Just Baking

In recent weeks I have made made Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops, Chocolate Chunkers, Chunky Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters, and now Spiced Oatmeal Raisin cookies. I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com and adapted it slightly. In my opinion, this is the perfect oatmeal raisin cookie. The recipe is very easy to prepare, the flavor […]

For the first installment of At the Baker’s Bench (AtBB), I thought I’d start at the very beginning: the baker’s arsenal of essential tools. You might be surprised at some of the items you’ll find in this list, and at some of the items I’ve left out. The key word is essential, and some tools might […]

This weekend, as I was cleaning out my bathroom cabinets, I came to the realization that I have some serious commitment issues. Not with relationships, not with work and not with family obligations. My commitment issues lie in the form of product commitments. Shampoo for example. I buy shampoo, get through 3/4 of the bottle, […]

Looking for a healthier muffin to bake, I opted for some sort of a bran muffin. I came across a few I wanted to try, but didn’t have all the ingredients on hand. I did have some bananas that needed to be used, so these were perfect! I liked the fact that these had diced bananas […]

When I turned 16, I was finally allowed to date. For a constantly boy-crazy girl, I felt like sixteen would never come, and when it did, I took full advantage of it! I dated some pretty nice guys, but one guy, who ended up becoming my boyfriend for a few years, taught me more about […]

School is in the air! What a great time to learn something new about our favorite activity in the kitchen, apart from eating. With this in mind, I’m putting together a new series of posts collectively titled At the Baker’s Bench. This series will feature informative posts explaining techniques, terms, recipes, and tools that will help you to […]

These are a simple classic oatmeal cookie. They are soft and chewy and stay that was for a few days, that is if you can make them last!

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 […]

Quick and easy - perfect for summer with an aperitif or a salad, excellent for those vegetarian friends at parties. Garlic Bread, which is a permanent feature on pizzarias’ menus, is often forgotten when it comes to home baking. I was reminded of its existence a couple of days ago because I lost the way to my kitchen. I know it is a […]

 
Fragrant Rosemary Parmesan Focaccia is the perfect accompaniment to soups and salads. This is a flexible, forgiving recipe, so even if you don’t have much experience with yeast breads, you’ll have a hit with this one. Don’t worry if you don’t have fresh rosemary on hand. Feel free to substitute parsley, thyme, or oregano—whatever suits […]

Baking with bananas is something we all do whether we want to or not. It’s the easiest thing to turn bananas into something, be it muffins, cookies, or cake. It can’t be helped - I will always have ripe bananas in my freezer waiting to be mashed and turned into something delectable.
Case in point is this […]