This crab cakes recipe starts with real lump crab and only as much binder as it takes to hold the meat together, because filler is what turns a good cake into a bready puck. I keep the mix cold, form the patties, and let them rest in the fridge before they ever touch the pan. That rest and a hot skillet give you a crisp, golden crust with sweet crab still in whole pieces.

Too much cracker and too little chill is the usual reason crab cakes slump in the pan and shed their crumbs. I fold the crab in last with a spatula and stop the moment the mixture holds, then serve the finished cakes with classic coleslaw and a spoon of tartar sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 pound (453 g) jumbo lump crab meat, picked over for shells and patted dry
• ½ cup (40 g) panko breadcrumbs, or ½ cup finely crushed saltines (about 12 crackers)
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or neutral oil, for the pan
• Lemon wedges and tartar sauce, for serving

Instructions

1. Dry the crab: Pick through the crab meat for any bits of shell, then spread it on a paper towel and blot the top gently. Wet crab steams the binder loose in the pan, so this step matters more than it looks. Keep the crab in the fridge while you mix the binder.
2. Whisk the binder: In a large bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, egg, mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay, parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper until smooth. The mixture should look like a loose dressing with no streaks of egg left in it.
3. Fold in crab and crumbs: Add the crab and the panko to the bowl and fold with a rubber spatula just until everything is coated, keeping the lumps of crab as whole as you can. Stop as soon as a spoonful holds together when you press it. If the mix still looks wet, add crumbs one tablespoon at a time instead of dumping in the full amount.
4. Form and chill: Scoop the mixture with a ⅓ cup measure or an ice cream scoop, pack it lightly, and turn it out onto a parchment lined tray. Leave the mounds rounded instead of flattening them. Cover the tray and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours, so the crumbs hydrate and the cakes set.
5. Sear until golden: Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the chilled cakes with space between them and leave them alone for 3 to 4 minutes, until the underside is deep golden and releases on its own. Slide a thin metal spatula all the way underneath, turn carefully, and cook 3 minutes more.
6. Check and serve: The cakes are done when both sides are crisp and the center is firm and hot all the way through, with no runny binder in the middle. Move them to a plate lined with paper towels for a moment, then serve them with lemon wedges and tartar sauce while the crust is still crackling.

Why crab cakes fall apart

• Wet crab meat. Blot the meat dry before it goes in the bowl, and drain frozen crab well after thawing, because extra water steams the binder loose.
• Too much filler. More than about a half cup of crumbs per pound makes a heavy, bready cake that still crumbles. Add crumbs a spoonful at a time until the mix just holds.
• Overmixing. Stirring shreds the lump meat and the mix loses its structure. Fold with a spatula and stop the moment it comes together.
• Skipping the chill. A warm mix slumps as soon as it hits the pan. Thirty minutes in the fridge hydrates the crumbs and glues the cakes together.
• Flipping too early. Wait until the underside is golden and moves freely, then get a thin metal spatula all the way under before you turn.
• A lukewarm pan. If the fat is not shimmering, the cakes soak up oil and break apart. Let the pan come up to heat before the first batch.

What to serve with crab cakes

• A sharp crispy roasted potato salad or a vinegary slaw cuts the richness of the fried cakes.
• For the sauce, a spoon of tartar works, but the remoulade from the blackened shrimp recipe is even better against the Old Bay.
• Round out the plate with garlic bread or a bowl of creamy lemon pasta.

Storage

Cool any leftover crab cakes and refrigerate them in an airtight container within 2 hours. They keep 3 to 4 days, and they freeze well for up to 3 months when wrapped individually. Reheat them in a skillet over medium heat for about 2 minutes per side instead of in the microwave, which leaves the crust soggy and the crab rubbery. USDA leftover food safety guidance covers the 3-to-4-day window I follow for cooked seafood.

FAQ

What is the best crab meat for crab cakes?

Jumbo lump is the best choice because the pieces stay whole and give the cake its texture. Lump or backfin crab works as a cheaper substitute and tastes fine, though the flakes are smaller. Skip imitation crab, because it is processed fish and it will not hold the way real crab does.

Can I make crab cakes ahead of time?

Yes. Form the cakes, cover the tray, and refrigerate them for up to 24 hours before cooking. The longer rest actually helps them set. You can also freeze the uncooked cakes on the tray until firm, then wrap them individually and keep them for up to 3 months.

Can I bake crab cakes instead of frying them?

Yes. Bake them on a buttered sheet at 450°F for 8 to 10 minutes, then broil for the last 2 minutes for color. Baked cakes are more delicate than seared ones, so handle them with a spatula and serve them straight from the oven.

