We're all gonna die, so why not bake some tasty treats along the way? This blog is dedicated to my baking adventures and mishaps, my optimistic nihilism. my favorite recipes, and even helpful tips and tricks I've learned along the way! (e.g. Don't forget to turn the oven off!) I can assure you, I have burned down my house 0 times, and counting!
Our band has entered a contest to win money for our program and all we have to do is get the most likes and views on our video! Weâre 7k behind the leading band so it would mean so much to me if you watched, liked, and shared this!
The contest ends the 30th of April so Iâm really starting to feel the urgency ;)
I watched Julie and Julia last night, and Iâd highly recommend it, especially to bakers! Itâs about a woman who tries to cook her way through Julia Childâs cookbook. Mixed in is a seperate story about Julia Childâs time in Paris. Meryl Streep absolutely becomes Julia Child, and it was a story told in a clever and unique way. Would recommend to anyone, but particularly aspiring cooks!
The reason why I love baking so much? Because my hair smells like a bakery even hours later. Current scent: chocolate because of the chocolate cookies. Why is there no perfume with this fragrance?
I was looking for something fun and different, so when I came across this recipe on Allrecipes I figured Iâd try it.
These cookies are goddamn delicious, you guys. I wonât list the entire recipe because I didnât change enough for it to matter, but I will tell you my alterations.
Original recipe:Â https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/11466/ultimate-maple-snickerdoodles/?internalSource=hub%20recipe&referringContentType=Search
First, I didnât have any maple sugar, so I just coated the dough balls in regular sugar, and it tasted fine.
My family is originally from Vermont, so we are HUGE maple syrup snobs. Although it probably wouldnât matter too much if you donât use pure maple syrup, it definitely tastes really good with pure maple syrup. Would recommend. (Would also recommend using pure maple syrup for everything, but I understand that it can be really expensive.)
I may be a Southerner, but Iâm a New Englander at heart :)
I, however, am definitely not a Patriots fan.
I used salted butter instead of margarine. Thatâs probably what affected the spread. (My cookies were taller and smaller than the pictures on Allrecipes, which are large and more spread out.) I also didnât flatten them before baking, so one of these factors was probably the culprit.Â
I was worried they were under baked in the middle, but as they cooled, I realized that they were supposed to be like that. As the recipe states, they should be wet in the middle when you take them out. I found that ten minutes was the perfect baking time, but then again, every oven is different.Â
These cookies were a big hit among my band friends! This recipe made about 3 dozen small cookies, and they were all gone by the time school started!
Have you told someone today how much you care about them? Life may be pointless, but if everything is going to end someday, why not make other peopleâs lives worth living? Make them art. Bake them tasty things. If both of you like hugs, hug them. If either of you donât, thatâs perfectly okay! Do something today that lets them know that you care :)
Iâm so blessed to be gaining all these new followers :). You guys truly make my day!
Iâm so sorry for the inactivity recently. Iâm a baker but Iâm also a clarinet player, and these past few weeks Iâve been practicing non-stop for this huge solo festival, so I havenât had any time to bake. But now that thatâs over, Iâll be able to start trying new recipes again soon!
Expect new posts in the next week or so :). Thank you all so much for sticking with me!
This is my favorite recipe for chocolate peanut butter fudge!Â
Okay, Iâm gonna be completely honest, I have literally no idea where I got this recipe. I tried to find it, but I canât find any recipe thatâs even close to the one I followed. So weâre in uncharted territory. Hooray!
Rest assured, I have tried this fudge, and itâs delicious.
Aight, letâs get started!
Prep time was ~30 minutes and about 1 hour to set.
Materials:
Microwave safe bowl
Pan (I suggest an 8x8 pan but it really doesnât matter. In the end, itâs all about how thick you want your fudge to be)
Parchment paper
Ingredients:
1 cup, or two sticks butter
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
~4 cups powdered sugar
Handful of chocolate chips (this part was really imprecise. I just kinda threw them in)
Directions:
In a microwave safe bowl, melt the peanut butter, chocolate chips, and butter. (You can use a double boiler if you donât have a microwave, but I find that the microwave is easier) For best results, microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until the mixture is consistent and smooth.
Stir in the vanilla extract.
Gradually stir in the powdered sugar, stopping when the mixture is no longer glossy, but dull and hard to stir.
Line your pan with parchment paper and spread the fudge mixture in.
Chill for 1 hour.
Thatâs it. Youâre done. Huzzah!
As for storage, this fudge can be frozen, refrigerated, or kept at room temperature (depending on how firm you like it). Itâs good for about two months, but I guarantee it will not last that long.
