Zucchini Sweet Potato Bread
Did you know that they sell quick bread box mixes in grocery stores!? I think that’s so strange. Fake flour, loads of sugar, and ultra dehydrated blueberries in a box to be mixed with water and eggs. This concerns me… deeply. Exactly how quick does a quick bread have to be to make it in this world?
I think homemade quick breads are dreamy. With enough creativity and guts, you can throw just about anything into a quick bread and call it delicious. This go around I tried zucchini and sweet potato. The combination produced a full and unique flavor: not too heavy on the zucchini or sweet potato flavors. And of course, because I’m me, I also loaded the bread with spices, nuts and cranberries. You can modify if to your taste, I make room for that in the recipe. Because, yes, I care.
Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream with Hot Fudge
I know. I’ve been coming up with some pretty strange combinations lately. This ice cream and hot fudge combination may be the strangest yet. Remember that homemade hot fudge sauce from last week? Well, after trying it on nearly everything in my kitchen, it seemed that the proper thing to do was make some ice cream. Blueberry sour cream ice cream sounded perfect for the approaching summer, and I crossed my fingers that it would work with hot fudge.
The combination was unusual, but fantastic!! The ice cream is a beautiful blue purple, and the blueberry flavors are highlighted by the light, slight tang of the sour cream. Smothering that mess in dark chocolate hot fudge adds a depth and richness to the light ice cream. It’s absolutely delicious! Like one of those fancy, strange sounding desserts at a hip and trendy restuarant. Continue reading »
Frozen, Recipes | Comments (19)Vanilla Strawberry Ice Cream Treat and Cookie Giveaway Winners
Thanks to all of you for the kind words in my cookie giveaway. I’m so glad I could lure some of you silent readers out into the commenting world with the chance at free cookies!
And the winners of fresh baked, express mail, Red Velvet Black and White Cookies are:
Megan of Meganscooking
Jennifer who is pregnant and probably really needs some black and whites
Tara who’s sister is a wiz at apron making
and Whitney in Chicago. Good luck on your big test!!
I’ll be baking this week and ship those cookies off to you all soon. And don’t fret, there are more yummy giveaways coming soon. I just can’t help myself!
What’s the strawberry treat above? It’s a simple and surprisingly delicious dessert. A bowl of quality vanilla ice cream, topped with sliced strawberries and drizzled with good aged balsamic vinegar. I know it sounds a little crazy, but it’s a pretty incredible, fresh, perfect for summer dessert. Go out on a limb and try this one. Do it for me.
Frozen, Thoughts | Comments (14)Thank You! Want a Cookie?
Please allow me to take a break from the usual photo and recipe post to tell you all how fabulous you are!
I only started Joy the Baker about 5 months ago. In those short months, I have connected with fellow food lovers from around the world. The response has been truly heart warming. The praise, support and inspiration has really changed my life.
Thank you! Thank you for visiting so loyally. Thank you for reading, drooling and commenting. Thank you for trying my recipes and telling me about your successes and oopsies. Thank you for all of the laughs and inspiration that you have unknowingly provided me.
The only real way to say thank you is with cookies. These Red Velvet Black and White Cookies have gone off the charts in their popularity on this site. So, three lucky Joy the Baker readers will find these little beauties in their mail boxes- a thank you from me to you! All you have to do is a leave a comment on this post, and I’ll pick at least three random names, ship them off, and you’ll enjoy cookies! Go on, leave me a comment. Tell me something good.
Thanks again for all of your support! It means so much to me!
Cookies, Thoughts | Comments (89)Black Raspberry Muffins
I’m a sucker for treats warm out of the oven. But really, who isn’t!? One of my favorite things to burn my mouth on is muffins fresh out of the oven. I thought I’d treat myself to some classic blueberry muffins, but when I saw frozen black raspberries in the grocery store, classic blueberry went right out the window. The raspberries add loads of flavor and tons of sexy purple black coloring. These muffins are perfect, fresh out of the oven for a weekend breakfast, and then freeze well for a mid week breakfast treat. And I sure do like my breakfast treats. I can’t help myself.
Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce
I made some glorious dark chocolate hot fudge this afternoon. In the 20 minutes it took me to whip it up, I looked around the kitchen and found countless things to douse in hot fudge.
