While I can make a pretty mean chili, salsa that can melt the paint off a house, homemade soup bowls to fill with dreams, and a good many other dishes I picked up along the way… baking is my passion!
Not just baking, but desserts mainly… and not just desserts… I LOVE COOKIIIIEEEESSSSS!
I am well versed in baking most types of cookies, but my most highly prized handheld delight would by my secret recipe of ………………..
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
These are not just anybody’s cookies, but my own twisted version. While I won’t tell you the exact recipe, I will say that it mostly has to do with HOW I bake them, more so than all my secret stuff I throw in before baking the dreamy mouthfuls.
Let me just say that I have perfected the art of perfect oven temperature, yummy ingredients, and a sore back from standing bent over in front of the oven, and watching for the perfect moment to pull em…
They come out golden brown and crispy on the surface, but when you break them open they are perfectly ooey gooey on the inside… A tall glass of milk is a must for these, as I forgot to mention that I make them about the size of an open hand, not a child’s hand, no no no, but a grown up people size hand…
They were Huge!
When my girls were small, we spent a great amount of time involved in church. Every spring the church would do bake sales to raise funds for our Children’s Ministries. I would make a triple batch of my cookies, wrap them individually in colored cellophane and ribbon, set up a spot on the church bake sale table, and watch the cookies disappear within less than a half hour. That’s a lot of cookies people, A LOT!
When I refused time and again to give up my recipe to some of the moms, I seriously worried for my safety a few times… lol… just kidding!
I did often jokingly say that my recipe was a Government Secret and if I told them the recipe, I would have to make them disappear… that always got some laughs.
So there you have it folks, hot off the press… we can bake cookies pretty good!
**The original cookies had mold all over them, so, as per my commitment to quality… These are fresh!
With the fall season rushing to fill our senses, and our kitchens, with warm and comforting October favorites.
My favorite flavor’s during October center around apples, caramels, and those delectable crumbly cobbler style muffins and cakes.
I decided to start with the apple’s, as they go so well with fall spices and syrupy drizzles, which are my weakness.
Personally, I believe that an apple can make or break the flavor combinations in certain styles of bakes. While many apples are plenty sweet, tart, and juicy when you eat them raw, things change when you bake with them. If the apple isn’t tart enough to stand up to all the sugary flavor, the apple flavor gets drowned out, if you know what I mean.
So began my mission toward successfully baking a gluten-free apple cake from scratch… no more store bought box mixes! It was time…
First, I needed to find a recipe that I could follow for a flavorful apple cake, and gluten-free. Honestly, I see amazing videos on Facebook all the time, which is where I watched a woman make these jaw-droppingly glorious Apple Crumble Muffins. The down side was that it wasn’t gluten-free, and also made with muffin tins, which I don’t have unless my girlfriend brings hers over when she comes for Sunday Coffee/Tea.
So, I headed back to Pinterest, which is God’s gift to all DIYer’s!
I realized that an apple cake or bread was the better choice for this recipe, as using a muffin recipe can have unpredictable results when converting it to a bake in a cake or bread tin. I decided on a cake recipe, as I want to save the bread one for a pumpkin dessert I’m attempting to bake for you, on a different episode.
While I was forced to make numerous adjustments, which I will share as we go, under no circumstances do I wish to take any credit away from those that came before.
Here’s the original recipe and link, as I’m certain that this recipe will be just as wonderful, if not better than mine. Be sure and check it out…
High Protein Apple Crumble Cake (Gluten-Free!)
Make this Gluten-Free Apple Crumble Cake and fall obsessed in minutes! This high-protein dessert is a dream come true for so many reasons; it’s decadent without being heavy, it’s gluten-free and easy to digest, it’s sweet but not going to spoil your sweet tooth and it’s just downright beautiful! It’s packed with warm spices and the addition of protein powder makes it a nutritious choice, perfect for enjoying any time of day and sure to become a seasonal favourite.
Preheat oven to 350d. Grease and line an 8”pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Add oil, sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla to a bowl and whisk to combine.
