American

This delicious 'fudgsicle' recipe basically produces really fudgy chocolate ice cream...on a stick.

Like your desserts extra-salted? Just keep adding more and tasting the butterscotch until you reach your personal sweet-salty threshold.

There’s no point in hiding the truth—each shake contains half a pint of ice cream. If that’s too rich for your taste, divide recipe between 4 glasses instead.

Lining the toasted, buttered bun with lettuce might seem controversial, but it provides both crunch and a waterproof barrier that keeps the bread from sogging out.

The real key here is to use the best-quality tuna you can find. When in doubt, ask your fishmonger if he would eat it raw. If the answer is no, neither should you.

What makes this peanut butter cookie recipe The Best? Well, there’s a few reasons actually. We call for natural peanut butter so that you can dial the sugar and salt amounts exactly. Instead of just adding roasted peanuts from the can, we roast them a second time for even more peanutty flavor. And the pan of water in the oven creates a burst of steam that gives the finished cookies the perfect crunchy-chewy texture. Now you know! This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.

This sandwich is engineered for maximum impact. Each element is awesome, but it’s the way they come together that puts it over the top. Mmmmm, yeah.

It’s breakfast! It’s brunch! It’s a snack! It’s a glorious mess. And in case you’re wondering, the waffles are pretty amazing just on their own.

If you can find Chihuahua cheese for this, use it! If not, Monterey Jack can be subbed. Not the same, but still crazy good!

Think of this as a universal buttermilk ranch dressing that you could use to dunk your veggies or onion rings or drizzle onto your pizza.

Tomato paste adds sweetness and will help the dressing emulsify.

This recipe, part of our Throwback Thanksgiving feature, comes from our 1974 issue. As the magazine states: "To even consider Thanksgiving without turkey is mutiny on the bounty!"

This recipe, part of our Throwback Thanksgiving feature, is from our 1970 issue. Instead of green pepper, add some heat by making this with jalapeño.

This recipe, part of our Throwback Thanksgiving feature, is from our 1970 issue. Granny Smith apples have lots of pectin, which makes them ideal for this sauce; it will set up without adding any gelatin to the mixture.

A protein like sausage lends the stuffing those all-important crispy bites, and the fat contributes essential flavor.

For cornbread stuffing, toasting the dried-out cornbread is essential; this will keep it from falling apart during mixing.

Adding oysters and bacon incorporates textural contrasts and bold flavor hits to up the intrigue.

These sugared doughnuts are craggy and crunchy on the outside, tender and moist on the inside. Apple butter (not sauce!) is key to their texture and flavor; look for it alongside jams and jellies in the supermarket, or at farmers’ markets, or make your own.

If you’re in a hurry, you can use very strong coffee instead of the espresso, and warmed half and half or cream instead of the steamed milk.

This potent New Orleans nightcap is as much about the aromatic absinthe rinse as it is the Cognac and rye.