Milk Chocolate Malt Ball Cake, pg 60

My husband had a lot of allergies as a baby/child. And when I say a lot, I mean practically every food ever known. He was especially allergic to malt. Not that it would kill him or anything but it made his nose run and the generic allergy unhappiness. Because of this he has avoided malt pretty much his entire life. Last summer we stopped for milkshakes and he decided to give it a go. Like all of his other food allergies, this one didn’t affect him anymore so he was pretty excited to try out a malt cake.

 The Verdict: I had high expectations and really, the cake fell short. Sure, it was a perfectly fine cake but with such heavy and rich frosting, you couldn’t really taste the malt. Actually, when just eating the cake plain you couldn’t really taste the malt. It’s just an ok white cake with chocolate frosting cake. It was actually really heavy and people at work who usually gobble my treats up within a few hours were really pacing themselves with this one.

Tips for Next Time: Eh, I’ll skip it. It’s a nice concept and sounds good on paper but it just didn’t deliver for me.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake, pg 38

As much as it pains me, I follow the instructions in the book exactly and the book said something about actually swirling the layers together. Yes, they refer to the cinnamon mixture as the swirl mixture and there is swirl in the name of the cake but actual instructions are to layer the cake batter and the swirl mixture, toss on the crumb topping and place in oven – no actual swirling involved. Would actually swirling the cinnamon layer into the cake layer make a difference? Nope. But it drove me crazy nonetheless. 

The Verdict: Ehhh. It wasn’t horrible but it wasn’t amazing either. The cinnamon layer had chocolate powder mixed into it which I wasn’t a huge fan of either. 

Tips for Next Time: Skip it all together. There is no shortage of coffee cake recipes and if it doesn’t rock my world, I’m not even going to bother with it. The cake was super heavy (as one would expect with a full 16 oz carton of sour cream!) and while the topping was tasty, it’s a small fraction of the overall recipe. 

Tuscaloosa Tollhouse Pie, pg 98

I messed something up at work so I told my customer that the next time he saw me he could throw something at me or I can bring in a pie, his choice. He didn’t respond so I chose for him and brought in this pie. I was expecting it to be super super sweet and kind of disgusting so I didn’t ask for feedback. I had enough crust overhang that I made myself a little tart which I had the following day. To my surprise, it was actually good!

The Verdict: It was good but the concept is a little weird. Why make a cookie pie, just make cookies. They’re easier to make, share and eat.

Tips for Next Time: Maybe some pecans might be a nice addition but really, it’s fine as is.

Pear Plum Crisp, pg 113

In our co-op baskets we had plums which the husband doesn’t like and quite frankly, I was sick of (I even made a plum milkshake, it was not successful). I bought some pears and we were good to go. When I first started this project I was determined to make the recipes exactly.as.written. but this recipe I changed my mind and I went with what I thought would work best. Mostly because my plums were a little overripe and mushy and I knew that it would just be a runny sludgy mess so I added some cornstarch to the mixture.

The Verdict: Sure enough, the filling firmed up to a tasty pear/plum mush, almost like a chunky jam. The topping was crisp, buttery and salty; the way it should be. I think it would have been better had my plums not been overripe but at the same time I think that the flavor of the pears was lost.

Tips for Next Time: I think a crisp is not a good crowd pleaser, it’s a little hit and miss on who likes crisps. But if I was in the fruit crisp mood, I’d try this one again with a different mix of fruits.

Hazelnut Cinnamon Chip Biscotti, pg 147

I just recently discovered biscotti a few years ago and how easy it is to make. Trouble is, people don’t like it, which is a pretty big problem when you’re making treats to share. I approached this recipe as a “throw away” recipe as in I had to make it because I’m doing the entire book but I didn’t think it would be a big winner with people. Especially since they don’t have any oil or butter. Fat = tasty.

Sorry that I don’t have a better picture,  my husband got a little carried away when cleaning out the cabinets and threw my photo samples away.

The Verdict: Boy was I wrong! I was visiting some customers so I dropped some cookies off and I was hounded for a few days until I remembered to bring in the recipe. Same thing at work! People loved these. I was afraid of the hazelnut being too strong but the chocolate helped.

Tips for Next Time: I split the recipe into 2 logs when I baked the cookies for the first time. Even then the middle didn’t bake through which made it a mess to cut and bake for the 2^nd time but it also meant that they weren’t super dried out and brittle like most biscotti. I gave the recipe to someone else who loved what I brought in but they baked it as long as the book said and hated the normal dry and brittle texture. Next time I’m going to make them with almonds (for cost reasons!) and I’ll bake them for a little bit longer. Also, a helpful tip for biscotti, when forming the dough into logs before baking it for the first time, the dough is a million times easier to shape if you wet you hands first.

Classic Sugar Cookie, pg 148

My niece was turning 2 and I thought it would be the perfect time to make sugar cookies. She loves play dough so I brought over the cookie dough and she helped cut the cookies. We got a cute fish and number 2 cookie cutter but she kept wanting to use the boy and girl cookie cutter. Kids.