In a separate bowl add dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Add dry to wet, whisking till you reach a smooth batter. Add chopped apples and fold them in until combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with an offset spatula.
Make the crumble topping by adding dry ingredients to a medium sized bowl.
Pour melted butter on top and stir to combine. The crumble should hold together when squeezed.
Scatter the top of the cake evenly with the crumble topping.
Place in preheated oven and bake until a skewer comes out clean from the centre of the cake and the cake is golden brown, 45-50 minutes.
Let the loaf rest in the pan for 15 minutes before removing the springform ring. Carefully transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely.
While cake is cooling make the glaze. Add glaze ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
Once cake is cool drizzle the top with the glaze and enjoy!
**Disclaimers** My cooking skills, ingredients, and baking tools are all based on real world baking! Not everyone can afford most of the high end name brands, or the organic labeled ingredients that triple the price simply by saying the words Gluten-free, Dairy-free, and the like. I also don’t think that the craftsmanship of said measuring cups and spoons, pans, trays, and/or cooling racks need be a deal breaker. I once watched a video of a guy making an entire burger on a clothing iron, and I would have eaten it! Rule for today is… sometimes ghetto get’s the same result! It depends on how hungry you are for somethin sweet, I guess.
Now, back to the bake…
So, with recipe on board, I set about my task of mastering the Apple.
I chose SugarBee for our apples, though you may have your own personal favorites.
As you may have noticed, there was far more sugar sweetening in the recipe, than apples, in my opinion, so I did some changing in regards to that drizzly sugar syrup topping. I also didn’t have any safe protein powder to add, as many use wheat and I don’t have the one she recommends. If any of you do this recipe and use the protein powder, please let me know how it turns out. I may go back later and try doing it with said powder added, just to see.
What I decided to do was add an extra quarter cup of my gluten-free flour to offset the moisture. I also did a radical change to the crumble topping, so watch for it, as we go. Alright, let’s do this!
First things first… we need to prep. A clean baking environment, breeds success…
I absolutely do pray that God gives me success, when baking. I need all the help I can get!
Apples peeled and diced. Half were set aside to be mixed into the cake…
The other half were turned into an apple compote, with quarter cup sugar, quarter cup brown sugar and quarter cup plant-based butter. I used Country Crock…
I didn’t make any other changes to the cake recipe, aside from the protein powder. I used Oat Milk in mine, but she says that you can use any plant based milk. I took the apples that were set aside, tossed them in some of the cake mixture, and then mixed them into the cake mix.
After lightly spraying my 9 inch cake pan with Olive Oil spray, I poured the cake mixture into my pan.
Here is where I went off the reservation… and a miracle happened!
I took all of the apple compote, liquid and all, and poured it on the top of my cake mixture. Looks reckless, doesn’t it? I didn’t stop there, though…
I filled that bad boy all the way to the rim of the pan with the crumble mixture, minus the pecans (I didn’t have any) from the recipe above. I was so worried that it would overflow before the sugar had a chance to caramelize and soak into the crumble mixture that I put a dish under it to catch the spills.
I realized early on that 350 for 45 – 50 minutes wasn’t going to get it done for this monstrosity, so I baked this apple crumble bomb at 380 for a whapping hour and 15 minutes… I know, right?! What was I thinking?
I think sometimes God loves to show favor on His children in some of the smallest, and most unexpected ways… that’s part of why I love God so!
Don’t ask me how, but I watched a miracle unfold, right before my oven eyes…
The only way that I can describe this would be to suggest one combine the most deliciously moist and flavorful apple cake/pie they’ve ever had, with the chewiest and gooiest apple oatmeal cookie known to mankind!
It was so heavy that I had to use two plastic plates from the Dollar Tree just to flip it over and out of the cake pan…
The apples didn’t sink to the bottom, nor was the cake stodgy or too bready, even after placing that pie filling on top, before baking.
I know the lighting is terrible, but I hope you get the idea… light and fluffy, with a caramelly crunchy topping.
