Peanut Butter Raisin

My brother gave me the "Cookie Bible" for my birthday last year. I made the crunchy peanut butter cookie recipe in it and added some raisins for good fun.

Crunchy Raisin Peanut Butter Cookies

Recipe:

1/2 cup butter at room temperature, diced

3/4 cup firmly packed soft light brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup crunchy peanut butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 baking soda

pinch of salt

1/3 cup raisins

1. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy

2. In another bowl, mix egg and vanilla, gradually beat into butter mixture

3. Stir in peanut butter and blend thoroughly. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir into mixture to form soft dough. Fold in raisins. Chill dough for at least 30 minutes until firm.

4. Preheat oven to 350F/Gas 4. lightly grease two baking sheets.

5. Spoon out rounded teaspoonfuls of dough and roll into balls.

6. Place balls on baking sheets and press flat with a fork, into rounds about 2 in in diameter. Bake for about 12 minutes or until lightly colored.

A New Year, A New Pancake

Happy New Year! 2010 was brought in with some pumpkin spice pancakes with chocolate chips.

I'm going to try to include recipes with all my posts this year. Some will be links if the recipe isn't my own.

Pancake recipe

Extra touch:

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/4 tsp cinnamon

How Divine, 2009

Well, exactly one year ago I made my first serious New Years resolution. "Bake weekly to take a break from digital design work, and to make more opportunities to create with my hands."

It's been 365 days now, I started this blog along the way, baked 46 out of 52 weeks this year, creating about 52 different baked good creations. So thanks to everyone who has supported this journey of mine, taste testers, fellow bakers and decorators.

This experience has influenced me more than I had imagined it would. Following the completion of my BFA this spring, I'll be relocating to NYC to pursue an education in Baking and Pastry Arts. My senior degree project is based around the experience of baked goods through the 5 senses, and I interned at a food, wine, and travel magazine this summer. So I hope you've enjoyed my baking as much as I have, and hope you'll continue following this blog into a new year.

There are no resolutions in 2010, I think I'm on the path I want to be on. So here's to a new year, let it be as sweet as the last.

<3

Merry Christmas

Santa brought me a vintage cake stand for Christmas this year. It might weigh 50 lbs, but it's a beauty. I was so excited to use it, I had friends over for a chili dinner this past Tuesday.

It holds a Mexican Chocolate cake with Chocolate ganache, dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon. While it looked great and everyone else liked it, I myself was not a fan. Something about cayenne pepper messing with my chocolate. I also ate it after a bowl of chili, so that might have something to do with my bias. Regardless, it was a lovely way to wrap up a year of baking.

Mexican Chocolate Cake with chocolate ganache, powdered sugar and cinnamon

The Holidays are Here

Christmas cupcakes for the Rezza family. They all connected with the string of lights to make a tree or wreath. Katie had let me use her printer for some final projects, so I made some festive cupcakes for her family.

Chocolate Cake with Buttercream frosting and Peanut M&Ms.

Type Show

The Graphic Design Society asked me to bake something up for their "Type Show." I hadn't worked with chocolate in a while so I decided to make letters for the top of the cupcakes. I can't remember exactly, but I'm pretty sure Futura, Gill Sans, and Sabon are represented here. They actually made up an artist label to put next to them with my name and title, "Cake Therapy."

Vegan Chocolate with Buttercream Frosting and Milk Chocolate Letters

Bakery Packaging

This semester I have been taking a papermaking course. For our final sharing project, I created these little boxes made of recycled brown bag, and sisal fibers with coffee grounds and cookies 'n' cream sprinkles. I pulled the brown bag sheets in a vat of hot chocolate. The test was to see if I could get the scent to dry with the paper and enhance the experience of the cakes inside. Unfortunately, the scent left after a day, but the boxes were still cute!

I made mini vegan chocolate cupcakes with an almond and dab of chocolate on top. (sorry for the sideways photo.)

This experiment is part of my research for my degree project next semester. I'd like to explore the idea of experiencing baked goods using the 5 senses. I want to create a relationship between the packaging and the product, deeper than that of a protective outer.

Vegan Chocolate with Almond