Lemon-Poppy Pound Cake

Occasionally, my dad comes home from work with a lemon poppyseed cake, a gift from someone he sees every once in a while. Even though I've never met this mysterious cake-giver, I've grown to love her! The cakes are lemony, sweet, full of poppy seeds, and glazed with frosting that melts into the tops. So good! When I got the Flour book, I knew I had to try to make the treat myself! 

My cake ended up unlike the cake-giver's, but still oh so delicious. Where her cake was moist and almost overly sweet, this cake was lighter and more lemony. It had a tight crumb and a beautifully golden top with sweet, but not too sweet, glaze. Perfect with a cup of tea for breakfast or a late night snack, this cake was a hit! However, I think I'll still get excited when my dad surprises me with the cake-giver's cake!

Country Bread

I love bread. If I could only eat one food for the rest of my life, I would choose bread (of course, with some cheese or peanut butter to go with it). After my not-so-successful attempt at focaccia, I was wary of trying again. I'm glad I did though - this bread was fantastic!

This recipe took two days and involved some planning. First, I had to make a "bread sponge," which was a combination of flour, water, and yeast. After waiting a few hours, I had to "feed" the sponge. A very funny experience! By the time I wanted to use it the next day, the sponge had grown and bubbled and had a sticky and strange consistency.

The actual process of making the bread dough was not bad at all! I used the stand mixer to knead the dough, which saved my arms a lot of energy. The only difficult part was waiting while the bread rose! Then, I tossed the loaves into the oven over a dish of water (to produce steam to crisp the crust) and soon my bread was ready. The crust was hard and chewy and the inside was light and delicious. I knew I had done well when I brought it over to a friend's house for dinner and they were surprised to hear that I had made it myself!

Old- Fashioned Coffee Cake

This summer, other than spending hours and hours in the kitchen, I have also volunteered at the Council on Aging (the senior center) in my town. A few weeks ago, when discussing my blog with the director, she asked me to bake something for the Veteran's Breakfast. Of course, since feeding people treats is my favorite pass time, I was excited and jumped at the opportunity. After flipping through Flour, I decided on the Old Fashioned Coffee Cake - perfect for a Veteran's Breakfast. 

This cake was fun to make and tasted wonderful. Nutty, fragrant, and filled with spices, each bite was satisfying and delicious. And of course, it was great with a cup of hot tea or coffee!

Chocolate Meringue Clouds

I think the name of these cookies describes them perfectly. They even look like chocolatey clouds! Homemade meringues have a hard exterior and a chewy and slightly gooey center. They're light, airy, and most importantly, absolutely delicious! With each bite, the meringue crumbles and then melts in your mouth. Perfect. 

These cookies were surprisingly simple to make. All I had to do was beat the egg whites, add a few ingredients, and pop them into the oven. A few hours later, these scrumptious treats were ready! Unfortunately, I think I baked them for too short of a time, since the insides were a little more gooey than I had expected. Oh well, they were still gone within a few days!

Strawberry and Blueberry Muffins

A few days ago, my mom reminded me that I still had strawberries, blueberries, and creme fraiche in the refrigerator, and she wanted me to use them all before they went bad. I flipped through Flour, and found a delicious sounding Raspberry and Rhubarb Muffin recipe. I decided to take a chance and replace the fruit in that recipe for strawberries and blueberries. I also used some Greek yogurt, since I didn't have enough creme fraiche. As I continue to bake, I'm learning how fun it can be to throw something special in, like a different fruit, some yogurt, or maybe an extra dash of vanilla. It hasn't always worked so far, but hey, maybe I'll discover some amazing new treat some day! Luckily, in this case, the muffins were scrumptious. They were fruity, not too sweet, and slightly different than your average muffin. I sprinkled a few with sugar before putting them in the oven, which added an extra surprise. Who knows - maybe my future (and currently imaginary) bakery will have a strawberry and blueberry muffin on the menu!

Vegan Low-Fat Chocolate Cake

One of my best friends is a vegan, so when I saw this recipe for a vegan chocolate cake, I knew I had to make it for her! I was especially excited because the recipe is really easy and fast. In just a few minutes, I mixed together the supposedly healthier ingredients, including molasses, canola oil, and coffee powder. I unfortunately do not own a six-inch pan as the recipe suggested, so I instead used an eight-inch round pan and I planned on checking the cake much earlier. To my surprise, at 25 minutes, the cake seemed done. As I pulled it from the oven, my hand slipped, and I accidentally banged the edge of the pan on the oven rack. Immediately, I knew the cake would sink in the middle and I was mad! Sure enough, five minutes later, the center of the cake began to sink. I guess it's a good lesson to learn, especially since I've now learned it twice!

