Hi! I’m Mir, the deranged chocolate addict and baker behind this site:
I have some serious philosophies about dessert. People think I’m pretty picky about what dessert I will and won’t eat, but I choose to use the word “selective.” Because while I eat dessert every day, I want the experience to be totally worth it. No dry cookies, no cakey brownies, and definitely nothing boring. Dessert should be exciting, innovative, and over the top! Like this:
Sigh. I love truffles.
Or this Big Daddy of a cheesecake:
In my world, baked goods are at their best when they are:
- Chocolate (and fudgy!)
- Gooey
- Yeasty
- Intense
And, of course, when they include peanut butter. But not everyone is with me on that. So from time to time, I promise to publish recipes that involve neither chocolate nor peanut butter. But don’t worry. Sugar will always be a factor!
My life includes a bazillion different elements: my family, my job, my friends, my blah blah blah. I love it all, but I always treasure a moment in solitude with the perfect chocolate chip cookie.
Consider this blog a love letter to baked goods and the creativity that comes with inventing or adapting fabulous desserts.
This place is Just. About. Baked. So here are some of my baking staples and philosophies!
Baking Staples
- sweetened condensed milk (I usually work with fat-free)
- sprinkles of all shapes, colors, sizes
- edible airbrush spray in different colors
- candy melts
- peanut butter
- Nutella
- graham cracker crumbs
- chocolate chips: semi-sweet, milk, white, peanut butter, butterscotch
- Reese’s (mini and full-sized)
- Trader Joe’s peanut butter cups (so tiny!)
- toffee bits
- canned pumpkin
- overripe bananas (cut into chunks and frozen)
- unsweetened cocoa
- heavy cream
- light sour cream
- light cream cheese
- boxed yellow, white and chocolate cake mixes (for doctored recipes)
- bite-size candy (mini Rolos, Snickers, etc.)
- caramel sauce
- hot fudge sauce
- marshmallows
- nuts of different varieties
- Oreos (I use them surprisingly frequently!)
- fleur de sel
Baking Philosophies
1) If it’s too hard, don’t do it. Life is short, and I’d rather have time to read a magazine and bake something simpler than spend the day with a blow torch and some egg whites.
2) Balance is key! Make a crazy decadent dessert, but do little healthier cheats if you can, like using a reduced-fat version of the cream cheese.
3) If you’re baking for small children, lower the decadence factor. Otherwise, they’ll eat two bites and waste the rest. Too sad!
4) There are never too many peanut butter cups. NEVER.
5) Graham cracker crusts should be amazing. Always melt chocolate (white or regular) or peanut butter chips into your crusts, and use brown sugar. It caramelizes the crust and makes it so much better!
6) Salted caramel is good in almost everything. Incorporate it generously.
7) Healthy desserts need to taste just as amazing as their richer counterparts. Otherwise, why bother?
8) If you want to bake seriously, you need a Kitchen Aid or equally high-quality mixer. Simple as that.
9) You also need a microplane zester, a food processor, a blender, a measuring cup that is your absolute favorite, and some great microwave-safe bowls in varying sizes.
10) You cannot be afraid to fail. You will fail more times than you will succeed. You can also not be afraid of new experiences. Buy that mini torch and go crazy!