Sliced bananas were a clear choice. Simple and delicious and showed off the richness of the warm dark chocolate. Ice cream is an obvious choice, but you’ll have to hold your breath for a future post on that.
And then…. I started to lose my mind in hot fudge land. How about hot fudge on black raspberry muffins? cold cereal? crackers? sour dough bread? jasmine rice? waffles?
Yea. I know. A little out of control. It’s just that this sauce was so easy to make, and seems to versatile.
What’s your favorite thing to smother in hot fudge?
Frozen, Recipes | Comments (23)Whole Wheat Banana Walnut Pancakes with Vanilla-Brown Sugar Syrup
I love waking up about half an hour early on Wednesdays to make pancakes for breakfast. They really take very little time to throw together, and they make a world of difference to my day. I can’t save my pancakes only for special weekend breakfasts. Sometimes (every Wednesday) I need that weekend indulgence before I throw on the chef’s coat and dive into the big kitchen.
Whole Wheat Banana Walnut Pancakes are surprisingly light, healthy, and keep me full well into the afternoon. Drizzled with homemade Vanilla-Brown Sugar Syrup and served with a side of fresh fruit, I can indulge in the comforts of a lazy Sunday morning, even on a daunting weekday.
Breakfast, Recipes | Comments (13)Super Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ok… with this recipe I’ve totally been busted. It’s late April and here I am with a pumpkin post. That can only mean one thing- I’ve had a can of pumpkin in my pantry since last Thanksgiving. Absurd! I know! That little pumpkin gem must have gotten pushed to the back of the line in the past few months. Well, it’s seen the light of day in these most delicious cookies.
These Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are a combination of cookie, cake and pancake and quick bread. They’re super soft, moist and cakey. They’re full of pumpkin and spice flavor, and the chocolate just sends them over the top.
I know I can’t be the only one with a lonely can of pumpkin in the pantry. These cookies are a simple and delicious was to celebrate that forgotten can! Throw some vanilla ice cream in, and life has suddenly improved. It’s as easy as that!
Old School Fudge Brownies with walnuts
There are countless reason why I love making brownies. All they require is a bowl and wooden spoon. They’re moist and satisfy that deep chocolate craving. But more sentimentally, brownies are one of the first things I remember making with my sister growing up. We’d take out one bowl, one pan, follow the directions on the back of the unsweetened chocolate box, and about 45 minutes later- warm brownies! We’d burn our fingers trying to get the hot brownies out of the pan. But it was worth it to sit down with a plate of warm brownies and cold milk to watch episode after episode of I Love Lucy. Those were the days. These old school Fudge Brownies with walnuts and chocolate chunks were made in an effort to reach back to those days eating brownies on the living room floor with my sister. The amazing thing is that one bite into the warm chocolate took me right back to being 10 years old, baking with my sister. It’s pretty remarkable what a brownie can do! Continue reading »
Cakes, Recipes | Comments (22)Blackberry Peach Bread Pudding with toasted pecans
Bread pudding exists in the sweet space between breakfast and dessert. With all of the milk in the recipe, bread pudding feels like eating the most ridiculously rich breakfast cereal. I suppose for most people, it’s a bonafide dessert. Perhaps I’m just trying to find as many ways as possible to eat dessert for breakfast.
I’ll admit, I only recently warmed up to bread pudding. My Dad absolutely loves the stuff, so I was inspired to create my own. I think I had this conception that bread pudding was simply soggy bread mixed with cinnamon, milk and raisins. Not so! This dish can be made with as many combinations as you can dream up. With this recipe, I wrestled my preconceived notions of bread pudding to the ground. I decided to combine bread pudding and cobbler. I know… pretty awesome! Now we’re getting into the realm of respectable breakfasts… or desserts.
Bread, Breakfast, Recipes | Comments (4)Cranberry Orange Almond Oatmeal
I’m a huge breakfast fanatic. I usually go for something hearty, healthy and full of surprise goodies. That’s not to say that I don’t sometimes reach for a donut and some coffee, but this go around I opted for old-fashioned oatmeal with the gorgeous flavors of cranberry, orange and almond. I threw in a bit of brown sugar for good measure, and surrounded my oatmeal with cold milk. It was a delightful breakfast- satisfying but not too heavy. It’s the kind of breakfast that convinces you you’re ready to take on the world. Brilliant Continue reading »
Breakfast, Recipes | Comments (19)Baker’s Day Off- At Disneyland
It’s hard to remember why my family went to Disneyland this past weekend. It could have been because my sister was in Los Angeles from San Francisco. It could have been because my aunt and uncle were generous enough to share their free tickets. But in all honesty, I think the real reason for our Disneyland excursion was the hot apple fritters, churros, and hot fudge sundaes.
