Adventures of An Amateur Baker

Be Back Soon

2009-12-27T14:45:00.001-08:00

I am a terrible blogger! Sorry I haven't posted anything new recently! I got sick right before the holidays and then it was THE HOLIDAYS! Therefore I did not find the time to blog. I did make some delicious yummy holiday treats but didn't get pictures of them, and they didn't require an oven so technically it wasn't baking. I did make some sugar cookies but we didn't decorate them or anything so I didn't take pictures of them.

However! With the New Year approaching I want to rededicate myself to baking once a week! I have a list of recipes I want to try, all ready and waiting. If there is anybody actually reading this - stay tuned!

Acclaim!

2009-11-23T14:13:00.000-08:00

I already had a recipe picked out for this week, but I am making the Snickerdoodles again because......... drumroll please.....

Hubby's coworkers REQUESTED them for a potluck at his work tomorrow!

They loved them so much they asked Hubby to ask me if I would make them again. I feel so honored! Apparently the cookies were the talk of the town last week when I made them.

Nevertheless , dear readers, do not fret! Thanksgiving is this week! Stay tuned for a sure-to-be-amazing PIE recipe!

Snickerdoodles

2009-11-10T11:36:00.001-08:00

It's been a little while since I've done some baking. My baby girl is almost 5 months old now and I am really trying to lose the baby weight from my pregnancy. However, my love of baking whispers to me daily: "Make something delicious!" I thought long and hard about how I can continue my baking blog without having these delicious treats around the house to tempt me. In the middle of the night, (seriously!) I woke up with a great idea! I can continue baking, have one or two of the yummy things I make, and send along the rest with Hubby to work! I'm sure his coworkers will enjoy some homemade baked goods every week.

Now that I have a plan for the results of my baking adventures, I am happily back in the kitchen, baking all kinds of scrumptious delights!

If you haven't noticed, I am a major cookie-holic. Cookies are my favorite treat in the whole world. Hubby asked me once, "If you were to die tomorrow, and you could have any kind of dessert in the world as your last dessert, what would you want to have?" My answer, without hesitation, was, "Chocolate Chip Cookies with an ice-cold glass of milk." To me, there is just nothing better than a good chocolate chip cookie!

Chocolate chips aside, here is a great cookie recipe!

Snickerdoodles

1 cup shortening

1 1/2 cup white sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Cream together.

2 eggs - add and beat

2 3/4 cup sifted flour

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

Sift together and add sugar and egg mixture. Mix well. Roll into balls the size of a walnut. Roll these in: 2 tbs. sugar and 1-2 tsp. cinnamon. Bake at 400* for 8-10 minutes. Makes 2 dozen cookies.

The key to making really good Snickerdoodles is not letting them overcook - they burn on the bottom very easily! My first batch burned on the bottom. The second batch came out just right! I cooked the first batch for 10 minutes, which was too long. I only cooked the second batch for 9 minutes. It's amazing how much of a difference one minute can make!

Cake Mix Cookies

2009-10-31T11:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

Our church's Trunk or Treat is tonight and I signed up to bring cookies. I decided to make one of my favorite cookie recipes: Cake Mix Cookies! They are super easy to make and there are endless variations you can do to make them your own.

Cake Mix Cookies

1 box cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup of oil

1/2 pkg. of mini chocolate chips

I usually use Chocolate Fudge cake mix and mini chocolate chips, but for Halloween I chose to use peanut butter chips. For variation, you can use any kind of cake mix and add nuts or raisins to the batter. I made these with French Vanilla cake mix and chocolate chips once, and they were delicious!

Yummy!

Rice Krispie Treats... with a twist!

2009-10-14T13:26:00.000-07:00

I LOVE Rice Krispie treats. The store bought ones are ok, but the homemade kind are my absolute favorite. I have been wanting to make them with Cocoa Krispies instead of Rice Krispies for awhile now. I know I've devolved to just making yummy treats, but I promise, next week will be an actual baking recipe!

Cocoa Krispie Treats

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 package (10 oz, or about 40) regular marshmallows

4 cups miniature marshmallows

6 cups Cocoa Krispies

1. In large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Add Cocoa Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Using a buttered spatula or wax paper, evenly press mixture into a 9 x 13 pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day.

MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS

In a microwave safe bowl, heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Follow steps 2 and 3 above. Microwave cooking time may vary.

NOTE:

For best results, use fresh marshmallows.

1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow creme can be substituted for marshmallows.

Diet, reduced calorie or tub margarine is not recommended.

Store no more than 2 days at room temperature in airtight container. To freeze, place in layers separated by wax paper in airtight container. Freeze for up to 6 weeks. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

They turned out fantastic! Very easy and very fast to make. I also used the real Cocoa Krispies, instead of the off brand. I'm not knocking the off brand (I have been known to use many off brand ingredients), but for this recipe, I just had to use the real brand. Some off brands just don't measure up!

Microwave Monkey Bread

2009-10-14T13:15:00.000-07:00

The other day I was rummaging around my kitchen for something eat for lunch. It was definitely time to go to the grocery store, because we had nothing, not even bread to make a sandwich! I found a can of refrigerator biscuits in the refrigerator and thought, "Ok I guess I'll make these for lunch." Then I remember I had bought the biscuits to make a monkey bread recipe I got from a ward cookbook. So I had monkey bread for lunch! Lol, sometimes you gotta get creative when there's no food in the house!

Microwave Monkey Bread

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup margarine

1 tbsp. water

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 can refrigerator biscuits

Combine brown sugar, margarine, water and cinnamon in a round glass baking dish. Heat in microwave for 2 minutes. Remove from microwave and stir to mix. Separate the biscuits and cut each into 4 pieces. Add biscuits to the melted sugar mixture and stir to coat each biscuit. Push biscuits away from the center of the dish and place a small glass or bowl in the center of the baking dish. Cook uncovered for 4 minutes. Remove from the microwave and let stand for 1 minute. Remove glass from center and invert bread onto a larger plate. Pull pieces apart to eat and enjoy!

This bread is delicious! It was so quick and easy to make! Unfortunately, the batch I made did not transport well from the glass bowl to the plate, so there goes my presentation. But the taste trumped the presentation anyway!

Bonus Recipe!

2009-10-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

Ok, so technically this isn't a baking recipe, but this dessert is SO good that I just had to share it!

No-Fry Fried Ice Cream

2 1/2 generous cups crushed corn flakes (measurements are after they are crushed)

1/2 cup crushed pecans

1 cup coconut

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

Vanilla ice cream

Remove ice cream from the freezer as you begin to soften it just a bit. Melt the butter in a large bowl in your microwave. Add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar is almost a "syrup". Add pecans, crushed cornflakes and coconut. Stir and mix well, coating all of the crunchy additions with the "syrup". Spread half of the crunchy mix to cover the bottom of a 9x13" pan. Then, slice or scoop your slightly softened icecream, placing it in the pan on top of the crunchy layer. Let the icecream soften enough in the pan to pat it together and make it one solid layer. Top with the remaining crunchy mix. Cover with saran wrap and refreeze. Serve it with a drizzle of chocolate syrup, or honey, or both, or caramel or strawberry ice cream syrup or just plain!

YUMMY!

Zucchini Bread

2009-10-02T10:44:00.000-07:00

I LOVE Zucchini bread! It is soo tasty and fun to make! This particular recipe came from a ward cookbook. Like the Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, this recipe replaces 1 cup of granulated sugar with 1 cup of brown sugar.

Zucchini Bread

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1 cup oil

3 tsp. vanilla

2 cups grated zucchini

3 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

3 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Mix together sugar, brown sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla, and zucchini. Add dry ingredients and blend well. Pour into greased loaf pans. Bake at 350* for 50-60 minutes. Makes 2 loaves.

The key to making this bread turn out the best is not to overcook it. I only let it cook for 48 minutes and when I checked on it, it was already done and could even have been taken out a minute or two earlier than that. It turned out fabulous!! I also did a delicious variation: chocolate chips! I added 1 cup of chocolate chips to the batter. I used milk chocolate chips, but I'm sure it would be good with semisweet or dark chocolate chips as well.

