Mother's Day Recipes

Staff Picks

Easy Basic Pancakes

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Nothing says "weekend" like homemade pancakes for breakfast. Our easy recipe will help you whip them up in less than 30 minutes. Making pancake batter from scratch is so simple that you'll wonder why you never did it before!

Vanilla Sponge Cake with Strawberry-Meringue Buttercream

Tall and light-as-air, this three-layer chiffon cake is a strawberry lover's delight. There are three pounds of berries sandwiched between its layers, mixed into the ethereal whipped frosting, and in a sugar-dusted pile on top.

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

Everyone needs a delicious coffee cake recipe in their repertoire, and this cinnamon streusel coffee cake recipe is the perfect option. Meaning "something strewn" in Old German, streusel is easy to throw together -- and then to throw on top of this sour-cream coffee cake. The sweet glaze in the recipe is the perfect coffee cake topping.

Carrot Cake

Beneath this towering yet unpretentious appearance lies multiple layers of moist, mildly spiced cake that are flecked with carrots and pecans and enveloped by a generous coating of cream cheese frosting.

Cream-Cheese Pound Cakes

For best results, bake these cakes at least a day before serving. Store, wrapped in plastic, for up to three days at room temperature, or freeze for up to three months.

Spinach and Gruyere Quiches

An outstanding quiche relies on a few simple elements: a creamy egg custard, buttery homemade crust, and flavorful cheese and vegetables. This family-friendly brunch recipe delivers all three.

Rhubarb-Apple-Almond Cobbler

This rhubarb and apple cobbler is perfect for kids to make on Mother's Day: The steps are few and easy to follow, and it is attractive yet requires no real decorating—you just drop the dough over the top, brush on heavy cream, add sliced almonds, and bake.

Coddled Eggs

Coddling is a gentle steaming method that yields a tender egg. The eggs are cooked individually in coddling cups-ceramic cups with screw-on lids available at kitchen-supply stores. Four-ounce baby-food jars can be used as well. Garnish with chopped herbs, onion, or cooked bacon.

Test Kitchen's Favorite Buttermilk Pancakes

Lemon juice adds a subtle tang to our light-as-air flapjacks that are perfect for Mother's Day or just an ordinary Saturday morning.

Ganache

This ganache recipe (which can easily be multiplied) is the base for Apricot and Ganache Tartlets, Chocolate Cakes with Ganache Glaze, Mini Chocolate Whoopie Pies, Chocolate Cupcakes with Whipped Ganache, and Peanut Butter Truffles. For step-by-step photos, see our handy 101.

Roasted Salmon with Herbed Yogurt

Celebrate any occasion with this family-style salmon dinner that you can prep fast (just 5 minutes) and then roast in the oven, leaving you time to round out the meal.

Lillet Rose Spring Cocktail

Lillet Rose, a fortified-wine blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Muscatel, has the aroma of flowers and ripe berries -- perfect for a springtime aperitif. Garnishing the drinks with edible flowers is a lovely touch.

Inspiration and Ideas

Mother's Day Brunch Recipes for Breakfast in Bed or a Feast at the Table

Whether Mom prefers a leisurely breakfast in bed or a family brunch around the table, you can't go wrong with these sweet and savory brunch dishes.

40 Delicious Mother's Day Dessert Recipes Your Mom Will Love

Satisfy your mom's (and everyone else's) sweet tooth on her special day. Treat her to one—or more—of these special desserts.

The Most Beautiful Drinks to Serve During Your Mother's Day Brunch

Our Most Beautiful and Delicious Cake and Cupcake Recipes for Mother's Day

Family Recipes from Big Martha, Martha Stewart's Mother

Individual Mother's Day Desserts Guaranteed to Make Mom Feel Extra-Special

Strawberry Cobbler

The filling for these berry cobblers is made with basic ingredients like fresh strawberries, cornstarch for thickness, sugar for sweetness, and a touch of lemon juice. It's transferred to a baking dish and topped with flaky biscuits for the ultimate summer dessert. It's a tart twist on the southern classic.

All Mother's Day Recipes

Asparagus Custard Tart

This tart is unapologetically rich—there is puff pastry, Gruyere, goat cheese, and cream—yet the overall effect is one of lightness. It's a handy make-ahead addition to a festive spring brunch spread, but paired with a green salad, it also makes a satisfying supper on its own.