I wouldn’t dream of taking credit for this amazing recipe, nor do I wish to forget the video from Facebook that gave me the idea for the compote, so please be sure to visit this site, as well. You never know, perhaps you’ll want to make them, too. https://www.facebook.com/reel/1226523166181722
I would have to say that this experiment in gluten-free baking was quite literally, The Bomb! Mee-maws Apple Bomb, that is…
If ever I’m feelin down, or just plain overwhelmed with life in general, I bake!
Depending on the reason that get’s me in the kitchen, what I might bake varies, greatly. Breads bring comfort, whether sweet or savory.
Quiches, casseroles, and stews comfort loneliness, somehow. I think they bring back memories of my mother, my daughters, and even the good bits of my own childhood. There weren’t many but I cherish the ones I have…
Now, if ever my moods of being overwhelmed are simply due to stress… well, that’s when sugar gets involved! Stress baking is most often going to have chocolate and/or caramel in it. Not always, but most often, anything having chocolate in it, is for my husband. He loves chocolate! While I’ll admit that the man loves most anything sweet that I bake, it’s the chocolaty bakes that make his heart the happiest.
Now, chocolate works fantastic in most of my cookies, mousse’s, and pies. But I’m rather talented at baking an unforgettable Snickers Cheesecake!
Sometimes, things are a mixture of stress, aggravation and/or any other factors that give me an excuse to bake… oh, did I just type that? Ok, fine! I just want to bake, ok? I have days where nothing makes me happier than baking a really good pie! Apple crumble, or a cherry cobbler… ooh ooh, and don’t forget peach cobbler. Nothing tastes better than a good cobbler with some old fashioned vanilla ice cream (I just buy that part)…
Yesterday, I shared about the changes in my health, coupled with my need to completely change my diet. It’s not that I need to lose weight, because I don’t really eat most of what I bake. The problem is that I taste everything I bake, so I have to find some satisfactory substitutes for some of my ingredients. THANK YOU, GOD it’s not sugar, chocolate or anything in the sweet department! It’s the flour, the butter/oil, and any dairy. Never fear, my sweet cookie eaters, for this shall never stop my baking self-care, no no…
Caffeine free, lactose-free, Gluten-free, low cholesterol, low sodium is not the end… it’s only the beginning!
Besides, much of what I bake is done for putting smiles on others faces! That’s the part that makes me happy, more than the flavor of the bake! Now take your cookie…
You’ll never be able to taste the difference… Honest!
I know it’s shameful… I really shouldn’t… but… Ok! You twisted my arm, here. I feel a dream rising from the depths of my sweet, sweet, slumber…
… I knew it was a dream, only a dream…
But to indulge, just this once! Oh that I could melt into this dream, floating away down a smooth and silky chocolate river, toward oceans of sticky caramel…
Oh, wait a sec… back that up! The prompt is only asking about the bar, itself, so we’ll have to reschedule that dream for another time. Let’s try this again…
Ladies and Gentleman, today’s your lucky day! Every visitor is a winner! Now, I know you usually get a cookie for showing up to this game, but today is a special day and you have a once in a lifetime chance to pick a different prize!
**Disclaimer** You only get to pick one. No returns or exchanges once you touch it… duh! And, I shall not be held responsible for any Dentist or Orthodontist charges.
On with the show…
Now, if parties are your thing we’ve got just the right bar for you, my sweet friends…
We’ve got a glorious blend of white and dark chocolate, crafted by the finest artists from the distant isles of Partydom. It’s bar is designed for large gatherings. If the chairs get in people’s way, you can just eat them!
Door number two is for those who like it on the quieter, and more intimate side. This next bar should satisfy your chocolaty cravings…
Minus this strange man, of course!
There, that’s much better! Since the booth is made of the finest of caramels, it won’t melt when you sit on it.
Ahhh, door number three…
This is the perfect bar for the lounger, the slipper wearer, the midnight movie muncher! Its booth is of the finest marshmallows that only get fluffier when you sit on them.
Now, you’ve seen the three different Chocolate Bars to select as your prize, today. What shall you choose?
