I heart cookies.

Date Pinwheels

Who doesn't love the smell of cookies baking in the oven? Whether it be a classic chocolate chip, sugar, gingersnap, or any other dozens of cookies one can name, everyone loves that delicious aroma wafting from the oven, and the promise that in 12 short minutes, you will have a delightful morsel in your hands, which you can dunk in a glass of cool milk, if you so desire. (Oh, and the fact that the cookie is extremely hot and has the chance of scalding your mouth has no bearing on your decision to grab it right off the cookie sheet).

Mmm-mmm....my mouth is watering just a little bit right now.

Sugar Cookies

Growing up, I SO looked forward to the days when my mom would suddenly get bit by the "baking bug" and would whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies for our family to have after dinner. There's nothing fancy about her recipe, but yet to me, they were one of the best tasting things in the entire world. They aren't particularly huge, but they're the perfect size to fit in the palm of your hand. The outside is slightly crunchy, while the inside retains a gooey, "melt in your mouth" sort of texture. Dip that lil' guy in a cup of milk and I was SOLD!

Now-a-days, I try to eat healthy and clean, so I try not to eat cookies as much as I once did. Not to say that I don't occasionally enjoy a sweet little treat...everyone has to treat themselves once in awhile, or else the world would be full of angry, hungry people. And I really REALLY enjoy baking them for others to eat and enjoy! Yes, I love doing the complicated jobs like wedding cakes and cheesecakes, but it's completely relaxing and freeing to sit down with 60 naked sugar cookies and go to town with some royal icing, piping bag, and cups full of colored icing. I love that sort of detail work and I enjoy taking my time to produce bakery quality goods.

Heart Shaped Sugar Cookies

I'm not the only one trying to eat healthy these days...if you do just a bit of research, you'll find that it's SO much better for your body, mind and spirit. But for many of us, it's very hard to give up cookies and sweet treats and we think that the answer is cutting out sweets all together. All it takes is just a little will power, right? It's not THAT hard...

False. It is quite hard.

One thing that I've enjoyed doing is experimenting with some of my favorite cookie recipes and transforming them into fairly healthy treats that won't make you buy a bigger belt! There are some very simple switches you can do to make your favorite cookie recipes healthy:

-Swap half (or all) of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour and/or dry oats

-Reduce the amount of sugar (and make half of it brown), OR use a sugar substitute like Agave, Honey, Molasses or Brown Rice Syrup (or a combination of them)

-Swap milk chocolate chips for dark chocolate chips, or take them out all together and add nuts & dried fruit instead

-Use ground flax seed & water as an egg substitute

-Swap regular milk for almond or soy milk

-Swap half of the oil or butter for a combination of unsweetened applesauce and yogurt (use Greek for lots of added protein!)

-EXPERIMENT! What fun swaps can YOU come up with??

Healthy Cookies! That's Sweet Potato Cranberry on the left, and Banana Blueberry on the right!

It's true, all of these swaps will not yield the exact same sort of full fat cookie that you grew up eating, but over time, you might be surprised to find that you love your new, healthy cookie recipes more than your old ones (especially when you DON'T see your waistline expanding). I've come up with an original, super healthy breakfast cookie recipe that's modeled after the oatmeal I eat every morning. They don't look pretty, but they have a wonderful, mildly sweet taste and are surprisingly moist! I don't use any eggs, milk (except for almond), or butter/oil, but you wouldn't really know the difference. They're full of lots and lots of fiber and healthy fats, so you might not want to eat too many at a time, or eat them in close proximity to anyone. I wish I could make one for every person to try so you could become a believer in the healthy cookie!

I am so very excited that fall is OFFICIALLY in full swing now, and my mind has been reeling with various fall cookie recipes. The ingredients will probably include: maple, pumpkin, cinnamon (lots and lots!), apple, walnuts, and/or pecans. The possibilities are ENDLESS!

FROSTED Hearts!

After fall comes Christmas, which means it'll soon be time to bake some of my most favorite cookies in the world! Sugar cookies (as previously mentioned), Chewy Gingersnaps, and Mint Chocolate Delights Cookies, unlike cake or cheesecake, are the PERFECT "grab and go" snacks. You can grab a handful, of all different varieties and still be hungry to try a few more. Since college, I've started to dip my cookies into coffee, instead of milk, but that doesn't change their simple goodness in the least. In fact, I think it enhances it!



 (TIP: If you need any cookie recipe for any occasion, Allrecipes.com has been my most favorite resource! Always make sure to read the reviews, and see what sort of modifications people have made-or, just make some of your own!)

3 cheers for cookies!

Valentine's version of my Mint Chocolate Delights-this time topped with Vanilla Buttercream and homemade Straw/Raspberry compote!

-xoxo

CHEESECAKES.

