Inside the Brimly Test Kitchen—April Highlights from the Test Kitchen

“Pull up a chair.”

BY Steph @the Brimly Test Kitchen

May 17, 2026

Image Source/Maryam Sicard

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Welcome to our April roundup. April was busy. Very busy. Honestly, I think this was one of those months where I really had to sit down with myself and draw the line between stress and sustainability. There were so many moving parts, so many things that needed attention, and at some point I had to ask myself what was actually realistic long term if I wanted Brimly to continue growing in a healthy way. One of the biggest changes I made in April was stepping back from recipe videos for the time being. Usually, every recipe we release also gets a full recipe video to go along with it. I love creating them and I genuinely enjoy the process, but between baking, photographing, podcast planning, writing, testing recipes, and working on improving other areas of Brimly behind the scenes, it became clear that I needed to pause somewhere. So for now, I decided to put my focus into the areas that feel the most essential at this current stage. A lot of energy lately has been going into the podcast and improving the quality of what we’re creating overall. We’ve been planning, organizing, learning, upgrading, and trying to build something that feels even more enjoyable and meaningful for everyone who follows along with us. It’s been a lot of work, but really exciting work too. At the same time, May is shaping up to be such a fun month for recipes. Our current theme is fruit preserves, jams, and compotes, and I’ve been genuinely so excited about it. We already have a few recipes up, with more on the way throughout the month, and I feel like they fit perfectly into this time of year. Cozy enough to feel comforting, but still bright and fresh as the weather starts warming up. So with all that said… pull up a chair, let’s compare notes.

Test Kitchen Updates:

Even though May’s theme is centered around fruit preserves, there’s one recipe I absolutely had to mention here because I genuinely cannot stop thinking about it. Our upcoming gluten-free brownie squares. These are brown butter brownie squares, and honestly... I’m obsessed with them. The first time I made a batch, I almost didn’t even get the photographs done because I kept eating them straight off the cooling rack. They’re tiny little square brownies with the perfect balance of chewy edges and soft centers, and somehow every bite feels like you’re getting the best part of the brownie pan. They’re rich, deeply chocolatey, and honestly just perfect with a scoop of ice cream on top. As the weather starts getting warmer, they feel like one of those simple desserts that just works. Nothing overly complicated. Just really good brownies. This recipe won’t officially be released until June, but I had to give it a shoutout because it’s become one of my favorite recipes we’ve worked on this year so far. I’m so excited for you guys to finally try it.

Outside of that, April has been heavily focused on fruit-based recipes, preserves, jams, and comforting little additions that feel easy and enjoyable to make. We finally shared The Good Bread, which honestly felt so rewarding after all the testing and experimenting behind the scenes, and we also shared one of my favorite fruit preserve recipes that I genuinely love talking about. There’s still so much more coming, and I’m really excited about everything we’ve been working on lately in the kitchen.

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Tools We’re Loving:

NutriChef Electric Food Dehydrator

Bottom line: this compact dehydrator makes creating homemade snacks feel simple and convenient, delivering crispy, flavorful results every time.

The first tool I’ve really been loving lately is the NutriChef Electric Countertop Food Dehydrator. I’ve been trying to focus more on having healthier snack options around the house recently, especially because finding snacks that are gluten-free, soy-free, and gum-free all at once can honestly feel exhausting sometimes. So instead of constantly searching for packaged options that fit my dietary needs, I’ve been leaning more into making my own snacks at home. This dehydrator has made that process so much easier. It’s compact enough to sit comfortably on the countertop without taking over the kitchen, but still powerful enough to make really crispy fruit chips and dehydrated snacks. I recently made apple chips in it and they came out so good.
What I really appreciate about this dehydrator is how simple it is to use. There aren’t so many complicated settings or confusing controls. It has an on and off switch, a temperature dial, and that’s pretty much it. Very straightforward. It also comes with five stackable trays, which gives you plenty of room to work with if you want to dehydrate fruits, vegetables, or even meats. The trays are dishwasher safe too, which makes cleanup easy, and the machine itself doesn’t take up much space when stored away. Overall, it’s been a really useful addition to the kitchen lately and one I’ve genuinely been enjoying throughout April.

SHOP AT AMAZON

Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus Breadmaker

Bottom line: it takes out all the guesswork and gives us a consistent loaf every time. For gluten-free baking, that kind of reliability is rare and worth it.

