The 12 best recipes to bake in May
Ruby-red rhubarb bars, chewy banana bread blondies, blueberry-speckled bread, and more.
Date
May 1, 2026
If you’re looking for a new recipe to try this month, we’ve got you covered. Already got your hands on some rhubarb? Add it to chewy bars alongside a handful of white chocolate. Need a fun bread project? We’ve got chocolatey glass bread and authentic New York-style pizza. Eager for strawberry shortcake? We have an easy version that gets a shortcut from a handy flour. Let’s get baking!
1) Swirled Rhubarb Bars
These bars might be the best way to bake with rhubarb this season. In addition to the rhubarb, which is cooked into a ruby-red stovetop jam in roughly 10 minutes, the bars are also studded with chopped white chocolate. To make the recipe even easier (and faster), the batter is mixed by hand so you can enjoy these tangy, buttery bars with little effort.
Get the recipe: Swirled Rhubarb Bars
To make this recipe, you’ll need: Square Pan Liners
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Rhubarb Dream Bars, Rhubarb-Walnut Quick Bread
2) Buttermilk Strawberry Shortcakes
Thanks to our Buttermilk Biscuit Flour Blend, these shortcakes are guaranteed to be fluffy and tender (plus, you don't have to measure out leavener or salt). Sweetened lightly and scented with vanilla, they’re the perfect base for macerated berries and whipped cream.
Get the recipe: Buttermilk Strawberry Shortcakes
To make this recipe, you’ll need: Buttermilk Biscuit Flour Blend
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Strawberries & Cream Scones, Strawberry Lemonade Bars
What is Buttermilk Biscuit Flour Blend? Made with real buttermilk and blended with the finest soft wheat, baking powder, and a touch of salt, this flour bakes the flakiest biscuits with a tender crumb and delicate texture. Learn more.
3) Thousand Layer Mo
These incredibly flaky Chinese buns are “like a cross between English muffins and croissants,” according to recipe developer Kristina Cho. The unique shaping process yields a crispy, potato chip-like shell that contrasts with the fluffy, tender interiors.
Get the recipe: Thousand Layer Mo
To make this recipe, you’ll need: Bread Flour
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Roti Canai, Lachha Paratha (Flaky Paratha)
4) Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
If you have fond memories of grocery store cookie cakes growing up, this oversized dessert will satisfy those nostalgic cravings. It’s everything you love about classic chocolate chip cookies — soft, chewy, and packed with chips — but baked in one impressive round that’s perfect for decorating or adding candles.
Get the recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
To make this recipe, you’ll need: Callebaut Semisweet Chocolate Chips
If you like this recipe, you make also like: Maple Tahini Chocolate Skillet Cake, Chocolate Chip Snickerdoodle Cake
5) Maple French Toast Muffins
This spin on our popular Cinnamon-Sugar Doughnut Muffins gets its aromatic maple flavor from Maple Cinnamon French Toast Sugar, which fully coats every muffin after it’s dipped in a mixture of butter and maple syrup. Made in a mini muffin pan, each bite has the ideal ratio of sugary, finger-sticking coating to tender crumb. (This recipe can also easily be made gluten-free by swapping in Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour.)
Get the recipe: Maple French Toast Muffins
To make this recipe, you’ll need: Maple Cinnamon French Toast Sugar and Mini Muffin Pan
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Cinnamon-Sugar Doughnut Muffins, Apple Cider Doughnut Holes
6) Pink Lemonade Cake
This recipe comes from our kids’ cookbook, Sweet & Salty, but it’s beloved by kids and adults alike. The simple, super lemony loaf cake gets finished with a pretty pink raspberry glaze to mimic a cold glass of refreshing pink lemonade.
Get the recipe: Pink Lemonade Cake
To make this recipe, you’ll need: 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" Loaf Pan
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Strawberry Lemonade Bars, Raspberry-Lime Rickey Bars
7) Chocolate Pan de Cristal
Pan de Cristal is a style of bread known for its beautifully holey interior, and this riff adds cocoa powder and chopped chocolate for deep, dark flavor (and color!). It’s as visually impressive as it is delicious, and we suggest enjoying with a smear of good butter and marmalade. (For a step-by-step walkthrough, watch Martin make this recipe over on YouTube.)
Get the recipe: Chocolate Pan de Cristal
To make this recipe, you’ll need: Bread Flour
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Pan de Cristal, Double Chocolate Focaccia
8) Banana Bread Blondies
These sweet bars combine the fruity flavor of banana bread with the chewy texture of blondies. Cooking the bananas first deepens their flavor and reduces some of their moisture to keep the bars from being too cakey. Perfect for afternoon snacking, they’re easy to mix in one bowl and even better topped with ice cream.
Get the recipe: Banana Bread Blondies
To make this, you'll need: Callebaut Semisweet Chocolate Chips
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, Bananas Foster Banana Bread
9) Lemon-Coconut Cookies
Ditch the chocolate chips and fill your cookies with shredded coconut instead. Lemon oil and lemon juice powder infuse these cookies like a ray of sun; roll the dough in sparkling sugar before baking for added shimmer. With no chilling required, the dough can be baked immediately for warm cookies in under an hour.
Get the recipe: Lemon-Coconut Cookies
To make this recipe, you’ll need: Lemon Juice Powder and Lemon Oil
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Lemon Crinkle Cookies, Whipped Lemon Shortbread
10) New York-Style Pizza
This recipe, which comes from The Book of Pizza, sets out to capture the real-deal version of a classic New York slice: It’s built on well-fermented dough that’s made with bread flour for just enough chew and strength to support a thin, foldable slice with a no-dip tip. Once the dough has undergone its first rise, it can be chilled for up to three days, making it easy to slot into real-life schedules.
To nail your pizza, listen to our podcast episode about New York Pizza, and level up by taking our Classic New York-Style Pizza at Home On-Demand Baking School class.
Get the recipe: New York-Style Pizza
To make this recipe, you’ll need: Brod & Taylor Bread Steel
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Thin-Crust Pizza, New Haven-Style Pizza
11) Blueberry Bread
With its sugary crust and rich, pound cake-like texture, this blueberry bread is the perfect special-but-low-key treat for a brunch gathering or coffee break. A blend of butter and oil delivers the best of both worlds: Butter brings rich flavor while oil keeps the blueberry bread soft for several days.
Get the recipe: Blueberry Bread
To make this recipe, you’ll need: King Arthur Standard Bread Loaf Pan
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Lemon Blueberry Loaf Cake, Easy Blueberry Muffin Cake
12) Filipino Egg Pie
Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month with this creamy, custardy pie from baker Hannah Dela Cruz. Found in bakeries throughout the Philippines, egg pies are distinguished by their bronzed, toasty surface and silky interior custard. This silky, not-too-sweet dessert makes use of pantry staples like evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and, of course, eggs.
Get the recipe: Filipino Egg Pie
To make this recipe, you’ll need: King Arthur Pie Pan
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Lemon Chess Pie, Custard Pie
Cover photo by Patrick Marinello; food styling by Yekaterina Boystova.