Well, here it is. My all time favorite thing to make! (even though they hate me I still love them)
For some reason, everyone does it a little bit differently. Whatever. This is how I do it.
Itâs important to note that these are incredibly finicky! If itâs humid outside, you may not get the desired amount of crispiness. You can rectify this by baking them on a less humid day. Of course, if you like them a little bit chewy, you need not worry.
This project took me about an hour to prepare and 2 hours to bake. All in all, this recipe is best for a day where you have lots of time on your hands because patience is an extremely important part of making meringues.
Materials:
Mixing bowl and mixer. (You can also do it by hand if you donât have an electric mixer, but it goes faster with one)
Several small bowls (For separating egg whites)
Piping bag or cake decorator. (If you donât have either, a plastic bag or a spoon works perfectly fine. It all depends on the level of decoration you want.)
Baking sheetsÂ
Pam spray or parchment paper (Everyone says use parchment paper but I always use Pam spray and I have little difficulty with sticking.)
Ingredients:
3 egg whites
Pinch of salt (optional)
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
Your flavoring of choice. (Iâve done 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and that worked fine but you can pretty much use whatever youâd like :). )
Directions:
Aight Iâm gonna break this down into incredible specifics because the first time I made meringues the instructions were extremely vague and they ended up tripping me up. So here is an incredibly detailed tutorial for my beginners out there.
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Iâm American and therefore ignorant, so if you use Celsius, I canât help you.Â
If the eggs have been refrigerated, submerge 3 eggs in lukewarm water for ~5 minutes. (This step is optional, but it helps get the egg whites to room temperature faster, which is essential for forming stiff peaks.)
Separate the whites from the yolks. Do this VERY CAREFULLY!!!!! If the yolk breaks, the egg whites will be unusable and thatâs a bummer and a half! I like to have 3 bowls, one for egg whites, one for yolks, and one for shells.
Put the egg whites in the bowl and beat them with your muscles or your mixer on medium high speed. I read somewhere that a pinch of salt helps to increase foaming. I havenât verified this but I always do it anyway and I havenât noticed any ill effects. Itâs important not to go to an incredibly high speed at this step. If you go too fast, you risk knocking air out of the eggs and making them less foamy. You know youâre done when the egg whites become foamy and opaque.
Blend in the cream of tartar and continue mixing at medium high. Beat until the mixture develops soft peaks. (Soft peaks are when you dip your spatula or spoon in and the mixture forms a lil peak and the tip of the peak flops over.)
Like this:
Blend in the sugar GRADUALLY. I cannot stress this enough. GRADUALLY. If you beat it in too fast the mixture will not develop stiff peaks. With your mixer on high, add in the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time and beat until fully incorporated. Then, add in another tablespoon until all the sugar is in the mixture.
Mix on high until stiff, glossy peaks form. Stiff peaks are when you pull the mixer out of the mixture and the peaks keep their shape when turned upside down.
Like this:
You can now beat in your flavoring. I highly recommend flavoring cuz sugar and egg whites alone donât taste very stellar.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper or Pam spray. Using your method of choice, be it piping bag or spoon, place your beautiful meringues on the baking sheet. (They donât spread too much so you donât have to worry about them all baking together.)
Place in the oven and bake for an hour and a half. One thatâs up, turn the oven off and leave them in the oven for another hour to ensure maximum crispiness.(If you like them a little chewy, you can take them out sooner.)
Once theyâre done, take them out and resist the urge to eat all of them off the baking tray, which I am guilty of. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
If they lose their desirable crispiness, you can always put them in the oven at 200 degrees for 10 minutes to restore them to their original consistency.
And thatâs about it! My favorite dessert in one easy recipe!
Let me know if you try this recipe, if you have any questions, or if you want to make any clarifications or alterations! My asks are always open!
Our lives are fleeting. In trying times, love, patience, and understanding are incredibly important virtues in these lives we lead. Have you told someone you love that you care about them? Today, try to slow down and show someone love. We all could use a little more these days.
-Unsure about egg quality? Fill a bowl with water. Good eggs sink, bad eggs float, eggs that sink but stand on their tip need to be used soon
-Only have salted butter but the recipe calls for unsalted? For every stick, subtract ÂŒ teaspoon salt. Some say this changes the consistency, but I havenât noticed any difference.
-If your baking powder has solidified from age, you can test if itâs good by dropping a teaspoon or so into water. It it foams, itâs still good. If not, discard it.
-Pure vanilla extract never goes bad.
-Donât have cream of tartar? For every Âœ teaspoon of cream of tartar, use 1 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar. Or, leave it out all together. Itâs not the end of the world as long as youâre filing your pointless existence with activities that make you happy.