Rich Cream Scones

These scones get their light, flaky texture from the butter that is layered into the dough.

Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cakes

With three shades of chocolate, these cakes are as pleasing to the eye as they are to the sweet tooth.

Raspberry Mousse Pie

Creamy, airy mousse is pretty in pink and perfect for Mother's Day, but you can rely on it all season long. The dessert takes just 30 minutes to put together (and 2 hours to chill), and is absolutely foolproof.

Embellished Wreath Cookies

Buttery classic, sugar cookies make a delicious treat anytime. Here, Martha heightens them to special-occasion status with a simple glaze and a fanciful combination of candied flowers, crystallized ginger, and chopped pistachios.

Vanilla Glaze for Cinnamon-Bun Bites

Make this glaze while the Cinnamon-Bun Bites are baking. Recipe adapted with permission from "Williams-Sonoma Family Meals: Creating Traditions in the Kitchen," copyright 2009 by Maria Helm Sinskey and Williams-Sonoma, published by Weldon Owen, San Francisco.

Yeast-Raised Pancakes

Flapjacks turn fancy with this yeast batter, which gives them a brioche-like texture.

Quiche Lorraine

Perhaps the most famous quiche, Lorraine is named for its region of origin in France. The classic recipe contains no cheese, only eggs, cream, and thick chunks of slab bacon, perfect for a family-friendly brunch.

Potato-Onion Frittata

This substantial frittata is an all-in-one breakfast that includes eggs, potatoes, and sharp cheddar cheese.

Mother's Day Cake

Two sponge cakes are cut in half and layered with vanilla whipped cream and fresh berries for this four-tiered masterpiece that's just right for celebrating Mom.

Yogurt Panna Cotta with Strawberries and Granola

Sliced strawberries and crunchy granola make sweet toppings for silky-smooth panna cotta.

New York-Style Crumb Cake

European immigrants made this confection -- which has large, crisp crumbs on top -- a New York City coffee-shop favorite. An optional layer of jam between the batter and topping adds a fruity component.

Mini Cheesecake Jars

Single-serving cheesecakes made in glass jars are adorable and easy mini alternatives to their full-size cousins. They bake in just half an hour and can be cooked a few days ahead of time.

Fudgy Brownie Cake

This cake may look plain, but inside, it's moist, dense, and intensely flavored. In other words, it's a chocolate lover's dream come true. The fact that it takes just 20 minutes of effort is all the icing you need.

Easter Frittata with Asparagus, Goat Cheese, and Spring Herbs

Cooling creme fraiche and fresh herbs liven up this vegetarian frittata studded with asparagus, potatoes, and two rich cheeses (goat and Gruyere). Big enough to feed a crowd, it's just the thing for Easter brunch.

Citrus Mousse Cake with Buttercream Frosting

This tall, tangy lemon cake filled with layers of lime mousse and frosted with white buttercream is just the thing for a birthday, bridal shower, or other especially delicious occasion.

Rhubarb Fizz

For a nonalcoholic version, combine four ounces rhubarb syrup with two ounces chilled seltzer.

French Almond Macarons

These classic French cookies have a crisp exterior and a slightly chewy center. Make all three versions for a festive dessert buffet.

Lemon Poppy-Seed Tea Cake

This sweet Mother's Day treat comes to us from reader Angie M. Biggin of Lyons, Illinois. Serve this easy Lemon Poppy-Seed Tea Cake along with other afternoon-tea desserts.

Mother's Day Strawberries

Up the sweetness factor of your chocolate-covered strawberries.

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

Arguably, this is the best idea for a combination anyone has ever had.

Lemon-Poppy Seed Buttermilk Biscuits

Serve these brightly flavored biscuits with butter and strawberry jam for breakfast or gild them with fresh strawberries and a billow of whipped cream for dessert.

Wild Salmon with English Peas and Mustard Beurre Blanc

Blanched English peas are scattered around a simple roasted side of wild salmon. Beurre blanc, served on the side, is essentially a warm vinaigrette made with butter instead of oil. Finish this dinner dish with a sprinkling of chives and—if you have them—a few flowering pea shoots.

Green Salad with Edible Flowers

Edible flowers are available at forthegourmet.com.

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