I don’t know anyone else who goes to Disneyland for the food. Just admitting that feels kinda gross and perverse. Gross or not, it’s the truth of my family. Forget pictures with Mickey, we want a picture at the churro stand. So silly, and strangely true.
Thoughts | Comments (6)Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake
Chocolate and orange are like a dream to me. Although my dream last night had nothing to do with chocolate and orange, and everything to do with watching some bizarre alley cat trying to eat giant hissing grasshoppers, or something. I woke up wanting a thick slice of this cake for breakfast. You know, to make everything right in the world again. It’s that simple.
Cakes, Recipes | Comments (26)The Sweetest Week- Ever. Strawberries
I’m so thrilled about strawberries season, I can barely contain myself! It’s still early in the season and I’ve already had my way with many berries. Oh the possibilities are limitless! Summer produce offers so many possibilities, it’s my favorite food season. And peaches! Don’t even get me started on peach season. That’s when I’ll get into some real trouble!
It seems that strawberry fever is spreading across blog land. Here are a few of my favorite strawberry entries this week.
Miri of Room4Dessert made a Strawberry and Cheese Mousse Tart. With the bright red beauty of the strawberries, the tart looks absolutely irresistible. So much yum! And beautiful photos too!
Pastry Studio experimented with Strawberry Balsamic Sherbet. It seems to have to simplicity of strawberry sorbet with a touch of good balsamic and cream to accentuate the beauty of the fruit. Brilliant!
And lastly, Helene of Tartelette always brings the goods. She’s incredible. This week she delighted with Ice Cold Lemon Strawberry Fraisiers. The dessert has three parts: Meyer lemon pound cake, Grand Marnier mousseline, and sliced strawberries. Yea… it’s a serious time commitment, but just beautiful!
Week's Best | Comments (3)
Lemon Whoopie Pies
Forget about saving room for dessert. One of these lemon whoopie pies is a whole meal in itself! These beauties are not the delicate, petite, wallflower cookie. They bake up into a beast of a cookie. They’re doubley soft, cakey cookie goodness filled with a lemony cream cheese filling.
These are not a snacking cookie. They’re a “sit down and shut up and eat your freakin cookie” cookie. That’s not too hard to do, right?
Cookies, Recipes | Comments (32)Old Fashioned Chocolate Pudding
Sometimes I just need the comfort of pudding to make things right in my world. There is something about the smooth texture, slight chill and sweet chocolate goodness that can ease anything from extracted wisdom teeth to a broken heart. It can even ease the pain of a crazy concoction your Mom may have tried to pass off as dinner.
I would say that this pudding is also comforting because it’s the way Mom used to make… but my Mom never actually made pudding. It’s fine really, no hard feelings! I have oodles of love for my Mom. Hot dog casserole was more her kitchen niche. And even that sometimes turned out purple. I think the purple had something to do with cabbage, which is totally bad news. As if hot dog casserole isn’t bad enough news. Oh Mom. She’ll never live down that tragic dinner.
Now, back to the chocolate!
Red Velvet Black and White Cookies
Ok, you might need to sit down for this one. This is going to be good. I don’t know where to start with these cookies. Red Velvet Black and White Cookies- they brilliantly combine the tradition of black and white cookies with the near religion that is red velvet cake. The cookie is soft, moist and cakey, and the frosting… shut up! They were SO incredibly good… and this is coming from me… I practically eat cookies for a living!
When it comes to Black and White Cookies, I think I have a problem. They are absolutely my favorite cookie in the world. I like Black and White Cookies more than I like…. I dunno: puppies. Yea, and who doesn’t like puppies!? So it’s pretty serious.
Cookies, Recipes, Snacks | Comments (38)Gooey Chocolate Cakes
It’s Tuesday and I’m back with Dorie. She and I had broken up for a few weeks- some misunderstanding with snails and flan, but we’ve got it all sorted out. A love like ours, afterall, couldn’t be denied for long. So we’re back and better than ever with a gooey chocolate love to show for it!
