Bake or Break

Kitchen Sink Brownies

I’ve made what most of us think of as Kitchen Sink Cookies many, many times. I do believe, though, that this is my first foray into Kitchen Sink Brownies. How this never happened before now is a mystery. I love the idea, and now that I’ve tried them, I can’t believe I waited so long..

Continue reading...

Butter Pecan Shortbread

Shortbread is one of the simple joys of the baking world. Usually, there are just a handful of ingredients. The effort is minimal. And, the simple flavors are just right.

Of course, throw some pecans into something, and I’m definitely on board. So, with those few ingredients and very little time, I had this shortbread in the oven. My kitchen was filled with the delightful aroma of buttery cookies and toasted pecans.

Continue reading...

Salted Caramel Pecan Bars

I generally have some hesitation in sharing super-easy recipes like this one. Then, I have an internal discussion with myself about how we all need to have a collection of embarrassingly easy sweets to make when we are lacking in time and/or inclination. After that, I end up sharing them with you with some near-apology about how easy they are.

While there is baking involved with these, it’s not in the traditional sense. No flour, just a few ingredients, and very little mixing. Store-bought graham crackers get things started by providing a crust. Add to that a sweet mixture of buttery pecans, and that’s all that’s required to get these ready for baking.

Continue reading...

Peanut Butter Mud Bars

I’ve been re-visiting some of my favorite cookbooks lately. I don’t have a vast collection, but it’s large enough that some get a little lost occasionally. The positive side to that is that when you find a formerly lost one, it’s a bit like getting a new cookbook… for free!

I happened upon this recipe while re-discovering The Buttercup Bakeshop Cookbook. Of course, it had me at peanut butter. Then, I read the description that stated that these are a favorite at the bakery. With that kind of endorsement, I started rounding up ingredients. Luckily, these are all ingredients that most of us probably have in our pantries all the time.

Continue reading...

Fleur de Sel Chocolate Chip Blondies

If the baking lords ever decide the whole sweet and salty thing is played out, please don’t tell me. I’d rather live in oblivion, happily eating salty, sweet treats.

These blondies are a very fine example of how sweet and salty play well together. First of all, you have brown sugar blondies that can barely contain all the chocolate chips in them. Then, that’s topped off with lots of beautiful sea salt.

Continue reading...

Black Bottom Brownies

When we moved to New York just over a year ago, I was forced to whittle down my cookbook collection. Believe me, losing 3000 square feet of living space will make you whittle down a lot of things. I spent a lot of time and thought considering what books would make the cut.

My collection is about 85% baking books. One of my favorite kinds of baking books is bakery cookbooks. To me, those are just the best. I’m pretty sure all of those made the cut. An old favorite of mine is The Sweet Melissa Baking Book. From that book, I share with you these brownies.

Continue reading...