The next tool I’ve really been loving lately is the Zojirushi Home Bakery Bread Maker. I’ve mentioned this machine before on the blog, but honestly, after using it heavily again throughout April, especially while working on bread recipes and testing The Good Bread, I felt like it deserved another mention. This machine has genuinely made gluten-free bread baking feel far less overwhelming for me. I add my ingredients, close the lid, select the gluten-free setting, and let it do its thing. It mixes, proofs, and bakes everything without me having to stand over it or constantly monitor the dough, which has honestly been such a relief.
What I appreciate most is the consistency. It delivers reliable bread every single time, and when you’re testing recipes over and over again, that consistency matters so much. The machine itself feels very thoughtfully designed. The pan has a really solid nonstick coating, the controls are simple to understand, and it doesn’t feel bulky or difficult to live with in the kitchen. Yes, it’s definitely an investment, but if you bake gluten-free bread regularly, especially homemade bread, I think it’s one of those tools that can completely change your routine. It certainly changed mine.

SHOP AT AMAZON

Ingredient Spotlight:

Cardamom Powder

This month’s ingredient spotlight absolutely has to go to cardamom. More specifically, ground cardamom powder. I had honestly never baked with cardamom before this year, which feels wild to say now considering how much I ended up loving it.

I’ve heard people talk about cardamom for years, especially in Danish and Scandinavian baking, but I never really took the leap to actually buy some and experiment with it myself. I think part of me assumed I wouldn’t enjoy it without even giving it a fair chance. Turns out I was very wrong. Cardamom is warm, floral, slightly citrusy, and somehow incredibly perfect in baked goods. The first recipe I used it in completely surprised me. It made the kitchen smell unbelievable, and the flavor worked so beautifully in dessert that I immediately understood why so many people love baking with it.

The recipe I used it in is another one that’s coming soon, and I can’t wait for you guys to try it because it turned out so well. At this point, cardamom has officially earned a permanent place in my pantry. I already know I’m going to be using it a lot more moving forward.

Life at Brimly:

A lot has been happening behind the scenes at Brimly lately, and little by little, everything is starting to take shape.

Life at Brimly lately has honestly just been... busy. There’s been a lot happening behind the scenes. A lot of planning, organizing, learning, adjusting, and trying to build things thoughtfully. I can’t fully share everything yet, but we’ve been working on projects that I’m excited about and I’m really looking forward to eventually sharing them with you guys. It’s definitely been a season of growth. At the same time, there’s also been a lot of adventurous baking happening around here. I’ve been experimenting with new ingredients, trying new techniques, and stepping outside my comfort zone more than usual lately.

Outside of baking, I’ve also been paying closer attention to my personal diet and trying to build healthier routines around food. I recently came across an app that’s been helping me plan meals and organize recipes in a way that honestly made things feel less overwhelming. Because of that, I’ve been cooking more at home, trying different gluten-free meals, and exploring recipes that I normally wouldn’t have considered before. Some of those recipes have actually turned out really good, and I’ve definitely thought about eventually sharing some of them here on Brimly too. Overall though, April was full. Busy, yes. A little overwhelming at times, yes. But also exciting, productive, and honestly very rewarding. I’m really looking forward to seeing what May brings.

Life Optimization Tools

One tool I used constantly throughout April was the Meal Prep Pro app. Honestly, this app helped me a lot. Meal planning can become really exhausting when you have dietary restrictions because it’s not just about deciding what sounds good. It’s also about making sure everything actually works for your body too.

What I loved about Meal Prep Pro is that it allowed me to build a full meal plan around my preferences and restrictions. I could tell it foods I liked, foods I disliked, and dietary needs I needed it to follow, and it used that information to generate meal ideas and full schedules for me. If there was a meal I didn’t want, I could simply swap it out for another suggestion. Very easy. But honestly, the thing that impressed me the most was the shopping integration.

I connected the app to Instacart, and once my meals were selected, it automatically transferred all the ingredients I needed directly into my shopping cart with the correct quantities attached. I sat there shocked the first time I saw it happen because it made grocery planning feel so much easier. It’s a tool that removes a lot of mental stress from everyday life. The subscription is around $10 a month, and honestly, for me personally, it’s been worth it.

These are not sponsored—just what works for me personally.

Brimly’s Gluten-Free Good Bread

“This is a bread machine loaf, which makes it different from your typical knead-and-bake situation”

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From Me to You:

Try new things.

Sometimes we get so comfortable inside our routines that we stop allowing ourselves to be curious. We stop experimenting. We stop trying things because we assume we already know how they’ll turn out. That was honestly my experience with cardamom.

For the longest time, I avoided baking with it because I assumed I probably wouldn’t enjoy it. Then I finally gave it a try, and now it’s become one of my favorite ingredients I’ve worked with all year. You really never know what could surprise you.

So whether it’s trying a new ingredient, cooking something different, changing a habit, picking up a new hobby, or simply giving yourself room to experience something unfamiliar, I think it’s worth exploring when it’s something healthy and beneficial for you. You might end up learning something completely new about yourself on the other side of it.