Cakes, Cupcakes, Recipes, Tuesdays With Dorie | Comments (33)The Sweetest Week- Ever.
There were some pretty incredible and edible things going on in blog world this week. Here are a few of my favorite sweet treats!
Food Rocks Man made the most beautiful Blanc Manger with Strawberries and Sponge Cake. It looks light, delicate and flawless. I love the way he took an great Dorie Greenspan recipe and made it his own. He rocks. I can’t lie.
Mevrouw Cupcake made rustic Buttermilk Biscuits. The picture literally made my mouth water. Throw in some butter and jam and I’d be set for life. Seriously… for life. Mari says it’s the only biscuit recipe I’ll ever need, and from the looks of the photo, I’m inclined to believe her.
Holly at Phemomenon put together a dangerous combination- Raspberry Spiked Brownies and Vanilla Frozen Custard. The dark chocolate brownies are dotted with fresh raspberries and the vanilla ice cream is too rich to be called ice cream, so Holly calls it a frozen custard. Heaven! My reason #78 to get out of bed in the morning- warm brownies and vanilla ice cream, so clearly this entry was one of my favorites.
Thanks for the great recipes and inspiration. It’s a sweet life!
Week's Best | Comments (5)Yes, there’s pie under all that goodness.
Ok everyone… take a deep breath. It’s time for pie!
This beast of a pie is Peabody’s Grandmother’s Lime Conspiracy Pie with marshmallows.
It is a result of the convergence of several things in my mind and in my pantry.
A friend mentioned a pie topped with tiny colorful marshmallows. Sounds like a great idea, right? On the same day, Peabody posted a recipe for the most amazing and bizarre lime jello salad. The fruity marshmallows were on sale at the grocery and the rest of the ingredients practically jumped out of the pantry. I put everything on hold. I just had to make this pie.
And then, this pie took on a life of it’s own. I felt like Dr Frankenstein, except my pie didn’t learn compassion or love. Nonetheless it sat there in my fridge with it’s colorful marshmallows and sweet oozing topping, practically begging to be touched up and gawked at. And what a camera whore… don’t even get me started on that!
Recipes, pie | Comments (14)Two Bite Chocolate Chunk Muffins
Remember those Low Fat Chocolate Muffins I was working on last week? Well I’ve found a winner! These Two Bite Chocolate Chunk Muffins are sure to satisfy that nagging chocolate craving. Now, if you have a craving for something like… I dunno… dark chocolate cheesecake with extra thick hot fudge, then I suggest you kindly decline one of these muffins and go find that cheesecake. That sounds like a no nonsense craving. But if a light, chocolatey bite is just what you need, then these will certainly do the trick.
Breakfast, Recipes | Comments (15)What’s the best salt for baking?
It’s possible that you’ve never even considered the question of salt, but salt in an essential component in baking. Sure, you may only add 1/2 a teaspoon at a time to your baked goods, but don’t take salt for granted! Salt accentuates the flavor of bakes goods. It particularly enhances the flavors of butter, and flour, and salt works wonders in a recipe with chocolate!
In bread baking, salt helps the gluten hold more water and carbon dioxide. Did you know that it also creates a stronger and tighter crumb.
There are three major types of salt in stores. How do you choose?
Jump on over, let’s talk salt!
Tips and Tricks | Comments (24)Granola Bar Experiment Turned Ooey Gooey Breakfast Cereal
It all started out so beautiful and promising- with diced dried fruit, wholesome nuts and old-fashioned oats. I was my day away from the bakery, and I thought I’d use my kitchen to experiment with homemade granola bars. I seem to have trouble eating normally, standing on my feet all day, working in front of a mixing bowl. I notice that I’ll turn occasional bites of dough into a meal. To help solve my intake dilemma, I thought I’d make granola bars to have on hand when hunger strikes but break time does not.I had the greatest of intentions, and the stickiest of results. Continue reading »
Breakfast, Snacks | Comments (18)Strawberry Ricotta Cupcakes
This morning I started the day thinking about Easter as a child. It was the holiday as exciting as Christmas. There were personalized Easter baskets filled with candies and chocolates on a bed of fake plastic grass. There was always some sort of delicious ham and potato meal And the Easter egg hunt. Oh… the hunt! The hunt is the sole reason I could sit through church is my Easter dress, itchy tights and Sunday shoes. It was my little sister and I tearing through the house and backyard trying to find as many plastic eggs as we could. It was brutal, and there was no mercy. Flower beds were trampled, the house cat was scared from its house, tears were shed… it was the hunt, and it was serious. The coveted Easter eggs to find of the hunt were the silent one. Silent? Yes! Without the rattle of little chocolate candies, we knew those particular eggs were filled with cash. Oh how my sister and I would fight for those eggs. Thinking about it now, I have to shake my head at what greedy little children we must have been. Continue reading »
Cupcakes, Holiday, Recipes | Comments (16)Corn and Orange- the muffin
Can I get away with calling this an Easter muffin? Easter bunnies eat corn. Don’t they? Well, if they existed, they’d eat corn… right?
