April 2012
1 post
5 tags
Grandma's Split-Second Cookies
My title does not lie—these cookies are near and dear to me because the recipe comes from my grandmother. A while ago she wrote down several of her go-to recipes for me in a little journal—the first time she had shared most of these recipes, and now I am sharing this one with you.
These are my absolute favorites of my grandmother’s cookies, and I had never made them...
March 2012
2 posts
1 tag
Bad news guys:
I baked cookies and forgot to photograph. There are still a few left, so perhaps there’s hope….!
5 tags
Irish Scones, or, Scones.
Many apologies for never, ever, ever blogging here guys. I was eating SUPER healthy all fall and winter and not baking at all, basically. I’ve decided to just post what I’m baking when I actually am, but readers are still welcome to submit “assignments” even if I don’t share recipes ahead of time.
A few weeks ago I finally entered the ranks of ultimate domesticity...
October 2011
2 posts
6 tags
Assignment 8: Oatmeal Pumpkin Bundt Cake
The other night I wanted to test out my brand new bundt pan, and trolled around for a recipe that I had ingredients for. I also wanted to use up some leftover pumpkin puree, so this cake looked like it would be perfect for the occasion— Oatmeal Pumpkin Bundt Cake. I made some modifications to the original recipe, which I’ve put as the basic instructions below though you can...
5 tags
Orange Cardamom Cookies
I love these cookies! They are so light and buttery. The warm flavor and delicate texture are made for each other. I particularly like that these are not overly sweet.
I followed the recipe exactly and didn’t run into any problems. They’d probably be excellent with other citrus zest/spice combos (lemon and ginger maybe?) as well.
Thanks for the great recipe!
September 2011
3 posts
5 tags
Assignment 7: Orange Cardamom Cookies
These cookies are delicious.
They come from a beautiful memoir of a chef that includes recipes—Maman’s Homesick Pie. My friend Jackie is doing a giveaway of the book which may be your only chance to win it before the October 11 publication—so make sure you follow her and enter to win!
Anyway, the cookies themselves are gritty from the poppy seeds, citrusy and light from the...
6 tags
Assignment 6: Zucchini Bread
Inevitably in the fall I have to make at least one batch of zucchini bread. My mom had her own garden for years and used to grow mammoth sized zucchinis… we had baskets and basketfuls so she used to make tons of breads, muffins, and quiches with them, roast them, and still have dozens to give to neighbors.
I decided just to look for a recipe online and pulled this recipe from...
3 tags
Zucchini Alert!
GUYZ—I’m going to bake Zucchini Bread for the first time in foreeeeever pretty soon.
So stay tuned!
July 2011
1 post
Official Baking Announcement
Yo Bakers,
Obviously this blog has taken a bit of a sabbatical. I will definitely EVENTUALLY get back to posting, but with summer temperatures I’ve barely been baking at all! I’ve made candy, popsicles, and lots of other treats that don’t require an oven… but I just can’t get myself to turn the thing on when it’s “100 feels like 105.” I don’t...
May 2011
2 posts
5 tags
PIONEER WOMAN FAIL (Assignment 5)
YOU. GUYS.
I made the assignment, and I absolutely hated these little cakes. I have no idea what Ree Drummond is up to, and this is my second recipe fail from her in a row! Frankly I don’t think this recipe was too complicated at all, so I really don’t think I messed it up—I just think the flavor is AWFUL and I have no idea at all why anyone would eat these lemony herb nuggets.
...
4 tags
Assignment 5: Pioneer Woman's Olive Oil Cakes with...
This week we’re doing another Pioneer Woman recipe that looks just scrumptious as the last but will hopefully come together a little better (at least for me). Ree mentions in her recipe for these suckers that she was enticed by the mysterious ingredients of these simple muffin/cakes/whatever they are. I am too.
(Photo via Ree Drummond)
...
April 2011
6 posts
4 tags
The smell of disaster.
My bread smelled soooo good, wafting through the apartment. And so little did I suspect what a complete and utter failure I had created!
Yes, this was my finished product. Weirdly crispy on the edges, a bit too salty, and looking like a pile of something no one should eat.
Granted, I didn’t follow the instructions perfectly, and suspected I might have a mistake on my hands when it came...
1 tag
Focaccia Bread Update:
Hey bakers,
When I posted that assignment, I totally lost my head and wasn’t thinking about it being due during Passover AND Easter week. I’m crazy! Anyway, anyone baking bread this week let’s bump that date over to 4/30. I know I for sure haven’t gotten to it yet, and won’t until sometime this weekend!
Nom nom nom,
Sara
4 tags
Assignment 4: Pioneer Woman's Olive Focaccia Bread
If this doesn’t look good to you then we can never be friends.
Just kidding.
But really. I grew up eating a lot of focaccia bread and I really, really, really like it—but hardly ever eat it anymore simply because I’ve never made it myself, and we don’t eat out much these days.
So, thanks to Ree Drummond, hopefully that will all be changing. I’m pretty sure I was the last...
6 tags
Perfect for Tea Time - Assignment 3
I have never made scones before and I was really impressed with this recipe since I already had all of the ingredients lying around my kitchen. Not only did the maple smell amazing baking, it tasted just as good.I followed the advice to add a very heaped tablespoon of the baking powder and I used buttermilk. I do not have a biscuit cutter so I used a circle shaped cookie cutter to shape my...
