Lemon Bars and Peanut Butter Cookies

After my amazing flop (see here) I decided to try something else for the bridal shower I was attending. In semi-panic I found two new recipes to try, both from allrecipes.com. I made sure to read over all the ingredients and purchase anything that I would need before hand. I have found myself going back to the grocery too many times once I start a recipe so I am slowly learning from my mistakes!

The first recipe I tried was called the Best Lemon Bars recipe. This called for the juice from two fresh lemons so I bought a reamer and lemons for the first time. The rest was so simple: a butter, sugar, and flour crust with a sugar, flour, and lemon filling. These tasted great and looked amazing!

Once baked I moved on to my second recipe: Best Peanut Butter Cookies Ever. Again, another super simple recipe. Some turned out crispier than others, but once I get the baking time right on these I think these will be great. I am still not a huge fan of peanut butter cookies, however, my Domestic Goddess mentor, Liz Boone, did mention that sometimes it's great to make something you don't like because you won't be tempted to eat too much of it!

The best part about baking both these recipes for the shower was the prep time just before leaving the house. I, of course, baked all morning and rushed to get ready but the lemon bars were not yet cut and plated. So as I turbo charged through putting on my make-up my mom and grandma so politely prepared the bars and plated them for me. It was oh so very kind of them!

Thank you, Mom and Grandma, for helping this little unprepared baker!

Caramel Glaze Cookies

In preparation for a bridal showing, I attempted my first recipe from my cookie cookbook 1 Dough, 100 Cookies (a Christmas gift from my mother-in-law. You can find it at Cost Plus, World Market). I wanted to try the Caramel Glaze Cookies the moment I saw the picture in the cookbook. They looked amazing. Here is what I ended up with:

Beautiful, aren't they? The dough was a very basic sugar cookie dough. Flour, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and salt. This was the first recipe that I actually hand beat everything; no stand mixer! It was surprisingly easy and a little fun to do it differently. Plus I didn't have to haul out my mixer, which I love by the way. I made a glaze on the stovetop. It was my first attempt ever. I brushed the glaze on the cookies three times and then drew a design with a fork. I was excited when I pulled them out of the oven because they looked great!

Well, looks are deceiving. These were a total flop! I am not ashamed to say it. I am calling this whole thing an adventure, right? I think a couple things went wrong. One, I didn't let the glaze burn up enough. I later read that the sugar should be almost burnt in order to make great caramel glaze. I might have to do further reading and try various recipes before I can have any real say on how to make a caramel glaze. Second, these were rolled way too thin. That I can easily fix for next time.

Flops are ok. Mistakes happen. All you have to do is get back in the kitchen. I knew I had to since I promised to bring something to the shower. But more on that later.

Cookbook Review 1

How to be a Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking
By Nigella Lawson

I thought it would be fun to give you all a little review on one of the cookbooks I am using. I borrowed How to be a Domestic Goddess from the wonderful Liz Boone. From reading the first page I knew I wanted my own copy. Nigella is brilliant and witty to boot. The book is filled with various recipes that all, from first glance, seem terribly impossible and for experts only. Ah, but we are deceived! Every recipe has Nigella's tips, ideas, variations, and suggestions making the whole baking experience not intimidating but accessible and achievable. She discusses each recipe instead of giving strick step-by-step instructions.

Nigella's philosophy is not to impose a 1950's female gender role but to really explore the joy of getting in the kitchen, working with your hands, and producing something that looks and tastes amazing. There is joy to be had when baking, which is what this blog is all about!

This is a great cookbook and I can't wait to get my own copy (and bake, too!).

Happy Baking!

Pumpkin Ginger Cupcakes... No, Bundt.

About a year ago I found a recipe on allrecipes.com for Pumpkin Ginger Cupcakes. I made the attempt at cupcakes in late 2011 but I decided to try my luck at transferring the recipe to a bundt form instead. My little adventure was a success! It has become one of my favorite things to bake. It is great for the whole fall and winter baking season. The smell is amazing and my husband is always excited when I bake this.

I have played around with different amounts of the spices and different types of glazes. Currently I use rounded measurements for all the spices and I use about half of the amount of crystalized ginger that the recipe calls for. I also love the recipe I found for the glaze. Again, it was something I found online but I of course tweaked it a little. I can't wait to try other glazes and spices to make this a really unique recipe!

I was blessed to share this week's treat with our Bible study group. In sharing my excitement for learning all things baking the conversation quickly turned to the difference between baking soda and baking powder and of course cookbooks! I now have two great cookbooks on loan and I can't wait to go through them.