March, 2015 | Just About Baked

Browned Butter Toffee Cinnamon Rolls (No Yeast!)

I’m finally doing it, kids. It’s browned butter week on JAB!

Yep, JAB is my super-cool acronym for Just About Baked. Feel free to use it with all of your friends. Make it a thing.

After posting last week’s browned butter sandwich cookies, I kind of got into the flavor so much that I decided to create a whole week around the stuff. Why not? Remember, never answer that question. Just go with it. And first up today are these incredible, rich (Kenny’s word because all desserts are rich to him, the weirdo), yeast-free rolls.

Double Chocolate Chip Bars

Nosebleeds can really interfere with your dignity.

I was teaching yesterday when all of my students started giving me this funny look. It took me a second longer to realize that blood was freely gushing out of my nose (I’m a very enthusiastic bleeder). Like the cool teacher I am, I grabbed the tissues and kept on talking about Nick and Gatsby and Daisy. But honestly, with literal blood on my hands, I don’t think I recovered very well. There went that class. I’ll do better next time.

Browned Butter Sandwich Cookies

March 25, 2015
Mir
C is for COOKIE!
24 Comments

Now hear this: these cookies are it. As in, The One. I’d marry them if I could.

As a baking blogger, I sure eat a lot of cookies, so you can take me very seriously when I tell you that these are special. Once in a lifetime. If you ever make anything I put up here, make these! Now.

Whoops, I got kind of intense there. But I had to. You see, this recipe is something I can share with you, and I love sharing. In fact, I realized the other day that I probably balance out everything I overshare with the secrets I keep forever.

Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs

Do you ever go overboard and then regret it?

Of course you do. We all do. It’s part of being human. And unfortunately, a necessary side effect of eating Chinese takeout.

Yesterday, Kenny happened to be near my favorite Chinese restaurant, so we got takeout. That’s pretty rare, since I cook my family dinner almost every night. I got way too excited and ordered much more food than I could actually eat without feeling totally sick in the morning. And sure enough, I think I went one or two pieces of sesame chicken too far.

Sugar Cookie Bars

These bars were baked on a terrible, awful, no good, very bad baking day.

Some days, my kitchen is humming. Bread dough rises as it should, pie crust comes together without complaining, and frosting practically pipes itself. Those are great days.

Then, there was last Sunday. I ran out of butter without realizing it, my husband couldn’t find the chocolate candy melts at the store, and my heavy cream was suspiciously gloppy, even though it was not at its sell-by date yet. As I watched one baking project tank after another, I wondered why in the heck I do this.

Tagalong Pie

March 18, 2015
Mir
Pie Day, Pies
26 Comments

Happy Pi Day!

No, I’m not confused. I realize that I’m four days late. It happens, okay?

Here’s the thing. It’s always so much more fun to celebrate a holiday once it’s over. Example: your birthday comes and goes, but there’s that one friend who forgot or was out of town, so they take you out a week later and celebrate. It’s so nice to keep the party going!

Chocolate Chip Soda Bread

March 16, 2015
Mir
Bread Basket
33 Comments

Soda bread has always been a problem.

You see, most soda breads are made with raisins (good) and caraway seeds (bad). I do not like caraway seeds. Something about their flavor, not to mention their hard little texture, really throws me off. I’ve never been a fan, and I’ve tried them plenty.

Seedless rye breads are delicious, though. As are seedless soda breads. Especially when you remove all the usual fillings and put chocolate chips there instead. Sacrilege, you say? Too bad. I’m going to enjoy St. Patrick’s my way!

Easy Pistachio Cake

I know tomorrow is Pi Day, thus pies are being posted right and left. But kids, I couldn’t wait to share this one. I’ll share a pie next week sometime. We cool?

Do you remember the red pistachios? Do they still exist?

I loved those things. They got red dye all over my hands, but I always thought they tasted better than the regular kind. My grandparents always kept them around for me. And then one day, they disappeared. I haven’t seen a red pistachio since.

Things have a habit of disappearing, unfortunately. There’s a great poem by Elizabeth Bishop called “One Art” where she talks about what she calls “the art of losing.” It’s a great poem, and my English teacher self highly recommends it to you. But I sometimes get creeped out by how much I’ve lost without even realizing it until after the fact.

Cookies and Cream Mousse Flowerpots

Every now and then, I like to ask myself deep questions or share them with friends. I’ve done this before, but here I go again:

-How does available space get filled so fast?

-Why doesn’t healthy food taste like brownies?

-If a tree falls in the forest and we think there’s nobody to hear, did it maybe crush the one person who was out for an early morning stroll?

-How do you keep small children occupied on endless snow days when you’re all trapped together in the house?

I have very few answers, but the last one has to be projects, projects, projects. Keep those little hands busy!

Samoa Fudge

March 9, 2015
Mir
Candyland
36 Comments

Yes, I realize I’ve been posting a lot of Girl Scout cookie recipes. No, I am not done. Deal with it.

Boy, did that come out rude, especially to my (very valued) readers who are not American and have no idea what this stupid Girl Scout cookie craze is about, anyway. I do apologize. And I can always suggest substitutes if you can’t get the cookies. But you have to understand something.

Girl Scout cookies are America, people. And I’m an American food blogger. If I were a French food blogger, I’d be doing a lot more with delicate pastry dough and awesome macarons.