6 tags
First Time Not a Charm: Assignment 3
I just joined Baking Club and was delighted to determine that I had all of the ingredients for these scones already in my kitchen. Since I have never made scones before (I’m more a cookie, quickbread, and occasional cake baker), I was excited to try them.
I pretty much followed the recipe as written, using the old-fashioned oats. I did not have a biscuit cutter but since my 1/4 cup...
5 tags
Smells Like Heaven: Assignment 3
I spent the first part of a lazy Saturday morning baking this week’s assignment, and it is an AMAZING recipe. These are honestly some of the best scones I have ever had. Ever. My husband loved them, and our whole apartment now smells delicious to boot.
I didn’t really make many modifications to the recipe this go round—though I did use old fashioned, not quick cook oats, as the...
March 2011
10 posts
6 tags
Assignment 3: Maple Syrup and Oat Scones
Cruising around to find our third assignment, I went over to one of everyone’s favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen. And boy do these scones look awesome!
So, let’s hop to it!
(Photo by Deb Perelman, author of Smitten Kitchen)
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Maple Syrup and Oat Scones Adapted from Breakfast Lunch, Tea: The Many Little Meals of Rose Bakery
These maple syrup scones have...
6 tags
Got Butter? Assignment 2.
I finally got around to making the oatmeal-coconut cookie bars tonight, and BOY are they buttery!
I didn’t really make any modifications to the recipe, other than instead of buttering the pan I just sprayed it with olive oil. I don’t think doing that effected anything negatively at all.
I grabbed my pan out of the oven at the perfect time. Just slightly browned on top.
I think...
betterinthematinee asked: Whenever I make anything similar to those "cookie bars" such as flapjacks and don't want to wait for them to set firmly, I make them in mini silicone muffin liners so they're about the size of peanut butter cups. So much quicker, and a lot easier to eat I think!
6 tags
Two Sisters in the Kitchen: Assignment 2
I printed off this recipe to make and my sister stopped by my place, saw it, and insisted we had to make it together. My sister is just learning how to cook and it was such a simple recipe for her. We did not make any changes to the recipe. It came out so good, I will make it again soon. My fiance is so impressed he wants me to start making it as snacks for him.
The only mistake we made was...
6 tags
Assignment 2: Oatmeal-Coconut Bars
This scrumptious looking recipe comes to us from a lovely cookbook I own, The Commonsense Kitchen. The book contains recipes for staple upon staple dishes, as well as more than a few recipes that are off the beaten track. You should probably go buy this book right now, at the very least to look lovely on your kitchen shelf. Just LOVE that cover. Also, it’s more than 600 pages long, so...
breshautehaus asked: What an awesome idea! What inspired this?
6 tags
(Cookies from Cakelin)
Though I’m posting right before the deadline, I actually made Assignment 1 quite a while ago, and looking at these pictures is making me want to make the cookies again! These were delicious.
If I make them again, though, I might follow the lead of the poster before me and not bother with shaping the hearts. I generally love Martha’s cookie recipes but all the ones I’ve made...
2 tags
Assignment 1 Deadline Approaching!
Hi bakers,
Our time for baking the peanut butter and jam heart cookies is coming to a close. For this club, anyway.
If you’ve baked the project get your pictures in quick!
I’ll be posting Assignment 2 tomorrow!
Happy Friday,
Sara
4 tags
Two Birds
Sunday was gross and rainy, and since I had to bake for my Eat Up buddy, I took to the kitchen! We are huge fans of peanut butter in my house, so I was excited to try the recipe.
I used “natural” peanut butter, and the dough was fairly pliant; however, I found that they did get pretty crumbly when they came out of the oven for the first time. Also, I’ve learned that my oven...
6 tags
How I Baked Assignment 1:
I finally got around to making our first assignment, so hopefully this post will inspire everyone else to get their baking done soon as well.
These are the ingredients I used—you’ll note that I substituted blackberry preserves instead of raspberry jam.
My cookie dough was really dry, which I think was probably because I used organic unsalted peanut butter, which tends to have less...
February 2011
4 posts
2 tags
On Non-Assignments....
Hi again bakers,
First off, a huge welcome and thank you to everyone that has shown interest in bakingclub! I’m overwhelmed that in just a day there are over 60 of us. We’re going to see a lot of cookies here pretty soon!
So this club won’t get too overwhelming, we’ll only officially be tackling around 2 projects a month… BUT BUT BUT—I highly encourage you all to blog your other...
3 tags
How to Submit Your Assignment Post:
When you’ve baked the latest assignment, it’s very easy to share your pictures and thoughts!
Simply click here or find the “Submit” button in the left navigation bar on the homepage (pointed out with a giant black arrow in the image below). Then, follow the directions on that page.
Happy baking!
XO,
Sara
5 tags
Assignment 1: Peanut Butter and Jam Heart Cookies
Don’t these cookies look amazing? I’ve been salivating over them from my February issue of Martha Stewart Living for a good month now. I was originally planning on making them for Valentine’s Day, but then this recipe made so many that I had tons and tons in the freezer and didn’t want to make a new batch of anything. Sensing a theme? This blog will probably feature a...
3 tags
Welcome!
Dear bakers,
I’m so glad you are joining me on this presumably wacky baking adventure.
Just so we’re clear, I’m not Fanny Farmer/Martha Stewart/Julia Child. I’m just a regular woman who enjoys cooking and baking, amongst many other things in this busy life. I often burn cookies, and currently I don’t even own a bundt pan. So, I don’t think we can get more...