Will it be door number one, two, or three? Or, perhaps you’d simply like to stick with our usual cookies. I don’t know about everyone else but my teeth hurt from all that sweet chocolate bar stuff.
Sometimes it’s best to keep your dreams simple! Too much of a good thing tends to spoil the dream…
It seems like just yesterday she was playing dress-up…
and now she’s having a baby!
And guess what?
I know the gender of my grandbaby, but it’s a secret… for now. My daughter asked that I take a peek at her test results and not tell her the gender, yet. This way, I can bake the gender reveal cake for her and my son-in-law. They want to experience the surprise together, as a couple. Isn’t that incredibly romantic?
So, guess what today is?
Baking day!
I need to get the cakes baked and cooled, but I won’t be doing the frosting and decorating til tomorrow. I want the frosting to be as fresh as possible, so I’ll hold off doing it til just before we deliver it.
For now, I can show you the cake baking part as long as it’s only the cakes. I’ll be sure to show you the whole thing after the reveal, I promise!
I’m making a 4 layer white cake with the surprise candy hidden on the inside. The recipe I found is crazy! It calls to bake them for 50 minutes at 325. Even though my oven runs a bit warm, they baked for 43 minutes before I pulled them… absolutely perfect!
I’ve cooled, wrapped, and refrigerated them til tomorrow morning. When I get up in the morning, I’ll make a huge batch of Vanilla Buttercream frosting. My youngest daughter bought a very lovely cake topper, as well as the candy that goes on the inside.
For now, the scary part is finished… that is, perfect cakes for the decorating. I’m a flavor girl, so I don’t care how pretty the cake looks on the outside. If it doesn’t taste delicious then what’s the point, right?!
Oh, and I even cleaned up my mess! Well, to be honest, it wasn’t that difficult. Ever since I began my baking adventures with that tiny Easy-Bake-Oven, my workspace needed to be clean. I suppose that every baker worth their salt, or more appropriately, their sugar, keeps things clean as they go along. It helps keep a clean and organized work space! Willy Wonka’s factory was always clean and organized… it had to be!
That way he could focus on the magic in the candy. Well, at least that’s what I think…
Since I’m too lazy to look back and find my answer from last year’s prompt, you’ll get a fresh answer, though it won’t be a so called “favorite”… but it’ll still probably make you hungry.
Our room only comes with a microwave, countertop range (two spots to boil or fry something), a glass mixing bowl, one frying pan with a lid that belongs to a smaller pan, and a handful of kitchen utensils, and there’s no cooking going on in here, unless I want every single item we own to smell like our last meal. For everyone’s benefit, I’ll write about what I used to cook, instead.
There was my mother’s homemade chili, hamburger/cornbread casserole, or her lasagna… that lasagna was to die for!
During my children’s young years was the proving ground for my culinary skills, which were quite undervalued and appreciated, in my opinion. While they may offer mixed reviews, I feel quite accomplished in both cooking and baking. In truth, due to the creation of the Easy Bake Oven, my baking is probably the better of the two.
Meal wise, a sure fire winner would be my Brown Sugar Burgers. But only use the good buns, because the cheap kind always fall apart like wet paper! I think that I may have written about a Chicken, Mushroom, and Artichoke Fettuccini Alfredo, with fresh Sourdough Garlic Bread. Oh well, I won’t bore you with the details, but it was really good!
Dessert wise, I’ve been told that my Snickers Cheesecake was better than ‘you know what’, but my personal favorite desert would have to be in the cake department. It’s a homemade pound cake with French Vanilla Cream Cheese frosting, covered in fresh strawberries. The strawberries were sliced and covered in a sprinkling of sugar overnight. I always used the syrupy juice to drizzle across the top of the cake, right before it was sliced!
Hands down, cookies will always be my prize winner, but sometimes we have to remember the rest of all that yummy food. With that being said, I’ve done my part in offering a sincere answer to the prompt, but there are other things I wish to spend my time doing this morning, so I’m off for now…
You didn’t think I would forget the cookies, did you?
Journey With Me! 