Pastry chef Claire “Half-Sour” Saffitz attempts to make gourmet versions of popular snacks and desserts without the hard-to-pronounce chemical ingredients.
DirectorDan Siegel
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make a Gourmet Twinkie
Jul 18, 2017
Bon Appetit's Senior Food Editor and pastry chef Claire Saffitz attempts to make a gourmet Twinkie without the hard-to-pronounce chemical ingredients. The first test is Genoise cake, an Italian sponge cake. For the creamy filling, Claire uses 7 minute frosting. The second test is yellow cake and buttercream filling. Next comes chiffon cake, a light cake that uses vegetable oil. Finally, with some help from Test Kitchen Manager Brad Leone, Claire decides to "Frankenstein" the recipe.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Gushers
Dec 20, 2017
Do you gush with curiosity over little, chewable sugar blobs filled with goo? Claire Saffitz deconstructs and improves one of our favorite childhood candies - Gourmet Gushers!
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Cheetos
Mar 21, 2018
You love Cheetos. But do you know how to make them? Pastry chef Claire Saffitz goes on a 3-day experiment to make and improve on Gourmet Cheetos!
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Kit Kats
May 2, 2018
Some nibble away at the chocolate shell first; others may split the wafers apart before eating. They may have their preferences, but what what they may not know is their routines help to reverse engineer what it takes to make one in the first place. Claire Saffitz is up to the challenge to make Gourmet Kit Kats!
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Skittles
Jun 5, 2018
Claire Saffitz takes on another challenge, this time to recreate the tastes of the rainbow... Skittles, Gourmet-style.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Lucky Charms
Jun 26, 2018
Everyone loves Lucky Charms! Watch Claire's attempt to recreate your favorite childhood cereal.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Oreos
Jul 31, 2018
What makes the oreo the king of the cookie? Claire attempts to find out as she makes a gourmet version of the greatest sandwich cookie of all time.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Twizzlers
Sep 18, 2018
Twizzlers come in just about every flavor under the sun, but Claire only has one goal in mind: make a gourmet version of everyone's favorite. That's right -- the original, cherry-ish flavored Twizzler.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Sno Balls
Nov 14, 2018
Sno Balls. Baby boomers will remember this post-World War II junk food favorite. Claire Saffitz returns to the Test Kitchen to try her hand at making gourmet Sno Balls.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Instant Ramen
Nov 29, 2018
Claire. Is. Back. AGAIN. And this time she is attempting to make gourmet instant ramen. Everybody loves instant ramen, with its ludicrously salty, umami-rich spice packets and its impossibly wavy fried noodle bricks. Can Claire make a fancy version of this 70%-of-your-daily-sodium snack?
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Snickers
Dec 21, 2018
Nougat. Caramel. Peanuts. Chocolate. The building blocks of a Snickers bar. Each taken alone is simple enough (well maybe not the nougat), but together they become a different monster. Join Claire Saffitz as she attempts to make a gourmet version of a Snickers bar!
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Pringles
Jan 22, 2019
Pringles. They're the miraculously not greasy potato chips that come in a tube. They're also the original duck face. Join Claire Saffitz as she attempts to make a gourmet version of Pringles! And lest we forget: once you pop the fun don't stop.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Ferrero Rocher
Feb 12, 2019
Ok, so Ferrero Rocher chocolates are pretty gourmet already. We get it. But couldn't they be even more gourmet? Join Claire Saffitz in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen as she attempts to make a gourmet-ier version of Ferrero Rocher, everybody's favorite Italian, hazelnut-filled chocolates.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
Mar 5, 2019
Reese's Pieces, Reese's Miniature Cups, Reese's Sticks, Reese's Big Cups, Reese's Big Cups Stuffed with Crunchy Cookie, Reese's Big Cups Stuffed with Reese's Pieces(!), Reese's Pumpkins and a million other Reese's variants. But there shall only be one Reese's product that Claire gourmet-izes: the classic Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. Join Claire Saffitz in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen as she attempts to make a gourmet version of Reese's.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Cheez-Its
Mar 26, 2019
Cheez-Its are that snack that your parents let you eat as a kid because they're not chips and therefore must be healthy, right? Join Claire Saffitz in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen as she attempts to make a gourmet version of everybody's favorite quadrilateral, cheesy crackers: Cheez-Its.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Peeps
Apr 19, 2019
It's that time of year again when peeps are on the menu. Peeps, those little birds full of cushiony marshmallow and coasted with the sugariest of colored sugar, come in all shapes and colors. Join Claire Saffitz in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen as she attempts to make a gourmet version of peeps!!!
