Peanut Butter-Pretzel Brownies

14. January 2013

Pretzels are a bit of a mystery to me. More specifically, it’s the appeal of pretzels that I don’t get. I don’t dislike them, but I just can’t really seem to get behind them on their own. But, add some pretzels to something more interesting, and now we’re talking.

Little bits of pretzels are mixed into these peanut butter-y brownies to give you little pockets of saltiness. Any shape of pretzel will work for these, but I like to use pretzel rods for bigger salty bites.

Weekly Mix: The Lighter Side

11. January 2013

3 Comments

That beauty is a Salted Caramel Cupcake from Cupcake Crew, who was in my neighborhood earlier this week. Obviously, I haven’t made a strong dieting resolution for 2013.

As Julia Child said, “Everything in moderation, including moderation.” I firmly believe that we all need a little dessert in our lives. Granted, I bake a lot more than most, but I try to keep things in check by having my sample and moving the remainder along to willing taste testers.

If you’re among those who are trying to do a little less indulging in the new year, here are three recipes to bring dessert back into your life.

Hazelnut Date Bread

10. January 2013

8 Comments

Quick breads and other breakfast baked goods are in my top 5 things to bake. I love them fresh from the oven. My not being much of a morning person makes it so they don’t get baked that often. I should really work on that.

I feel that there are two different kinds of quick breads. There are the dessert-level sweet kind. While I like those (hello, gorgeous!), my heart lies with the less sweet ones. Those are the ones that are great for a lazy weekend morning or even an afternoon treat.

Orange Bars

7. January 2013

14 Comments

In all my years of baking, I’m pretty sure I’ve never baked anything with oranges. I really can’t say why, other than that I’m not a huge fan of citrus. Sure, I like it. But, if given the choice, I’ll usually take chocolate.

In any case, I started thinking about the ubiquitous lemon bar and began wondering why oranges don’t get their own bar. So, I decided to give it a shot.

Weekly Mix: The Search for Banana Bread

4. January 2013

11 Comments

Happy first Friday of 2013! That photo above is a good representation of how NYC is looking these days. Gray and wintery. I don’t really mind it. I’ll take it any day over mid-summer misery.

Do you have a list of resolutions for the new year? I don’t really get into that, but I am trying to work on a reasonable list of goals for this year. I am notorious for making completely unrealistic to-do lists, so I’m trying to rein it in and be practical. This time next year, we’ll see how I did.

One of my 2013 projects is the Bake or Break newsletter. The first edition is in the works and should be ready to go soon. If you haven’t signed up yet, you can do so by clicking here.

Recently, I shared the 20 most popular BoB posts of 2012. As I was reviewing those recipes, I got sidetracked, as I often do. I began looking at the most searched recipes that brought people to Bake or Break.

Chocolate-Speckled Salted Shortbread

3. January 2013

12 Comments

I have a slight obsession with shortbread. I’m fascinated by how its simplicity translates into so much flavor.

I also have more than a slight obsession with the combination of sweet and salty. I even dedicated a BoB Collection to that magical fusion of flavors.

These shortbread cookies are the blessed union of those two addictions.

Bake or Break

Archive | January, 2013