While the cake did have a big dent in the middle, a little confectioner's sugar slightly hid it, and my friend didn't seem to care too much. When we sat down to eat our "healthy" cake, it was moist, chocolatey, and did not taste low-fat at all. A perfect cake for both of us!

Peanut Butter Cookies

I love peanut butter. I eat sandwiches with it for lunch most days, I put it on bananas or apples, and I often spoon it out of the jar right into my mouth. So, of course, I also love peanut butter cookies.

These cookies are addictive. With all the normal cookie ingredients, like butter, brown sugar, more butter, flour, etc., plus more than a cup of crunchy peanut butter, there's nothing not to love. They're great dipped in milk, after a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or sneaked from the cupboard when no one is looking. And with the signature fork marks on top, they're not too bad to look at! I might just go get one right now...

Chocolate Cupcakes with Crispy Magic Frosting

I think everyone loves cupcakes. There's something about those adorable mini cakes with swirls of frosting on top that is just so appealing. This year for the Fourth of July, I decided to make patriotic chocolate cupcakes. I followed Joanne's recipe for simple cupcakes and then I made her crispy magic frosting and dyed it red, white, and blue. This dessert was both simple and delicious. The cakes were moist, chocolatey, and light, and the frosting was sweet and crispy, just as the name said it would be. I took the cupcakes to a Fourth of July party, and they were a hit among my friends! What's not to love about a festive Fourth of July cupcake? 

Chocolate Cream Puffs

Whenever I went down island with my Mom to go grocery shopping on Martha's Vineyard when I was little, I always made her stop at Humphreys Bakery, one of my favorite places on the island. Mom would order a Turkey Gobbler sandwich, and I'd get my favorite treat - a chocolate eclair. Even though my six year old tummy couldn't finish the whole thing, I'd do my best and then save the rest for later. I haven't had one of those eclairs for years, but I still remember the crisp pastry, the sweet and vanilla-flavored cream, and the rich chocolate frosting on top.

When I saw Joanne's recipe in the Flour book for Chocolate Eclairs/ Cream Puffs, I decided to see if I could recreate my childhood favorite. Since my mom had a surprise party to go to for a friend and needed a dessert, I chose to make cream puffs. I made the pastry batter, piped it into small balls, and popped them in the oven. 45 minutes or so later, the pastries had puffed up to twice their size and were a beautiful golden brown. When they cooled, I poked small holes in the bottom of each puff and piped the "Tropez Cream" into the airy spaces inside. I then dipped each puff into a chocolate ganache.

I think these may be my favorite treat I've made so far. Unfortunately, I only got one quarter of one, since everyone else ate the rest! But, that one bite I got brought me right back to Humphreys, to a sweet treat that made me feel like I was six again.

Double Chocolate Cookies

These cookies are for serious chocolate lovers. There's so much chocolate in each bite that they verge on being fudge or maybe a brownie! They're rich and bittersweet, and the chocolate seems to melt in your mouth. You definitely cannot have just one.

These were the final recipe that I prepared for my Canada trip. Since so many of my friends are as in love with chocolate as I am, I couldn't turn it down. When one of my friends came over the day before our trip, we made these cookies together. I really enjoyed getting to chop chocolate, measure ingredients, and eat cookie dough with a friend!

If you're craving chocolate, this is the recipe for you. It's easy and fun, and the cookies are divinely chocolatey. Make sure to have milk on hand though- they require it!

Chunky Lola Cookies

First of all, could there be a better name for a cookie than a Chunky Lola?

