2015 | Just About Baked

Ganache-Frosted Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

January 16, 2015
Mir
Bars n' Brownies
22 Comments

How many days can you go without a brownie? Because I can last two days. Then it all falls apart.

There are two desserts in this world that I can never say no to. The first is a chocolate chip cookie. I know very few people who can ever resist one. I even love the Costco ones. They’re processed. They’re huge. They’re delicious.

And then, taunting me always, is a perfectly fudgy brownie. You’d think that there aren’t a lot of good ones out there, but man, is that wrong. There are incredible brownies everywhere. It’s kind of encouraging, really. What kind of world would we live in if good brownies weren’t available on every street corner along with Coke Slurpees and Starbucks?

Lighter Crumb Cake

January 14, 2015
Mir
Cakes, Let Them Eat Cake
29 Comments

I’m so over winter. Not that I was ever under it, you understand.

The other day, I was reading a student’s poem, which was basically a praise of winter. It was a really nice poem, and I enjoyed it. At the same time, there was a voice inside me saying, “You’ve gotta be kidding me.” I mean, she didn’t mention anything about the pain of winter.

Yes, I said pain. Cold hurts. And I don’t even feel like eating ice cream, which is just wrong. All I want to do is curl up under a blanket and eat lots of crumb cake.

Chocolate-Dipped PB Cookie Dough Ritzies

January 12, 2015
Mir
Candyland
32 Comments

I had no idea what to call these. But they’re awesome.

Let me backtrack. After a week of the flu and another week recovering from the flu, I’m still waiting for my appetite and taste buds to return to normal. The flu is evil in so many ways, but I never expected it to alter my eating this dramatically.

Pretty much, I’ve wanted two things since the fever broke: sushi and truffles. When the fever was raging, all I wanted was Coke Slurpees. So basically, any healthy eating habits have gone right out the window.

White Chocolate Butterscotch Banana Bread

January 9, 2015
Mir
Bread Basket, Cakes, Dessert for Breakfast, Let Them Eat Cake
26 Comments

It’s been a snow day kind of week.

The other day, my kids and I spent our first snow day of the season together. I’m always the parent on duty for snow days since I’m a teacher, so we do snuggly activities during the day. We watch movies, drink lukewarm chocolate (nothing hot for my babies!), dabble in arts and crafts, and of course, we bake.

This time, I happened to have some overripe bananas on the countertop, which could only mean one thing. In a world with bananas and children, there must be banana bread.

Chocolate Raspberry Crumb Bars

January 7, 2015
Mir
Bars n' Brownies
18 Comments

Snow season is here.

As I write this, my school system is on a 2-hour delay and I’m sitting in a very quiet office with a cup of tea at my side and a blanket wrapped around me. Oh, the things I do when students aren’t here. It’s beautiful.

What’s not so beautiful is waking up at the crack of dawn, driving to work on time because you want to beat the awful snow traffic, and then realizing that they haven’t salted or sanded. Oh, the joy of sliding into work along with your other early bird commuters. It’s not okay. And it’s so cold and dark outside.

Cinnamon Breakfast Cake

January 5, 2015
Mir
Cakes, Dessert for Breakfast, Gluten-Free Goodness, Let Them Eat Cake
32 Comments

Happy 2015, everybody!

In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been absent. It was totally beyond my control this time. That flu epidemic the CDC declared the other day found its way into my house. I’ve never been so sick in my life. A week down, unable to do anything but moan. And in the process, my blog just kind of stopped.

But now it’s back, and it’s a new year! Don’t expect me to go with the trend here and start posting healthy recipes. I have very strong feelings about resolutions this time of year. It’s not that I don’t believe in making healthy decisions, but doing it on January 1st is just plain odd. Why would you want to? That date seems to have an alarming failure rate.