Didn’t Bugs Bunny eat corn? No, that was carrots. Oh crap. It was carrots, not corn. And here I am with Corn and Orange Muffins on Easter weekend.
I’ll admit, this is a little awkward.
And now I just feel silly. Carrots. Not corn.
Breakfast, Recipes | Comments (9)Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
I often find myself with several bags of chocolate chips roaming freely in my cabinets. Today I found large milk chocolate chips, mini semi-sweet chips and white chocolate chips. When I bake cookies, I usually chop chocolate from a large bar of good chocolate, so it’s strange that I would find so many varieties of chips in my life. Well, life gave me chips, and I made cookies. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Cookies, Recipes | Comments (19)
Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream
I’ll be the first to admit that I have gotten prematurely excited about strawberry season. I’ve already played with strawberry sugar paper, and here I am with strawberry ice cream. It’s not even April! Strawberries aren’t at their peak flavor yet, but I see baskets of them in every market I visit. I just can’t help myself, so I buy and I bake. I should tell you now- it’s going to be a long berry season. Long, glorious and delicious!
Frozen, Recipes | Comments (17)Baker’s Day Off
I took a day away from the kitchen yesterday, yet still found myself with a cupcake in hand. It figures-I’m never too far away from a sweet treat, whether it’s baked by me or one of my favorite Los Angeles bakeries.
This mini chocolate raspberry cupcake is from Vanilla Bake Shop in Santa Monica. It’s a chocolate cupcake with raspberry jam filling and a dark chocolate ganache frosting. There seemed to be more jam than cake in this cupcake, but the frosting was thick, rich and incredibly delicious.
Vanilla Bake Shop has the most darling array of mini cupcakes. This is called Mom’s Birthday Cake. It’s delicious, with golden cake and buttery chocolate frosting. All in flavors remind me of something that would come out of my Dad’s oven- banana cake, red velvet cake, spiced carrot cake. All the options are apporachable, and elevated with a clean and hip design. Good things are happening at Vanilla, and at $5 for 3 mini cupcakes, these treats feel like a pretty sweet deal.
Besides cupcakes, I found the most delicious (oh how I wish they were edible) bath confections.
Cupcakes, Thoughts | Comments (12)Low Fat Chocolate Muffins Bites
I know, low fat!? I’m trying something different. I’m trying to make low fat muffins balls for those out of control chocolate cravings. I’ve made these muffins an easy snacking option- 2 muffins balls are 100 calories. Good, right!? These muffins are dressed up with whole wheat flour, part skim ricotta cheese and dark chocolate chunks. It’s a recipe I’ve developed myself, and for that reason, the recipe is a work in progress. I’m certain that I need more cocoa powder, and maybe light sour cream instead of ricotta cheese. I just wanted to let you disciplined dieters know that I’m working on something delicious for you… I’m working on it. To be continued…
Breakfast, Thoughts | Comments (11)Apricot Cornmeal Cookies
Slice and bake sugar cookies are so much fun to play around with. If you can dream it up, you can throw it in sugar cookies. This time around I chose sweet dried apricots and cornmeal for crunch.
I always have a log of sugar cookie dough stashed in the freezer for those moments when I need a quick birthday gift. Note about me: I terrible at remembering birthdays. I absolutely LOVE birthdays, but selfishly, only seem to remember my own. I’m pretty sure this makes me a jerk. For this, I am sorry.
Cookies, Recipes | Comments (6)