I cook this white chicken chili on the stove so the cumin toasts in the oil before the broth and green chiles go in. Chicken thighs simmer in that pot until they shred, then I mash a cup of beans against the side and whisk softened cream cheese with a ladle of hot broth so it melts in without lumps. If I want the tomato-and-beef version, I make homemade chili, and I set either bowl next to a pan of cornbread.

Ingredients

• 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, cut into cubes and left out to soften
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 cans (4 oz / 113 g each) diced green chiles, undrained
• 4 cups (960 ml) low-sodium chicken broth
• 1½ lb (680 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 2 cans (15 oz / 425 g each) cannellini or Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 1½ cups (210 g) frozen corn (no need to thaw)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Soften and saute: Cut the cream cheese into cubes and leave it on the counter while the pot heats so it isn’t fridge-cold when you need it. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat, add the onion and 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and cook 5 minutes until the onion is translucent and the edges pick up a little color. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds, until it smells sweet, not raw.
2. Bloom the spices: Add the cumin, oregano, coriander, paprika, and cayenne. Stir 1 minute until the spices darken a shade and smell toasty. If they start to stick, splash in a tablespoon of broth so they toast instead of scorch.
3. Simmer the chicken: Pour in the broth and the undrained green chiles, scrape up the browned bits, and nestle in the chicken thighs. Bring to a gentle simmer with small bubbles around the edge, not a rolling boil, then cook uncovered 15 to 18 minutes, until the thickest thigh reaches 165°F (74°C) and the meat shreds with two forks. Transfer the thighs to a cutting board.
4. Mash beans for body: Stir the drained beans into the pot. Mash about 1 packed cup of them against the side with a potato masher or the back of a spoon until the broth looks cloudy and slightly thick, with plenty of whole beans still visible. Shred the chicken and return it to the pot with the frozen corn.
5. Temper the cream cheese: Ladle about 1 cup of hot chili into a bowl with the softened cream cheese and whisk until smooth and pourable, with no white lumps left. Drop the heat to low, stir the slurry back into the pot, and cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring, until the chili coats a spoon. Don’t let it boil or the dairy can split. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro, taste, and add salt if the beans flattened the seasoning.

What I tried and skipped

• Cold cream cheese cubes dumped into the simmer sit as white lumps even after 10 minutes of stirring. Soften the block, whisk it with a ladle of hot broth until it’s a slurry, then stir that in off a hard boil.
• A flour-and-milk roux in a second pan thickens the pot, but the chili tastes like gravy. Mashing a packed cup of beans against the side of the pot gives the same body and keeps it tasting like chili.

What I serve it with

• A square of buttermilk cornbread to scrape the bowl.
• Baked jalapeno poppers if this is a game-day spread.
• Skillet Mexican street corn on the side for the same cumin-and-chile lane.

Storage

Cool the chili, then refrigerate it in an airtight container within 2 hours. It keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Reheat gently on the stove over low heat and don’t boil, or the cream cheese can split. It freezes up to 3 months; the dairy can turn slightly grainy after thawing, so stir well while it warms and add a splash of broth if it tightened up. USDA leftover food safety guidance is the 3-to-4-day fridge window I follow for cooked chicken.

FAQ

Can I use chicken breasts instead of thighs?

Yes, boneless breasts cook faster and dry out sooner in this pot, so simmer 12 to 14 minutes and pull them as soon as they hit 165°F (74°C) and shred. Thighs stay juicier through the extra minutes the beans and corn need.

Can I make white chicken chili in a slow cooker?

Saute the onion and bloom the spices on the stove first, then add them to the slow cooker with the broth, green chiles, raw thighs, beans, and corn. Cook on low 5 to 6 hours or high about 3 hours. Shred the chicken, mash a cup of beans in the cooker, then temper the cream cheese with a ladle of hot liquid and stir it in on Warm, not High.

Why is my white chicken chili watery?

Usually the beans went in whole and nobody mashed any, or extra broth never got a chance to reduce. Mash a packed cup of beans against the pot, simmer uncovered a few more minutes, and make sure the cream cheese went in as a slurry so it actually thickens the liquid.

These sticky toffee pudding cookies combine finely chopped Medjool dates, salted caramel, and dark chocolate in a brown butter dough. Browning the butter develops its nutty flavor but also removes water, so replacing that moisture is a small step that helps keep the centers chewy. An overnight chill gives the dough time to hydrate before baking, while caramel shards melt into pockets across the tops.