The Verdict: I had intended to make cookies and freeze them for my nieces party but my sister had to give me a reality check, these cookies wouldn’t last but a few days in their house. Fair enough. The recipe didn’t change my life but it’s really just a sugar cookie. It’s perfectly acceptable and if I were in need to a sugar cookie recipe I wouldn’t hesitate to use this one again but I don’t think I don’t think that there will be a scenario where I’ll be like “you know what I really want… ..a sugar cookie!”

Tips for Next Time: It’s fine as is, just remember that it needs to chill 3 hours before you can make cookies and even then, always keep the dough chilled as best as possible when cutting out the cookies.

Lemon Lemon Loaf, pg 41

I have a fondness for quick breads. They mix together quickly, I don’t have to deal with a bunch of pans and it’s easy to transport but can feed a lot of people. Perfect. Except this recipe isn’t quick. Sifting flour, melting and cooling butter, zesting and juicing lemons and using a food processor to mix the wet ingredients, and then folding it all together. Really?! I was game though and I thought that my food processor would be big enough to meet the recipes requirements because it’s a freaking bosch but I quickly learned of my mistake when I started adding the butter and it started leaking out of the lid. Grumpiness.

The Verdict: The bread itself doesn’t have a strong lemon flavor. The syrup you coat it in is pretty much straight up lemon so the top is tart but the rest of the cake is ho-hum. To be fair, it is moist and has a nice crumb.

Tips for Next Time: I spent way too much time on making the recipe for mixed feelings about a quick bread! Forget it, I’m moving on.

Baked Bars, pg 122

I think every bakery has some version of these bars for two simple reasons; they’re easy and have a little of everything so everyone will love them.

The Verdict: HOLY BUTTER! Way too much butter in the crust. In fact it wasn’t a crust, it was so wet that it melded into the rest of the bar. And once they start to warm up they’re a giant mess. The butter run off in the baking dish was repulsive (even though I used parchment!) and I happened to flip a bar over and noticed the pockets of butter in the crust.

That being said, people lost their crap over these. Someone actually declared that it was the best thing I’ve ever baked and I wanted to punch him in the neck because it was so insulting. Out of everything I’ve made he loved the butter drenched sugar bars? It’s maddening. It’s a good recipe for beginners, aside from waiting for the crust to cook, cool and then to bake it again, it’s probably as easy as baking gets.

I also diverted slightly from this recipe and used graham crackers and chocolate crumbs in the crust because I knew that it could only improve the crust and I had chocolate crumbs that I wanted to get rid of.

Tips for Next Time: Sigh. I know that there is going to be a next time. No point in denying it. Next time I’m going to melt ½ cup of butter to start with and then gradually add more butter until the crust is the right consistency. I expect that I’ll be able to reduce the butter by a ¼ cup.

S'more Nut Bars, pg 118

I knew this recipe was going to be a hit. Graham crackers and chocolate? How could that go wrong? I had left over smore supplies from the last time we went camping so the husband was elated to see that I finally used to graham crackers and mini Hershey bars.

The Verdict: As predicted, they are amazing. They’re less messy when chilled but they are irresistible when at room temperature.  Since they’re so rich a cut them into tiny squares and made one plate for my work and another for my husbands. Lucky for my coworkers, my husband forgot his so they had double the treats. I strolled past the breakroom at 11 and the plates were licked clean. Instant winner.

Tips for Next Time: I didn’t see the point on chopping up larger marshmallows when they turned out to be the same exact size as mini marshmallows. Next time I’ll mix up all the chocolate, dump in the marshmallows and then pour over the crust. Then I’m going to sprinkle the peanuts on top (maybe sink some in with a spoon) because when you mix them with the chocolate mixed the saltiness is gone and I think a little bite of salt would really set this recipe over the edge.

Oatmeal Cherry Nut Cookies, pg 146

My husband loves cookies so I thought these would be a nice treat for him. 

The Verdict: I had to buy the coriander for this recipe and it turns out that I don't care for it at all. Even with the other spices in the cookies, all I could taste was coriander. My husband thinks I'm crazy and the guys at his work happily ate the entire bag but I tried my best to like them and couldn't make it through the 2nd cookie. 

Tips for Next Time: Oatmeal cookies are a dime a dozen, plenty of which are freakin delicious. Not worth monkeying around with this one to make it work.

Lemon Lime Bars, pg 119

As luck would have it, another one of my Bountiful Baskets had limes and the week prior had lemons so I had all the makings for these lemon lime bars.

The Verdict: I guess I was expecting more lemon than lime so it was quite a surprise when eating these. I have some beef with this recipe because you add the lemon and lime zest to the filling and then you strain the mixture which not surprisingly, strains out all the zest (along with any cooked egg bits). I guess the zest infuses the filling when you're cooking it on the stovetop but I still think it's a waste. 

