For many, it’s exciting to take out and dust off the dairy dishes. For others, baking with cheese and butter is slightly intimidating. But that’s okay. Thankfully, we have the FT staff sharing with us their baking faves and tips to fully take advantage of the rich ingredients at our disposal. Happy baking!

Quick and Easy Banana Muffins

I love banana muffins. Not the healthy-enough-for-breakfast type, but actually cake just in mini form. This recipe is my go-to when I have browning bananas and a sweet tooth.

YIELDS 10–12 MUFFINS

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1½ cups mashed bananas (about 4 medium or 3 large ripe bananas)
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• ⅔ cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 1 cup chopped dairy or pareve chocolate of your choice (optional; I use a mix of dark, milk, and white)

Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or use cupcake liners.

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a large bowl or in the bowl of your stand mixer, mash the bananas. On medium speed, beat or whisk in the melted butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and milk. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then beat or whisk until combined. If adding chopped chocolate, fold it in now. Batter will be thick.

Spoon the batter into liners, filling them all the way to the top. Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F (220°C), then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C). Bake for an additional 16–18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins need in the oven is about 21–23 minutes, give or take. (For mini muffins, bake for 12–14 minutes total at 350°F/175°C.) Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Muffins stay fresh covered at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

—Michal Frischman, chief of staff, US office

Basic Low-Fat Cheesecake

This is one of my favorite recipes. It’s a super basic, low-fat cheesecake that has negative patchkeh, if that’s even a thing. I’ve made these into cheesecake squares, in muffin tins with an Oreo at the bottom to act as crust, and poured into a traditional graham cracker pie crust — all delicious!

• 30 oz (850-g) fat-free plain Mehadrin Greek yogurt
• 3 eggs
• 1 3–5-oz (85–140-g) instant vanilla (or cheesecake) pudding mix
• 2 Tbsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

Beat ingredients together and pour into a parchment-lined 8x8-inch (20x20-cm) pan, or into a reduced-fat graham cracker crust. Bake for 30–35 minutes or until set.

Chill. Serve with berries and whipped cream, or topped with a spoonful of cherry or blueberry pie filling.

Note: A larger pudding box will yield a sweeter cheesecake. A smaller one will be very lightly sweet.

—Sarah Faygie Berkowitz, columnist