Recipe Details

• Yield: About 16 large cookies
• Prep time: Approximately 40 minutes, plus cooling
• Chilling time: 12–24 hours
• Baking time: 12–15 minutes per batch

Ingredients

Salted Caramel Shards

• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) water
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Cookie Dough

• ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter
• Room-temperature water, as needed to replace moisture lost during browning
• ⅔ cup (135 g) packed dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ¾ cup (120 g) finely chopped, pitted Medjool dates, measured after chopping
• 3½ ounces (100 g) dark chocolate, preferably 70–75% cocoa, roughly chopped
• All the salted caramel shards from above, divided
• Flaky sea salt, for finishing

Instructions

1. Cook the caramel. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Combine the sugar and water in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir gently until dissolved, then increase to medium. Let it bubble without stirring, gently swirling the pan if the color develops unevenly. Once deep amber, remove from the heat and carefully stir in the salt.
2. Cool and break into pieces. Immediately pour the caramel into a thin layer on the prepared sheet. Let it cool completely until hard; never touch or taste hot caramel. Break into ¼–½-inch pieces. Set aside one-third in an airtight container at room temperature for topping.
3. Brown the butter. Melt the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring and scraping the bottom, until the milk solids turn golden brown and smell nutty. Immediately pour into a heatproof bowl, including the browned bits. Let cool until barely warm, about 15–20 minutes.
4. Replace the lost water. Weigh the cooled brown butter in a bowl on a tared kitchen scale. Stir in enough room-temperature water to bring the combined weight back to 170 g. You’ll usually need about 1½–2 tablespoons, but use the weight as your guide.
5. Make the dough. Whisk both sugars into the butter, then whisk in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until smooth. In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until just combined, then fold in the dates, chocolate, and the two-thirds portion of caramel.
6. Shape and refrigerate. Divide the dough into 16 equal balls. If it’s too soft to scoop, refrigerate briefly until manageable. Place in a covered container and chill for 12–24 hours.
7. Prepare the cookies. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C), conventional, and line a large baking sheet with parchment. Arrange 5–6 dough balls on the sheet with plenty of room to spread. Press each into a thick puck, about ¾ inch tall. Press the reserved caramel into the tops, keeping large pieces away from the bottom edges. Leave the remaining dough refrigerated.
8. Bake and let set. Bake on the middle rack for 12–15 minutes, until the edges are browned and the centers look soft but no longer wet with raw dough. Sprinkle lightly with flaky salt. Cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack once firm enough to lift. Let the baking sheet cool before starting another batch.

Tips for Chewy Centers and Crisp Edges

• Choose soft, sticky dates. Chop them into small pieces so they blend through the dough. Firm, leathery dates will leave tougher pieces in the cookies.
• Weigh the flour and butter. Too much flour can limit spreading, while guessing how much water the butter lost makes the dough less consistent.
• Keep the caramel thin. Thick chunks can leave large, hard patches after cooling. Small, thin shards are easier to distribute.
• Use dark chocolate to balance the sweetness. Dates and caramel already contribute plenty of sugar. A 70–75% chocolate bar adds a slightly bitter contrast.
• Check a small batch first. Bake two cookies to see how they spread in your oven. If they stay too thick, flatten the next batch a little more.
• Allow time for the caramel to cool. The centers can still be warm when served, but the caramel should no longer be bubbling or piping hot.

Storage and Reheating

At room temperature: Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Place parchment between layers to keep the caramel from sticking. The edges will soften during storage.

To freeze: Freeze cooled cookies in a sealed container or freezer bag for up to 2 months, separating layers with parchment. Thaw at room temperature.

To reheat: Warm thawed cookies in a 300°F (150°C) oven for about 4–5 minutes. Let them stand briefly before eating, since the caramel can heat faster than the dough.

Common Questions

Can I use caramel sauce instead of shards?

Caramel sauce adds moisture and won’t behave like hard caramel in this dough. Use the shards for this recipe. The softer caramel used for homemade caramel apples is a different preparation and isn’t a direct substitute.

Do I need to soak the dates?

Use soft Medjool dates without soaking. Soaking introduces extra water that this dough hasn’t been formulated to accommodate.

Will the caramel stay gooey after cooling?

It will be softer while the cookies are warm. As they cool, exposed caramel can become firm or crisp. Briefly reheating the cookies softens the centers and chocolate, though the caramel won’t necessarily turn into a flowing sauce.

Can I make the dough ahead?

Yes. Shape and refrigerate it, covered, for the planned 12–24-hour chill. Keep the reserved topping shards in a separate airtight container at room temperature and add them just before baking.

More Cookies to Bake

For a smaller chocolate chip cookie to serve alongside these, try Sweet Martha’s copycat cookies.