These cookies were another one of my treats that I brought on my trip to Canada with my friends. I wanted to bring something like a chocolate chip cookie, but with more flavors and surprises inside. So, I brought these Flour concoctions, and I added my own little twist! Since one of my friends is allergic to nuts and I don't really like nuts in baked goods anyway, I removed the walnuts from the recipe. In the end, the cookies had bittersweet chocolate, oats, and coconut like the normal recipe, plus white chocolate, which is something I love. These definitely weren't a healthy choice, but they were delicious. Like a good cookie, they were chewy and gooey, but crispy on the edges. Perfect.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake has a bad reputation. When people think of this fruity and sweet cake, I think they conjure images of slimy canned pineapple and dry cake that is served in a fifth grade cafeteria. This cake is definitely not that! It's sweet but not too sweet, flavorful, and a perfect not too dry  or too wet consistency. It's delicious.

I began this cake by cooking sugar and then caramelizing fresh pineapple in it. It took a long time, but by the time the pineapple was cooked, it had become a deep golden brown and full of sweet juicy scrumptiousness. I poured the pineapple and its juices into a pan and topped it with a simple butter cake. When I pulled the cake out of the oven and turned it upside down, the beautiful pineapple covered the top. My family and friends weren't too excited to try my newest creation, but after a few bites, I don't think anyone was complaining! Pineapple Upside-Down Cake definitely needs a new reputation.

Brown Butter Crispy Rice Treats

What is better than a chewy, buttery, marshmallowy rice crispy treat? Not much, I'd say.

Earlier in the summer, I spent a wonderful and relaxing five days in Canada with seven of my friends. Since I'd be away from my kitchen, I decided to make some portable treats that I could bring for my friends. I thought about what would be most delicious and easy to bring, and I decided on these rice crispy treats and also two types of cookies. Check out the other pages on the blog to read about those!

These treats have always been popular. I remember loving when I'd find one in my lunch box as a grade schooler, and I still occasionally munch on those sugary squares in the blue plastic. But these homemade rice crispy treats are infinitely better. I began by adding vanilla bean seeds to melting butter and then browning the mixture. Then, I added in the marshmallows and afterward, the Rice Crispies. And the best part, no oven necessary! Once the treats had cooled, I wrapped them in tin foil and brought them up to Canada. I think each of my friends probably had at least five of them on the first day! If you're looking for a recipe that everyone will love and that you won't have to spend much time on, this is it.

Parmesan and Black Pepper Whole-Wheat Focaccia

When making dinner a few weeks ago, I decided to accompany my pasta with this focaccia recipe. In my head, I was imagining a fragrant and slightly chewy bread with crisped parmesan and spicy black pepper on top. Unfortunately, the bread didn't exactly turn out as planned. Since I was also preparing pasta, rice crispy treats, pineapple upside-down cake, and asparagus soup at the same time, I was a little distracted. I accidentally used too much olive oil, which probably changed the consistency. Also, I slightly over-baked the focaccia. One of the most important lessons I've learned so far this summer is that since ovens differ so much, like how ours generally is at least 25 degrees hotter, it is important to check early and often!

In the end, this bread was decent, though not anything too special. Dipped in olive oil, it was a fine accompaniment to the pasta and it ended up making pretty good croutons in a salad the next day. I'm definitely not giving up on focaccia though - there's another recipe in the book and I plan on trying it soon, and hopefully with better success!

Intense Chocolate Brownies

During my senior year of high school, I baked brownies almost every Sunday. I could assemble a Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate mix in about two minutes and have delicious chocolate scents floating through the house in an hour. Each Monday morning, I brought the brownies into school and sold them at the weekly community service club bake sale. They were a hit. If I forgot to bring them in one week, I would surely be reminded by a few angry students. So, when I got my Flour cookbook, I knew I had to try the brownie recipe. Could it be better than Ghirardelli?

Melting the chocolate in a double boiler

This recipe was a fun one. I first had to chop lots of chocolate and melt it in a double boiler. Unfortunately, the only bittersweet chocolate in the pantry had almonds in it.  After lots of mixing and combining, I poured the delicious chocolatey batter into a glass pan and baked it for about 30 minutes. As usual, the mouth-watering scent of chocolate filled the kitchen just as it did with Ghirardelli brownies. I popped them out of the oven, and told my family to at least wait until they cooled to try them.

After much consideration and many opinions, I've decided that while these brownies are delicious, Ghirardelli takes the cake. Ghirardelli mixes are just so easy, so chocolatey, and so dependably the right consistency. I'm not saying that I wouldn't suggest this recipe, since the brownies were oozy and rich, but in my book, Ghirardelli is the way to go.

Unfortunately, due to a computer crash, I don't have any final pictures of the brownies. Sorry!