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Almond Joys
May 9, 2019
Grated coconut may not be everybody's cup of tea, but there is no denying that this candy is an absolute classic. In this episode, Claire Saffitz attempts to make a gourmet version of Almond Joys, that almond, coconut and chocolate Halloween staple.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Doritos
May 22, 2019
Nacho cheese exists in two states: the melted cheese state and the powdered cheese state*. When it comes to the powdered cheese state, all pale in comparison to Nacho Cheese Doritos, continually perfected by science and consistently beloved by the masses since 1972. Join pastry chef Claire Saffitz in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen as she attempts to take Nacho Cheese Doritos to the next level and make them gourmet!
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Twix
Jun 13, 2019
Twix. They've at the heart of a debate that goes back more than five decades. Lines have been drawn so intractable that friendships, relationships, even nations have been ruined. No, we're not speaking of the Left vs. Right debate. We're talking about the Conflict of Classification that rages to this day. Yes, is Twix candy or cookie?We don't know, but join Claire Saffitz as she attempts to make a gourmet version of Twix.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Starbursts
Jun 20, 2019
Join pastry chef Claire Saffitz in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen as she attempts to make gourmet Starbursts.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Pop Rocks
Jul 17, 2019
Witness the crackling confection taking the world by storm! They're carbonation made solid. That's right folks, they're a modern marvel made to modify your mouth, a sensational symphony of splendid snaps and sparkles soothing your senses and sent straight to your stomach. And now for the first time ever, we present gourmet Pop Rocks, the product of a perfect marriage of scientific ingenuity and culinary craft, made by the clever and creative Claire Saffitz!
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Pop-Tarts
Aug 7, 2019
Is there any way to make Pop-Tarts better? We think so. Join pastry chef Claire Saffitz in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen as she attempts to make gourmet strawberry Pop-Tarts.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Pocky
Aug 20, 2019
Claire Saffitz had never had Pocky before. And then one day in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen her life changed forever. Her eyes are open and now she has ascended to Pocky level: Tsubu Tsubu (Strawberry Flakes), a level that it usually takes decades to reach. With her work in making a gourmet version of four flavors of Pocky - Chocolate, Matcha, Cookies & Cream and Strawberry Flakes - she is quickly climbing ever upwards in the Pocky Movement. Join Claire as she seeks Pocky Perfection.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet M&M's
Sep 11, 2019
Join Claire Saffitz in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen as she attempts to make a gourmet version of everybody's favorite chocolate candy that melts in your mouth, not your hand: M&M's!
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Hot Pockets
Sep 25, 2019
Join Claire Saffitz in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen as she attempts to make a gourmet version of Hot Pockets!
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Sour Patch Kids
Oct 9, 2019
Join Claire Saffitz in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen as she attempts to make a gourmet version of Sour Patch Kids!
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Ruffles
Oct 22, 2019
How do they make those perfect rrridges in Ruffles? Well, that's the question Claire has to answer, isn't it? Join Claire Saffitz in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen as she attempts to make gourmet Ruffles.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Takis
Nov 5, 2019
Takis are rolled up tortilla chips of surprising intensity. After making gourmet Doritos, Claire was pretty confident she could make gourmet Takis in just one day, but the length of this video might say otherwise. Anyway, join Claire Saffitz in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen as she attempts to make a gourmet version of Takis.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Mentos
Nov 14, 2019
Making Mentos should be just like making Skittles, right? So this shouldn't take too long... hmm. Join Claire Saffitz in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen as she makes gourmet Mentos.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
Nov 26, 2019
Join Claire Saffitz in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen as she attempts to make a gourmet version of Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Warheads
Dec 3, 2019
How many of you experience sense memory when you think about eating Warheads when you were kids? You know, that sour feeling on the back of your tastebuds? Well, pastry chef Claire Saffitz is setting out to recreate that sensation as she attempts to make gourmet Warheads.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Milky Way Bars
Dec 13, 2019
Who else could replicate and gourmet-ize everybody's favorite chocolaty, caramely and nougaty candy bar other than our very own Claire Saffitz? Join her in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen as she attempts to make gourmet Milky Way bars.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Pizza Rolls
Dec 24, 2019