Pumpkin Walnut Cheesecake

It was just around a year ago that I started to work at Baires, and it wasn't too long after that when I volunteered to start making desserts to sell at the restaurant every Friday. I don't remember the exact situation, but somehow while talking to Marcela and one of my co-workers, cheesecake came up, and I mentioned that I've been using my grandmother's cheesecake recipe for as long as I can remember, which eventually led to me being asked to make one. Things have snowballed ever since, and I have LOVED using that time tested recipe as a base for the many kinds of cheesecake I make these days.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake-drizzle it with Dark Chocolate for some extra YUM!

I don't know when it was that I tried my first cheesecake, but I know that it was at my Grandma Davis' house one Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve. Her cheesecake recipe isn't fancy or frilly, but its simplicity is what makes it SO good. It has a wonderful vanilla flavor and a creamy rich texture that is hard to come by in store bought cakes. At some point in my childhood, my dad copied down the recipe in his nearly illegible writing, and over time, I copied it down for myself. I remember how we would make one every Christmas for his boss, and I loved going with dad and David to deliver it. Any food that reminds me of my favorite holiday is a winner in my book!

This Turtle Cheesecake is DEFNITELY turtley enough for the Turtle Club!

A unique feature about my Grandmother's cheesecake is that she always baked hers in an angel food cake pan. I really didn't know how much this affected the lightness of the cheesecake until last fall. I had baked a Pumpkin Walnut cheesecake for work, and had used an angel food cake pan, like I always do. Marcela suggested for my next one that I try using a springform pan, because that would produce a nicer looking slice of cake and I agreed. A woman had tried my Pumpkin Walnut cake and ordered one for the following weekend. I baked hers in a springform pan instead of an angel food cake, and she was able to tell the difference. My guess is that the cylinder in the center of the angel food cake pan allowed for more air to circulate throughout the cake, thus resulting in a fluffier texture. Although it goes against the tradition I grew up with, I continue to use the springform pan and have gotten rave reviews from my regulars at Baires!

White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl with a Dark Chocolate crust

There is a lot of science and know how behind baking a good, crack-less cheesecake, which dianasdesserts.com spells out very nicely. I've baked so many cheesecakes in the past year that I don't really follow a recipe anymore, but for someone who doesn't have a lot of experience, research and practice will be your best keys in baking a successful and deeeeelish cake. Because of my 1930s SUPER hot gas oven, I've had to modify the way I bake my cakes. I now use the "water bath" method, and only turn the oven up to 290 degrees instead of the usual 350. Typically, my cheesecake is done in about 45-55 minutes, which isn't too far off of the normal baking time.

Salted Caramel Cheesecake...a favorite at Baires!

Another thing I do now is that after my cheesecake is done, I turn off the oven and let it rest with the oven door closed for an hour. Why? Because it actually continues baking in the pan! According to my dad, a cheesecake is done when it "jiggles like a baby's bottom" as you gently shake the pan. Funny, none of the websites I looked on said that, but they did say that the cake is done when 2-3'' of the center of the cake is still slightly jiggly. After it's done resting, I leave the foil on the bottom of the pan and transfer it to the fridge, where I immediately cover it with foil. That seals in some of that hot air and allows the cheesecake to cool at a slower pace, thus (hopefully) preventing cracking. Don't freak out if you see cracks around the edge of your cake as it cools. The whole thing will kinda sink and fall towards the middle, sealing some of the cracks. If not, drizzle a yummy topping over it and no one will ever know!

Double Dark Chocolate Cheesecake...Marcela's favorite!

I feel like cheesecakes have a reputation for being difficult, and it's true, sometimes they are a bit temperamental. But like almost any dessert, they lend themselves to SO much creativity and I have really enjoyed straying from the recipe I grew up using. I am reminded of my grandma every time I make a cheesecake, and I only wish that she could be here to see me use her recipe and grow deeper in my love of baking. I don't want to sound conceited, but I know she would be proud of me.

Healthy (and easily made Vegan) Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Happy cheesecake baking, friends!

-xoxo

Cheesecake bars-the perfect amount of cheesecake!

Amaretto Cheesecake

(For some reason I don't have a picture of it, but I've also made a Lemonberry Cheesecake, which is a delightful summer treat!)

A Pie Summer.

The "Kitchen Sink" pie with a lattice top...SO many kinds of berries!

It's been far too long, I know. And as I continue to build a client base, I understand the importance of updating this blog more and more...yet most of my time is spent baking, and it's quite hard to type on your computer with buttery batter all over your hands. (Though believe me, I've done it plenty of times before).

Home made cookie for a healthy ice cream sandwich, filled with frozen yogurt and fruit instead!

Another reason as to why I was too busy to blog-I did my first wedding cake!

