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In her time working in the Bon App\u00e9tit and Epicurious Test Kitchen, Zaynab Issa developed almost 100 recipes. But the one she\u2019s most proud of are these Chewy Date and Dark Chocolate Cookies, spiked with olive oil and tahini. They \u201cflip traditional chocolate chip cookies on their head, but in the best way,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Issa is a food media powerhouse. She runs a thriving Substack where she drops thoughtfully tested recipes, travel recommendations, and essays. She creates viral videos (including this swoon-worthy banana cream latte). And last year, she published a cookbook, Third Culture Cooking<\/em> (which made our best cookbooks of spring 2025 list). Her work has been featured on Buzzfeed, Food52, The New York Times,<\/em> and of course, Bon App\u00e9tit and Epicurious.<\/p>\n With so many wonderful recipes in our archive, it\u2019s hard to know where to start. How about these Ultra Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes? When I spoke to Issa, she claimed this recipe was her achilles\u2019 heel. \u201cPancakes are technically challenging as is\u2014you want a tender crumb, a good rise, and<\/em> a crisp exterior. Then, when you factor in managing the extra liquid and weight from canned pumpkin, you\u2019ve got an additional challenge,\u201d she said. \u201cAfter lots of trial and error, I knew I got there when Andy Baraghani took the plate of pancakes off the pass and brought them to his station to have for lunch.\u201d We would do the same!<\/p>\n