Welcome to a different rendition of my Newest Recipe Testing collection!
By no means have I been within the kitchen a lot, so typically, and with so many flops. It’s a numbers recreation. I’m presently testing recipes for proper now, for the vacation baking season, and for my cookbook. So, I’m sure to have extra recipe disasters, proper?
Over the previous a number of years, as the vacation baking season turns into an increasing number of distinguished on my web site, I’ve realized that I gained’t be capable to sustain except I’ve a inventory of content material able to go. My web site sees probably the most web site visitors from September via December, and I need to benefit from the need for fall and vacation baking! Final 12 months I printed about 30 brand-new recipes throughout that point, and I plan for a similar quantity of content material this 12 months.
I have already got 4 achieved!
So proper now, my group and I are balancing recipes for 3 completely different time frames. It’s been arduous to mentally arrange when leaping between adorning Valentine’s Day cookies for now, photographing pies for Pie Week later within the 12 months, and growing new recipes for my cookbook, which gained’t come out till 2024 or 2025.
We dedicate 1 week per 30 days to every of the three. That’s one of the best ways I’ve discovered to compartmentalize all this content material!
Bran Muffins That Don’t Style Like Cardboard
One of many first initiatives I labored on this 12 months was my recipe for wholesome bran muffins. I performed round with the quantity of wheat bran, flour, and liquid just a few instances till I reached a pleasant steadiness of hearty and delicate, with out tasting like cardboard. (At all times a pleasant bonus.)
One of many check batches was tasty, however the batter was fairly skinny and the ensuing muffins have been squat and greasy. Including a bit of extra flour bulked up the batter, and the ultimate batch was successful.
Saucy Blueberry Sauce & Lemon Cheesecake
The primary photograph on this publish is my blueberry sauce topping. This one didn’t want an excessive amount of testing, as I used the swirl from this blueberry swirl cheesecake and topping from this blueberry cream cheese pie as my start line. I added significantly extra water so the sauce is, effectively, saucy. 😉
I even have a brand new recipe for lemon cheesecake on my web site. For this recipe, I used my key lime cheesecake as the bottom, and infused the sugar with lemon zest for additional taste. This was simple to check as effectively—I really like making cheesecake.
The Unimaginable Shrinking Cake
I developed this chocolate raspberry cake primarily for the raspberry filling, by in style demand. Through the years I’ve obtained numerous requests for a raspberry cake filling recipe, and now the reply is… sure, I’ve one!!
I primarily based the chocolate cake batter on this recipe for darkish chocolate peanut butter cake, however by chance used 8-inch pans as a substitute of 9-inch pans. Whereas this normally isn’t an enormous deal—simply want to regulate the bake time—I truly overfilled the 8-inch pans, which did nothing in my favor. The cake layers baked up within the strangest means and regarded like brains. Completely unintentional, however perhaps I’m onto one thing for Halloween? LOL.
The desserts rose up, sank down within the facilities, and completed with unhappy crinkle-wrinkle facilities. The lesson right here is: don’t overfill your cake pans, and use the beneficial cake pan measurement.
Baking does require utilizing your mind (particularly when doing the maths for cake pan sizes and conversions!), however desserts that look like brains have been undoubtedly not what I used to be going for.
Nice information… you may bake a non-brain cake by following my chocolate raspberry cake recipe. 😉
Strawberry Cream-Stuffed Chocolate Cupcakes
My recipe for chocolate-covered strawberry cupcakes was initially printed in 2018. I lately modified the chocolate cupcake batter so it matches my cream-filled chocolate cupcakes. (That are fairly probably one of the best cupcakes I’ve ever made, and I stand agency on that.) The up to date batter merely bakes up stronger, and holds the strawberry buttercream a bit of higher. They’re deeply chocolatey and additional moist. Like Hostess cupcakes, with a strawberry twist.
In case you cherished the outdated model, the batter matched these chocolate cupcakes!
Getting a Head Begin on Sally’s Cookie Palooza 2023
I’m actually excited to publish a recipe for gingerbread cookie bars later this 12 months. My first batch was supremely flavorful and spiced (simply what I needed!), however the texture was utterly off. They have been fluffy and cake-like, as for those who have been consuming a heavy sq. of gingerbread cake:
I had an excellent feeling concerning the cookie dough, although. It’s just like my chewy chocolate chip cookies, and so I made a decision to scale back the flour and bake the dough in a bigger pan. The bars have been thinner, which made them flatter and chewier. That is simply what I needed: dense, chewy, moist, spiced, excellent.
That recipe is coming in December. Informed you I used to be getting forward!
Nonetheless on a ginger molasses kick, I made a decision to bake a batch of those white chocolate chip molasses cookies in hopes to replace the pictures. Effectively, I forgot to set the oven timer, took a cellphone name, forgot they have been within the oven, turned the oven off, then 2 hours later preheated the oven for one thing else.
As my assistant, Beth, and I went to place some bread within the oven, we discovered a baking sheet of lumpy hockey pucks. The cookies baked as supposed, after which continued their oven journey because the oven cooled down, and preheated once more. I’m unhappy to report that they didn’t survive the whirlwind journey.
Oven timers… time and time once more… show to be helpful. 😉
Q: Have you ever had a recipe fail these days?
Cookbook Sneak Peek
My subsequent cookbook is effectively underway, and it’s untitled in the meanwhile! This baking cookbook will probably be my greatest but. 100 baking recipes divided amongst chapters together with yeast bread, breakfast, cookies, desserts, fast breads, cupcakes, and extra. The guide will probably be principally new and unique recipes to the guide, and also will embrace a handful of the most well-liked recipes on my web site. Will probably be good to have them professionally printed in a tangible guide!
My manuscript deadline is a 12 months away, after which the guide will proceed within the modifying and design phases earlier than heading to print. Thanks upfront on your endurance. That is the primary time I’ve written such a big manuscript, whereas concurrently managing workers, working a big web site, and elevating youngsters!
And looking for time to relaxation and recharge so my artistic juices proceed to move!
The newest cookbook recipe I examined was a spin on my buttermilk biscuits. Suppose bacon, spicy honey, cheddar cheese, and chives. My knees truly went weak on the first style. And also you’ll get pleasure from recipes for delicate jalapeño bread, deeply chocolate cheesecake, one other recipe for chewy molasses cookies (I’m on a kick!), and you’ll wager these in style banana muffins will make an look. I can’t wait to share extra with you! Keep tuned.