At the beginning of the summer, I was still making a lot of cheesecakes, but they began to sell less and less. Not because I'd changed anything, but because this summer has been particularly dry and hot in Ohio, and people tend to gravitate towards lighter and cooler desserts when the weather reaches such ridiculous temperatures.

There are a few regulars at the restaurant I work at, and one of them suggested I make a Strawberry Rhubarb pie. My grandma has made really great pies for as long as I can remember, so I felt like the pie making gene should be in me somewhere. I took a few measurements and ideas from the link above, but also used the crust recipe from smitten kitchen's blog as well, and according to my customers, the combination of these recipes made a pretty good pie! I've gotten a lot of compliments on the crust, and I think it's the combination of both butter and butter flavored shortening that really makes it flaky and nice to eat. Just like in my other baking, I've really enjoyed experimenting so usually my pies contain anywhere from 3-6 different fruits. To date, I've done Strawberry Rhubarb, Straw-PEARry Rhubarb, Pineapple/Peach/Mango/Strawberry (with a crumble topping and toasted coconut for the top), Blue Straw-Pearry Rhubarb, Peach, Dutch Apple, and one pie that had (deep breath): Pear, Plum, Strawberry, Blueberry, Raspberry, Peach and Pineapple and/or Mango in it. I called that one the "Kitchen Sink", after the expression "everything and the kitchen sink". Despite the collaboration of flavors in that last one, people seemed to really like it! I've been trying to take pictures of the pies, but all too often they fly out the door before I can capture them. Enjoy the few photos I have gotten, and I'll be posting more soon!

Strawberry Rhub

The pit (seed? alien?) inside a mango...gross.

LOVE these little Orbit Fire Peaches!

 

 

Straw-Pearry Rhub!

The Tropical Wonder-Pineapple/Peach/Mango/Strawberry

My sweet Ben and I. How did this one get on here??

Happy pie eating, friends!!

-xoxo

Mother's Day 2012!

Every year for Mom's Day, I've made it a tradition to make breakfast for my mama. If you haven't figured out by now, baking things for people is one of my most favorite things to do, and who better to do it for than the woman who birthed me??

Through the years I've done pancakes, baked eggs, fresh fruit parfaits, and some sort of drink featuring Agave juice, which was a bit strange and not very delish. This year, I once again decided to do pancakes. I tried to go a bit healthier route, and make whole wheat pancakes. I often substitute applesauce for oil in my recipes, so I felt like that would be a great idea for my pancakes. I didn't feel  comfortable substituting all of the oil with applesauce, so I went halvsies. Was it a good idea?

No, absolutely not.

The first few stuck to the griddle, and didn't seem to be cooking properly in the middle. I cooked them as much as I could, added a bit more oil to the batter and tried a few more. Those turned out a LITTLE better, but I still new that they weren't my best. Mom, being the wonderful mother that she is, still said how WONDERFUL they looked and tasted and she ate a few. Being made out of whole wheat, they were pretty hearty cakes and each of us could only handle about 2. I thought they had a pretty good taste, but they just looked SO weird!

Mama's "special" cakes

Even though I wasn't happy with this culinary excursion, I wasn't going to let that get me down, because I had BIG plans for a cake, which I'd build later that afternoon. My Ron Ben Israel "inspirashunnn" was this lovely cake, which you will probably see at my wedding someday:

Completely adorable, right?? YES! I just think it's the most precious thing in the entire world, and I decided that the colors would be perfect for mom's day! So I baked my cake, adding lemon and a little yellow food coloring to one layer, and then strawberries and a little pink food coloring to another layer. The layers turned out super moist and lovely, and smelled wonderful baking. I decided that buttercream frosting would be too heavy, so I went with a mixture of vanilla pudding and good ol' fashioned Cool Whip. Nice and light for a warm, almost summer day! Easy, right?

No. Not at all. I guess the morning's pancake fiasco should've warned me that the rest of this day would not go smoothly.

The first problem came when I began to build the cake. For some reason, a few of my layers turned out smaller than the other ones. I don't know WHY I didn't just make extra batter and make all the layers even. Or I could've just made 3 thick cakes and cut them all in half with my cake leveler. Both are great ideas, but I did not do them. Needless to say, that first layer was very tiny, and probably not the best support for the rest of the cake. And the "frosting", although yummy, was kind of like slippery basketball shorts-if you've ever sat on someone wearing those, you slide right off. Probably not the best choice for a 6 layer cake.


But I kept building, and then a baker's worst nightmare happened-one layer broke in half.

REALLY?? After ALL that I have gone through today, THIS has to happen??

Yes, yes it did. But I kept on going, determined that come hell or high water, I was going to build this darn cake. (At this point, I might have said a few choice words...just being real). I finally got the entire thing built, and this is an aerial view:

The calm before the storm...