Tips for Next Time: I don't think there will be a next time. I didn't care for the lime aspect of these, made them too acidic. And the folks of work agreed because while they'll eat just about anything, these were so strong people were cutting bars in half and even then, there were still some leftover the next day.

Black Forest Chocolate Cookie, pg 142-143

The Verdict: I had loved every cookie in the book so far so I was surprised that these didn't rock my world. They were ok, but not as chewy as I had hoped and didn't keep for very long. Within a few days in a ziplock they were near inedible. 

Tips for Next Time: Eh, pass. 

Sweet and Salty Cake, pg 67

I was disappointed with the White Out cake so I decided to do a cake that I was sure would turn out pretty spectacular, chocolate and caramel can never be wrong. I was meeting up with a friend who was visiting around valentines so I made him a box of cupcakes.

The Verdict: I guess I have a different taste in cake because I found this cake too dry and not chocolate enough. Baked, you've failed me again! Other than that, this recipe was super heavy on the caramel. Caramel sauce and carmel buttercream on top of a chocolate cake that didn't have much chocolate wasn't the ideal balance. 

Tips for Next Time: I made these into cupcakes and ended up with tons of caramel leftover. Maybe if you're layering a cake it works out but for cupcakes I had at least a full cup of caramel sauce leftover. I saved it and have gradually been using it in my coffee. Mmmmhmm. If I was to make something like this in the future I'd use my go-to chocolate cake recipe, use the caramel sauce from the book and a chocolate ganache frosting. By the way, if you're layering cupcakes, the caramel sauce is really slippery so any frosting put on top of it will slide off. I learned this the hard way.

Flourless Chocolate Cake, pg 50-51

The bakery I worked at specialized in gluten free baking and the flourless chocolate cake was their star. I've made more flourless chocolate cake than I'd care to remember but I've always been found of it so I wasn't worried about finding a hope for all the leftovers.

The Verdict: Delicious. When I pulled it out of the oven it was tall and fluffy, unlike all the cakes I've baked before. I thought it was strange but after it cooled it had reduced to an inch and change, now that's how it should go! Granted, it didn't turn out as pretty as all the other flourless chocolate cakes I've baked but it tasted about the same so I was a happy camper. 

Tips for Next Time: The bakery recipe that I'm used to had ground coffee in it. It's no secret that coffee and chocolate are the new peanut butter and jelly so next time I make this I'll probably throw a tablespoon of instant espresso in. Also, for ease of serving a crowd, next time I also plan on copying the bakery by caking this in a sheet pan, that way I can slice and dice smaller more appropriate portions without it being a huge hassle. 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf, pg 43

The Verdict: This baby is dense but the crust is a nice texture contrast. It wasn't as heavy on the pumpkin or spice mixture that I'm used to but it was delicious nonetheless.

Tips for Next Time: The husband insists that this needs to be made again in a bundt cake pan.

Orange, Almond, Blueberry Muffins, pg 31

One of my bountiful basket had blueberries and oranges. Sounds like the perfect excuse to make these orange blueberry almond muffins! I didn't have any orange juice on hand but luckily the juice from 2 oranges was ample.

The Verdict: With such strong flavors the almond is completely lost. The sliced almonds added a little crunch but I don't see the point to the ground almonds. Protein? Other than that, they were super tasty. The texture was right and I liked the little blueberry bursts. Plus the orange and blue/purple looked really pretty together. If I wanted to impress with breakfast baking, these would probably make the list.

Tips for Next Time: Skip the almond bit, I don't think it adds anything and could easily be omitted, especially since people might be allergic to almonds. 

Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffin, pg 32

We've been doing this program called Bountiful Baskets where you pay for a basket on Monday and pick a delivery time. Pickups are on Saturday and you get a random assortment of fruits and veggies. And you get more than your $15 worth, it actually turned out to be so much food that I split it with my sisters family. This last Saturday our counters were overflowing with fruit so I turned to my cookbook to see what I could make and it was fate because I had just gotten blueberries, oranges and bananas in my basket.


Verdict: I'm one of those few people who actually like the flavor of coffee and drink it because I think it tastes good, not for the caffeine factor (not that it hurts!) so I was disappointed when I couldn't taste the coffee in the banana muffins. They were also a little gummy but that is expected with any type of banana bread I think.

Tips for next time: Increase the coffee in the banana muffins or leave it out completely. In Utah there are ample anti coffee people so it's nice to leave it out from time to time so everyone can enjoy the muffins. For the orange blueberry. eh.. I'd make them again if I needed to use some fruit again but they didn't change my life.

Peanut Butter Crispy, pg 133

The Verdict: I knew when I realized that the rice krispies were covered in caramel that they would be too hard. Mike took them to work and his coworkers devoured them. I had a piece cut out for pictures and he said that he could take it to work and auction it off because people loved it so much.

Tips for Next Time: Aside from someone requesting them, I don’t think I’ll make these again. They were ok, but the crispiness of the bottom later wasn’t my favorite.