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It has been way too long since I’ve made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. When my friend Susannah announced that she was coming to visit me, I asked her what kind of cookies she’d like to snack on. Oatmeal chocolate chip was her answer, and I couldn’t have been more thrilled. These cookies have the perfect amount of chewiness in the center, and the edges are lightly crisped. Absolutely divine!
Every time I try a new brownie recipe, the resulting brownies taste like the best brownies I’ve ever made. This could mean one of two things: either my baking skills are improving, or I just love any type of brownies I can get my hands on. So when I found this recipe for olive oil brownies, I was intrigued. No butter? That makes these brownies healthier than their butter-laden counterparts. Right? And yes, these are the best brownies I’ve ever made. The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession. Tiramisù translates from Italian to mean “pull me up” or “pick me up”. And it is certainly true to its name! Layers of spongy savoiardi (ladyfingers) dipped in sweetened espresso, separated by layers of rich custard. Definitely a heavenly dessert! Just like the tiramisù itself, this challenge was multi-layered. Everything was made from scratch over a span of 2 days. Savoiardi, mascarpone, zabaglione, pastry cream, whipped cream, and finally tiramisù! It’s really not as much work as it sounds, and it all culminates in a wonderful and well-deserved treat!  Renaissance Hotel's Maple and Bacon Cupcake Bacon on a cupcake. Bacon in a cupcake. Bacon was definitely a recurring theme at this year’s Los Angeles Cupcake Challenge. It’s an interesting combination, but I’ve decided that I like to keep my bacon separate from my cupcakes. The mission of the challenge is to find the best cupcake in LA. Not too long into the event, I realized that there was a second, more important challenge for me and all the other attendees: sample 40 mini cupcakes. 40 mini cupcakes? Why, surely that can’t be too difficult. They look so small. But let me tell you, everyone in that room left with at least one box full of cupcakes that they just couldn’t eat (myself included). Want to see some of my favorite cupcakes?
I am so thrilled with this bread! You see, sourdough starter and I have had an on again-off again relationship for almost two years now. I cultivated a starter from scratch. It was bubbly and it smelled nice and sour. I used it to make pancakes and cake, with wonderful results. But something always went wrong when I tried to make bread. I didn’t want to give up on my starter so I tried again and again. Nothing worked…until now. I started a brand new starter from scratch last week, and just look at this bread! I suspect that my old starter may have been the source of my troubles.
When I learned that bread could be baked without commercial yeast, I had to give it a try. I love finding new ways to become self-sufficient, and making bread with a wild yeast culture definitely appealed to me. Plus, it sounded like a fun science experiment with the added result of delicious homemade bread. To bake with wild yeast, the first step is to create a starter. This starter serves as a master culture of the organisms necessary to leaven a loaf of bread. A portion of the starter is used each time you bake, and the rest of the starter is refreshed for next time.
I miss fresh berries during the winter. Luckily, I found some strawberries in my freezer. My first instinct was to make strawberry muffins, but I decided to try a quick bread instead. Of course, I didn’t have enough strawberries, so I added some frozen blueberries as well. This bread is quick and easy. It doesn’t get much simpler than this. Two mixing bowls, one loaf pan, and into the oven it goes. An hour later, you’ve got a healthy snack!
My kitchen smells like a Hostess bakery. Those of us who grew up in a town that had a Hostess bakery will never forget that smell. Driving through that part of town was always pleasant, since the air smelled of Wonder bread, Twinkies, or whatever snack they happened to be baking that day. And now it’s in my kitchen. Sweet, sugary Twinkie goodness. Even better than the original.
Everything tastes better with cheese, and bread is no exception. Cheddar combines with chives and beer to create a wonderfully flavorful bread. The chives add a subtle onion flavor, and the beer complements the cheese. The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca. Check this out: I made gluten-free Nanaimo bars! This was my first attempt at gluten-free baking, and I’m very pleased with the results. So pleased that I ate the whole batch (with a little help, of course). I had never even heard of Nanaimo bars, but now I’m a huge fan. Curious about these unique dessert bars? Read on. Continue reading “Daring Bakers Challenge: O Canada! How I Love Nanaimo Bars!” » |
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This work by Simple Math Bakery is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 United States. |
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