-Vanilla smells so good that you would expect it to taste just as good
-it does not.
-Life is too short for food dye. (Iâll admit thatâs a personal opinion, if it makes you happy, go for it. But if your recipe calls for it, donât panic if you donât have it. Your cranberry chocolate chip cookies will be just as tasty without the red food dye)
-If you donât have lemons for lemon zest, lime zest works just as well, so long as you donât mind explaining to everyone why there are little green bits in your cookies.
-Freezing cookie dough keeps the fats more solid and reduces spread, but I usually donât bother.
-Chocolate chip measurements are LIES. âYou measure that shit with your heartâ
-If youâre baking something on the stovetop, donât immediately put a plastic lid on the burner you just turned off. (Mom:Â âWhat smells like burning plastic in here?â Me:Â âUh, itâs just the oven, momâ) Give that shit time to cool off!!
-Always note how long a project takes you so you know for next time. I measure my time in âHow many Fiddler on the Roofâ listens it is.
-Be prepared to screw up! My first attempt at meringues was a disaster. But I was willing to try again and learn where I messed up and my next batch was tasty and my mom made a quiche out of all the leftover egg yolks.
-Donât force flour into bread!!!! That â6 cups of flourâ is a suggestion, not a requirement. Add flour one cup at a time, stop when the bread is elastic and no longer incredibly sticky, but still soft and malleable.
-Double in bulk means DOUBLE IN BULK. YOU WILL KNOW WHEN YOU SEE IT. (It will also not spring back when poked)
Feel free to add your own tips/ridicule me for mine :D
Remember: everything is temporary! Bad day? Go to bed, get some rest, tomorrow is another day! I love yâall, thank you for wanting to be a part of my journey. :)
Iâm amazed at how much attention this post has gotten but inevitably Iâve left something out :)
-You can make your own buttermilk with an acid and some milk! Add 1/4 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice for every 1/4 cup of milk. Bam. Buttermilk.
-Unsure about egg quality? Fill a bowl with water. Good eggs sink, bad eggs float, eggs that sink but stand on their tip need to be used soon
-Only have salted butter but the recipe calls for unsalted? For every stick, subtract 1/4 teaspoon salt. Some say this changes the consistency, but I havenât noticed any difference.
-If your baking powder has solidified from age, you can test if itâs good by dropping a teaspoon or so into water. It it foams, itâs still good. If not, discard it.
-Pure vanilla extract never goes bad.
-Donât have cream of tartar? For every 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar, use 1 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar. Or, leave it out all together. Itâs not the end of the world as long as youâre filing your pointless existence with activities that make you happy.
-Vanilla smells so good that you would expect it to taste just as good
-it does not.
-Life is too short for food dye. (Iâll admit thatâs a personal opinion, if it makes you happy, go for it. But if your recipe calls for it, donât panic if you donât have it. Your cranberry chocolate chip cookies will be just as tasty without the red food dye)
-If you donât have lemons for lemon zest, lime zest works just as well, so long as you donât mind explaining to everyone why there are little green bits in your cookies.
-Freezing cookie dough keeps the fats more solid and reduces spread, but I usually donât bother.
-Chocolate chip measurements are LIES. âYou measure that shit with your heartâ
-If youâre baking something on the stovetop, donât immediately put a plastic lid on the burner you just turned off. (Mom:Â âWhat smells like burning plastic in here?â Me:Â âUh, itâs just the oven, momâ) Give that shit time to cool off!!
-Always note how long a project takes you so you know for next time. I measure my time in âHow many Fiddler on the Roofâ listens it is.
-Be prepared to screw up! My first attempt at meringues was a disaster. But I was willing to try again and learn where I messed up and my next batch was tasty and my mom made a quiche out of all the leftover egg yolks.
-Donât force flour into bread!!!! That â6 cups of flourâ is a suggestion, not a requirement. Add flour one cup at a time, stop when the bread is elastic and no longer incredibly sticky, but still soft and malleable.
-Double in bulk means DOUBLE IN BULK. YOU WILL KNOW WHEN YOU SEE IT. (It will also not spring back when poked)
Feel free to add your own tips/ridicule me for mine :D
Remember: everything is temporary! Bad day? Go to bed, get some rest, tomorrow is another day! I love yâall, thank you for wanting to be a part of my journey. :)
Iâm a sixteen year old nihilist with a sweet spot for baking! If everything we do is inconsequential, why not make tasty things?
I donât expect or intend to do baking professionally, I just like to make lil treats for my friends at school.Â
I intend for this blog to be a place to share experiences, share recipes, and improve my skills. Iâm hoping this blog will give me incentive to bake and experiment more often!
