Hi, I’m Sam Merritt, and I’m so happy to have you here! I’m dedicated to researching, developing, and perfecting sweet, simple, and from-scratch recipes to share with you! Thanks for stopping by Sugar Spun Run, my sweet little corner of the internet.
I’ve always been a baker. When I was too young and too short to see over the countertops, my mom would pull up a kitchen chair so I could help her while she baked. While her cakes often came from of a box-mix (her from-scratch ones were always too dense, something I’ve since remedied with my cake recipes), everything else was always from scratch, and early on she impressed upon me that the best desserts were always made from scratch.
As I got older (and taller), I was eager to begin exploring the sugary chemistry of baking on my own. In middle school, I spent my mornings before school making cinnamon muffins and buttermilk pancakes. My high school partying amounted to convincing my friends to help me bake and ice a cake at 2AM. In college, I de-stressed and procrastinated by perfecting a recipe for scones.
After years of scribbling my recipes on scrap paper, this website was born in 2012 as a way for me to share my carefully crafted, perfected recipes with you. Sugar Spun Run is a food blog dedicated to sharing sweet, simple, and from-scratch recipes. Here you’ll find classic dessert recipes like my perfect vanilla cake, sugar cookies, and the best cheesecake in the world.
My main focus here is desserts and baking, but I also share plenty of savory comfort foods like my chicken pasta, my million dollar deviled eggs, and kitchen staples like my foolproof pizza dough.
Why Trust My Recipes
I have over 20 years of experience baking. I have a background in research (and worked as a researcher for almost a decade) and carried my love of scientific studies into the kitchen. I research thoroughly, test and tweak the ingredients, techniques, and methods to perfection, and my life’s passion is to share simply the best recipes with you.
My recipes are all meticulously developed by me in my own kitchen. They are carefully tested multiple times (and then, once I’ve finally gotten the recipe just perfect, I test it at least 2 more times!) and undergo blind taste-tests from numerous people before they’re shared here. I will not share a recipe unless I truly feel that it is the best version out there (which is why, despite many requests, I do not yet have a pumpkin roll recipe– I just haven’t been able to beat Libby’s!).
Despite all the research I put into developing recipes, I don’t believe you need to be a scientist to be successful in the kitchen! My recipes are meant to be approachable and are specifically designed for YOU to have success.
(my carefully perfected copycat Lofthouse cookies, pictured above)
I include as much detail and as many tips in each of my recipes as possible and for the past few years have been creating detailed video tutorials for all recipes show you exactly how I make these recipes in my own kitchen.
When you try one of my recipes, it should turn out looking just like the picture, and I provide lots of tips, background, and visuals to help you along the way.
I hope my recipe results speak for themselves. My recipes overwhelmingly garner hundreds of five star reviews, win blue ribbons in state fairs, are used in bakeries and restaurants across the United States, and my “Best Chili Recipe” has now won well over 200 chili cook-offs and counting.
As Seen On…
Sugar Spun Run and my trusted recipes have been featured on many well-known websites including Woman’s Day, Good Housekeeping, Oprah, and The Huffington Post, just to name a few. My Funfetti cake has even been made on TV on the Daphne Oz show!
A Bit About Me
- I’m named after “Samantha” from Bewitched. My dad tried to name my younger sister “Tabitha” (also from Bewitched) but my mom drew the line there.
- Speaking of younger sisters, I have 4. And a younger brother. Two of my sisters now help me in the kitchen with recipe testing and I’m so grateful for that.
- I was homeschooled until college. I graduated college with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in Philosophy (I didn’t have plans for the minor, I just thought the courses were so much fun I ended up with enough credits to qualify as a minor).
- Before I was a full-time baker/blogger/photographer/recipe researcher here, I coordinated head and neck cancer research at a local hospital, and before that I did behavioral pharmacology research at Johns Hopkins where I worked firsthand on incredible, groundbreaking research in the psychedelic department.
- I’ve been published as an author on a few scholarly manuscripts, but my real writing goal is to someday write a cookbook (and I know many of you have asked me for one… one day!).
- I met my husband, Zach, when we were 16. I had a huge crush on him then, but it took me two years to get up the nerve to finally tell him.
- We have 3 young children (two boys and a girl), two big dogs, and a rescue cat named Saucy who was supposed to be a feral outdoor barn cat, but is now a spoiled indoor princess. Oh, and just over 2 dozen chickens. They all make regular appearances on my Instagram stories.
- I adore all sweets, but my “worst” chocolate chip cookies are my favorite
What You Can Expect to Find Here
- Carefully tested recipes. Meticulously, obsessively tested. I am an absolute perfectionist when it comes to my recipes and it’s not unusual for me to test a recipe a dozen times or more before I’ve tweaked it to absolute perfection (and then I always test it at least twice more for good measure!). All of my recipes are solid, I literally couldn’t sleep at night if they weren’t!
- Recipes that are realistic and as un-fussy as possible. I prioritize using whole ingredients that are easy to find and techniques that are approachable for bakers of all skill levels. I always worry that I’m a bit too wordy in my recipes, but it’s very important to me that I am as clear as possible (and because of this nearly all of my recipes have video tutorials, too).
- Precise recipes. All of my recipes are weighed! I use a kitchen scale for all dry ingredients but provide cup measurements because I know not everyone has a scale (but seriously, you should get one!).
- Indulgent desserts and satisfying, practical dinners. And maybe some breakfasts, too (perfect scrambled eggs, anyone?)
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Unfortunately I do not sell baked goods, I only share the recipes for them on the internet.
I am not an experienced gluten-free baker, but my team and I are working on testing many of my recipes with cup4cup gluten free flour. As we do this, I am adding notes to the bottom of the recipe so you will know how to make the substitute at home.
Two of my sisters (Nikki and Casey) help me in my kitchen with recipe preparation and clean up (and with so many dishes!). They also help me with filming and whatever other tasks come up during the day, it can be crazy in my kitchen!
Ashley helps me with social media and helps answer questions on Facebook and Instagram. Emily helps prepare all of the blog posts and spends a lot of time making sure our newsletter is perfect, you’ll also see her answering comments at times. Jessie edits all of our videos.
I do all of my own photography and editing of my photography. I take my photos with a Canon Mark IV and use either a 100mm macro lens (my favorite) or my 24-70 lens. I also use this camera to film all of my own videos in my kitchen. My sister helps me with filming and I now have a wonderful video editor who edits the footage (thank goodness, it’s not easy to look at your own face as much as is needed for editing!).
I rarely accept sponsored work but do enjoy working with brands that I love and trust. In the past I’ve worked with brands including Oreo, Le Creuset, Domino Sugar, and Nielsen Massey, to name just a few.
If you’d like to discuss working together, e-mail me at Sam@SugarSpunRun.com or visit my Work with Me Page.
Other Ways to Connect with Me
If you haven’t already, please sign up for my email list to be the first notified whenever I publish a new recipe!
Follow me over on my YouTube channel where I share new videos twice a week.
You can also find me on Instagram , Facebook , or Pinterest, or on my Facebook “Baker’s Club”, where you can ask questions and share their photos. If you just follow one, make it my Facebook group. So many supportive bakers there and I occasionally run contests and giveaways here as well!
Alright, that’s enough about me. Thanks for being here, and I hope you find something you love. 💜