-Chill Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • A beautifully styled shot of the whole vanilla cheesecake on a cake stand garnished with fresh berries and sprinkled with powdered sugar.
    Heavenly Vanilla Cheesecake
  • Freshly baked pumpkin spice cupcakes sitting on a table. Some frosted with cream cheese frosting.
    Irresistible Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
  • Slice of pumpkin pie on a black plate, topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with cinnamon
    Best Homemade Pumpkin Pie Recipe for Thanksgiving and Holiday Gatherings
  • Easy Homemade Marshmallows Recipe – Perfectly Fluffy and Delicious
  • Viennese Whirls
  • Buckeye candy stacked by a bowl of peanut butter
    Easy Buckeye Candy Recipe
  • Creamy Maple Candy
  • Rum Balls Recipe

About

Elle McCoy, author of The Rustic Elk, with long wavy hair reflected in an ornate vintage mirror, sitting at a candlelit vanity with makeup brushes, perfume, and dried flowers.

Hi, I'm Elle.

I'm a storyteller, photographer, and home cook who believes the best memories are often made around the table.

Here you'll find seasonal recipes, wild game, garden harvests, preserving traditions, and stories gathered along the way. Because good food is about more than what we eat. It's about the places we've been, the people we've gathered around our tables, and the moments that linger long after the plates are cleared.


→ Meet Elle

Currently...

📖 Reading: The Witch by Freida McFadden
🎵 Listening: Of Witches & Wretched Things
Savoring: Apple butter whiskey sours & the last little bit of October magic. 🍂
🌿 Growing: Herbs on the windowsill and chrysanthemums on the stoop
🗺️ Planning: Cozy autumn days, a little kitchen magic & surviving the semester
📺Watching: Working my way through the Friday the 13th films after binging Camp Crystal Lake.

Browse by Category

  • Preserving
  • Wild Game
  • Recipes
  • Drinks

Recently...

  • Homemade canned peach pie filling in Ball mason jars made with fresh peaches, Clear Jel, cinnamon, and vanilla using a safe water bath canning recipe.
    Canning Peach Pie Filling
  • Wooden pantry shelves filled with homemade canned tomatoes, green beans, jams, and preserves in mason jars.
    The Ultimate Guide to Home Canning & Preserving

Recent Favorites

  • Slewfoot by Brom
  • Maeve Fly by CJ Leede
  • We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
  • The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

Listen with Me

☾
“By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.”
— William Shakespeare, Macbeth

Found Along the Way

A good paring knife doesn't ask for much attention, but it earns its place every single day. From peeling peaches to hulling strawberries and slicing garlic, it's the one tool I reach for without thinking.

Find it Here ->

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Building a life smelling of wild herbs and quiet rebellion since 2016.

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