My weekend in the kitchen!
This weekend was awesome! I got to play in the kitchen and try some new recipes.
I just got the Baked cookbook and have been looking at the recipes in it. One that I kept coming back to was the Pumpkin Whoopie Pies. Not many people in Texas seem to know what whoopie pies are. The ones I used to get up in the New England states were huge soft chocolate cookies with a vanilla creme sandwiched inside. I always liked them, but they were enormous and the filling always always had that shortening aftertaste. Blech.
So, I change the recipe. Of course. I can't remember the last time I actually made a recipe exactly the way it was written. This recipe called for a cream cheese filling, but I added some fresh orange juice and zest to the cookies as well as the filling. I also added lots of cinnamon to the filling.
I made these pretty small, and I'm glad, because the cookies are really dense. I haven't tried one yet (once I make them, I just want to get rid of them so I have room to bake more). I have passed them out to a few people who seemed to really like them. I'll bring the rest to the warehouse tonight. If enough people like them, I'll post the recipe along with my changes.
Since I had a full weekend, I also had time to make some orange vanilla cupcakes and an apple coffee cake with toffee bits and pecans. I need to do some work on the apple cake. It's good, but could use some improvement before it's fabulous.
I was happy to finally have some time to sit down and play with decorating the cupcakes. I love playing with fondant (thick moldable icing), but it is time-consuming. I happened across the owner of Rounder Pizza on my way in. He saw the cupcakes and asked if I would be interested in making some for the restaurant. Heh....with what time?
Ah, if only I could do this full-time. I'd be able to put so much more effort into it.
I just got the Baked cookbook and have been looking at the recipes in it. One that I kept coming back to was the Pumpkin Whoopie Pies. Not many people in Texas seem to know what whoopie pies are. The ones I used to get up in the New England states were huge soft chocolate cookies with a vanilla creme sandwiched inside. I always liked them, but they were enormous and the filling always always had that shortening aftertaste. Blech.
So, I change the recipe. Of course. I can't remember the last time I actually made a recipe exactly the way it was written. This recipe called for a cream cheese filling, but I added some fresh orange juice and zest to the cookies as well as the filling. I also added lots of cinnamon to the filling.
I made these pretty small, and I'm glad, because the cookies are really dense. I haven't tried one yet (once I make them, I just want to get rid of them so I have room to bake more). I have passed them out to a few people who seemed to really like them. I'll bring the rest to the warehouse tonight. If enough people like them, I'll post the recipe along with my changes.
Since I had a full weekend, I also had time to make some orange vanilla cupcakes and an apple coffee cake with toffee bits and pecans. I need to do some work on the apple cake. It's good, but could use some improvement before it's fabulous.
I was happy to finally have some time to sit down and play with decorating the cupcakes. I love playing with fondant (thick moldable icing), but it is time-consuming. I happened across the owner of Rounder Pizza on my way in. He saw the cupcakes and asked if I would be interested in making some for the restaurant. Heh....with what time?
Ah, if only I could do this full-time. I'd be able to put so much more effort into it.