I can't explain how good this bread is! I give it a 9/10. If I had taken it out of the oven a minute or two sooner, it would have been more moist and would have earned a 10 out of 10! Even so, it still is extremely delicious!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-09-27T17:34:00.001-07:00

I didn't get to the store this week to get ingredients for what I want to make next (Zucchini Bread), so I decided to whip up a batch of classic chocolate chip cookies. I have been using the Nestle Tollhouse recipe for as long as I can remember. But today, I wanted to try something different. I did a Google search for the best chocolate chip cookies ever. I found this one:

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2/3 cup melted butter

2 cups lightly packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tbsp hot water

2 2/3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 package chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375*. In a large mixing bowl, add melted butter, brown sugar, eggs and hot water and mix well. Stir in the remaining dry ingredients. Add the chocolate chips and mix thoroughly. Drop from spoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown on the bottom.

If you notice, there is only brown sugar in this recipe - no granulated sugar. And here is where I have made my first mistake as a baker: I thought I had baking powder, but I didn't. I did another Google search to see what I could do to substitute baking powder. Unfortunately I didn't have cream of tartar, which is required for the substitution, so I decided to just take a risk and use only baking soda. (This is evidence that I truly am only an 'amateur' baker - I'm sure an experienced baker would know not to do this.)

Here are the results:

They turned out ok. They definitely are not the best batch I've ever made, but they still tasted pretty good. Both Hubby and I gave them a 6 out of 10. I'm gonna try this recipe again when I actually have all the ingredients, lol.

Almost-Twinkie Cake

2009-09-19T19:54:00.000-07:00

For my first few recipes, I have chosen to be simplistic. Thus, as my first entry: the "Almost-Twinkie Cake." I found this recipe online at cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/29/almost-twinkie-cake86244.shtml. I LOVE Twinkies - I know what you're probably thinking: "Ew, Twinkies are so bad for you; they are so fattening; yada yada yada." But still, I absolutely love them. I don't eat them too often simply because they ARE so fattening. So when I saw this recipe, I just HAD to try it out!

Almost-Twinkie Cake

1 pkg white cake mix

1 pkg instant vanilla pudding and pie filling

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup water

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup margarine - softened

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

Combine cake mix, oil, eggs, pudding, water, and half the vanilla. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into a greased and floured 9x13" pan.

Bake at 350 F for 40-45 minutes or until cake tests done.

In a saucepan, mix the flour with the milk. Cook until thick, stirring constantly; cool. Add sugar, salt, shortening, margarine, and remaining vanilla. Beat until fluffy. Spread on the cooled cake. Store in the refrigerator.

The process was fairly simple. The cake part was easy, because it was just like baking a regular packaged cake mix but with a few extra ingredients. While the cake was cooling, I made the frosting. The flour/milk mixture took about 3-4 minutes to thicken. After adding the rest of the ingredients, I used the beater to beat until fluffy. Well, it never really became fluffy. It had more of a thick but runny texture. Maybe I was supposed to beat it by hand?

Here's the final result:

Now, as far as the taste goes. Hubby gave it a 9 out of 10. I give it about a 7. I am kind of disappointed. It didn't really taste like a Twinkie at all, more like just vanilla cake with vanilla frosting. So it was good, but not like a Twinkie. Also, I should probably add a WARNING label to this cake: IT IS EXTREMELY FATTENING AND RICH! Haha! The frosting contains a whole stick of butter PLUS a half-cup of shortening - you could basically see the grease in it. I could only eat half a regular size piece before feeling sick. I'll have another small piece tomorrow after it has been in the refrigerator overnight and see how it tastes then. Then I think I'll give the rest away to neighbors.

So overall, Almost-Twinkie Cake - not a failure, but not what I expected!

**UPDATE**

Ok, so this cake is DEFINITELY better the next day after being refrigerated overnight! Hubby thinks it tastes more like a Twinkie today - I'm still not so sure, but it is definitely delicious!

Welcome!

2009-09-17T21:44:00.000-07:00

Let me introduce myself:

I am a young wife and stay-at-home mom. During the first few years of my marriage, I was a college student and rarely cooked at home. After I graduated from college, I became a stay-at-home wife while awaiting the birth of my first child. My beautiful baby girl arrived a few months ago, solidifying my new role as the "domesticator." As such, I began to cook more and more. After some time, I realized how much I love to bake. I have decided I want to hone my baking skills. Every week I will bake something new and record my experiences in this blog, complete with the ups and downs, the successes and the failures, all accompanied by pictures.

Having said that, I hope you enjoy tagging along with me on my baking journey - and hope we don't gain too much weight :)