Gooey inside, crispy outside. That's a pizza roll. (Also, burning the heck out of the roof of your mouth). Join Claire Saffitz in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen as she attempts to make gourmet Totino's Pizza Rolls.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Jelly Belly Jelly Beans
Jan 23, 2020
If Chris is the undisputed Test Kitchen super-taster, then Gaby is easily the jelly bean super-taster. Seriously, how did she guess Dr. Pepper? Impossible! Anyway, join pastry chef (and can we call her The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon co-host?) Claire Saffitz in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen as she attempts to make gourmet Jelly Belly jelly beans. This episode is 48 minutes long, so grab a stress ball and tuck in.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream
Jan 27, 2020
So maybe this episode is a bit like Ferrero Rocher, in which Claire gourmetized an already gourmet treat. But what is wrong gourmetizing that which is already gourmet? Nothing, we say! Join Claire Saffitz in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen as she attempts to make gourmet Ben & Jerry's ice cream.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Butterfingers
Feb 11, 2020
What do you think? Should Brad join Claire on Gourmet Makes more often? Just think about how differently all of the gourmet snacks would have come out: fermented M&Ms, dry-aged Peeps, campfire Cheetos. Anyway, in this episode, join pastry chef Claire Saffitz in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen as she attempts to make gourmet Butterfingers.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Combos
Feb 25, 2020
While we have a list of ingredients, nobody really knows how Combos are made. There is little to no information about Combos on the internet, which begs the question: what are they hiding? But not to worry, pastry chef Claire Saffitz is on the case! Join her as she attempts to unpack this mystery and make gourmet Combos!
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Bagel Bites
Mar 10, 2020
In middle school, pastry chef Claire Saffitz basically subsisted on an all-Bagel Bite diet. But will she like them as an adult or is the magic gone? As Alex Delany puts it, they're not good, but you still want more. Join Claire in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen as she attempts to make a gourmet version of her childhood go-to, Bagel Bites.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Girl Scout Cookies
Mar 17, 2020
Join Claire Saffitz in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen as she attempts to make gourmet Thin Mints, Samoas and Tagalongs. That's right, Claire's making Girl Scout Cookies. Did you know the Girl Scouts started selling cookies back in 1917? But it wasn't until 1951 that the Thin Mint, the cookie most synonymous with the Girl Scouts, was introduced and swept the country like a tidal wave. And now here we are, in the Test Kitchen, watching Claire make them herself. What a time to be alive.
Pastry Chefs Attempt to Make Gourmet Andes Mints
Apr 1, 2020
Brad Leone and Chris Morocco are back for another episode of Gourmet Makes. This time, these two guys who have always hosted and always will host Gourmet Makes are attempting to make a gourmet version of Andes Crème De Menthe, America's favorite after dinner mint. Strangely, one of our editors had the idea that Claire Saffitz had always been the host of Gourmet Makes though they couldn't point to a single episode that Claire had hosted. We're all very worried about the editor, because as we all know, Chris and Brad ARE Gourmet Makes.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Cadbury Creme Eggs
Apr 9, 2020
Join pastry chef Claire Saffitz in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen as she attempts to make gourmet Cadbury Creme Eggs. These are the only eggs that rabbits are known to lay (at least that's what Cadbury commercials tell us). However, Claire will try to make these Easter classics without the aid of a bunny.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Tater Tots
May 5, 2020
Pastry chef Claire Saffitz's love for tater tots can't be overstated. Seriously, we tried to overstate it and couldn't come up with anything. The woman loves her tots. But can she take their perfection to a new level? Join Claire in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen as she attempts to make gourmet tater tots.
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Choco Tacos Part 1
May 26, 2020
Who's ready for another culinary adventure? Join intrepid pastry explorer Claire Saffitz as she dives into the world of ice cream-filled dessert tacos. Her goal? A gourmet Choco Taco, but of course. Does she have the fortitude and adventurous spirit to complete this gourmet feat or will this new test best her?
Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Choco Tacos Part 2
May 28, 2020
Well here we are again: Claire in the grips of yet another culinary challenge. Does she have what it takes to complete her gourmet version of Choco Tacos without the benefit of being in the Test Kitchen? The short answer is yes. The long answer is definitely yes, this is Claire Saffitz we're talking about.
Pastry Chef Remakes Gourmet Pop Tarts at Home
May 29, 2020
No, you didn't misread the title. Pastry Chef Claire Saffitz has returned to one of her earlier gourmet conquests: Pop Tarts. This time, she's making a simplified version of her original gourmet Pop Tarts so that anybody can make them from home using common kitchen equipment.