The real problems arose when all was assembled and the weight of the cake really began to bear down on the other layers. It was my middle vanilla layer, poor lil' guy. Here's a side view...the good side, that is:

The storm draws nearer...

You can image the calamity that's about to ensue.

Instead of a peaceful "presenting of the cake ceremony", it was more like: "MOM! Hurry up and get your butt in here before this dang cake falls on the floor!!" Really touching, I know.

It's a bit painful to recall this incident, so I'll just let the pictures do the talking.

I don't know if she was pretending to eat it, or screaming because it was starting to gangsta lean.

Precious mom.

Definitely fake smiling as my cake crumbles before my eyes...

The first and fatal cut.

And the cake came tumbling down.

As you can see, it was a day full of baking mishaps for me, and my perfectionist side was weeping uncontrollably. But when it comes down to it, this day isn't about the presents or the food, it's about celebrating a very special woman, the one who gave me life. The one who still occasionally does my laundry (even when I tell her not to), and the one who cleans up after our cats. She does so many selfless things, I can't even begin to name them all. More importantly, in recent years, she has become one of my dearest confidantes, and I love any time that I get to spend with her. I suppose I really wanted this day to be perfect in order to thank her, in a very small way, for all she's done for me, but I think she really and truly appreciated the effort I put into everything and had a WONDERFUL day.

Thanks, mama.

-xoxo

Heritage.

A 4 year old Danielle with her grammys. And her photo bombing uncle Tom.

This post is dedicated to the two women to whom much of my talent and love for all things baked can be attributed to-my Grandma Davis and my Grandma Wagner.

For as far back as I can remember, I have loved everything these women made. I can remember Christmas Eve at Grandma Wagner's (whom I fondly refer to as "Graham Cracker"), carefully helping her roll out, cut out and later decorate sugar cookies. Any part of the mixing process she let me do made me feel SO very important, and she always let me lick the beaters. She had to be fair, so she'd also give my brother a beater. I'm sure we had debates about who got more icing on theirs. I also loved to put sprinkles on the cookies...what little girl didn't love a never ending supply of frosted cookies to put sprinkles on?? I'm sure the fact that the sprinkles reminded me of glitter probably had something to do with it...

As for my Grandma Davis, holidays at her house stand out to me the most. She always made this very simple, but very yummy corn dish. Almost like cornbread, but more moist. Corn cake? I don't know, but I'm sure many of you have had it at your family gatherings. What in the WORLD makes it so delicious? I'm guessing lots of butter and milk or cream. Whatever it was, I knew I could always look forward to it every Thanksgiving and Christmas.

After she passed away unexpectedly in 2006, family gatherings were never the same. I'm sure we've all experienced similar feelings, because most of us have lost loved ones. For my family, my Grandma was the "glue that held everything together." She was always reliable, always there, and most importantly, always loving. Even 6 years later, things still aren't the same. I don't know how many times I wish that I could call her to ask advice on a recipe, or just to drive over to her house for a visit. She had experienced so much LIFE (much of it wasn't easy), and was so real to me. I was just beginning to appreciate that about her when she passed. If I stop and think about it, I'm saddened greatly by the fact that she has already missed some big milestones in my life, and will miss many more. But yet I'm comforted by the fact that her memory isn't far from me. Every time I bake a cheesecake I'm reminded of her, because that's where my recipe came from. I'm so very grateful for the years I had with her, for those times when I would ask if I could have a bowl of "Life" cereal & she'd made me give her a kiss first, and her special nickname for me-"Lover." I wonder what she would think of me today? Hopefully I'm turning into a young lady that would make her proud.

The most important thing I have learned from both of these beautiful women isn't how many cups of sugar there are in a cake recipe or how to properly mix cheesecake batter-it is how to love. My Grandma Wagner pours herself into each and every family dinner, and although she's in her mid 80s and gets tired more easily these days, she still makes special occasions lovely and brings a little treat to every family gathering (if it's not hosted at her house). Grandma Davis would always encourage me to get something from the fridge or offer to fix me a plate of something, even if we'd only eaten a few hours before. Their love transcended their baked goods and filtered down into each and every person they came into contact with and both women were/are about as humble as you can get.

As I bake and carry on their legacies, I try to pour that same amount of love and care into each and every thing that comes out of my kitchen. I strive first and foremost to honor God with the gift he's given me, but I strive also to honor those strong women who have taught me so much, and whose love continues to influence my life each and everyday.

Choose to love today. 

A Year of Yum...3rd and final installment!

Ok, so you might be tired of the yumminess by now, but I promise, this is the last post reviewing my year of baking adventures! Christmas is my absolute most favorite holiday, one of the reasons being is because I'm constantly baking and giving things away. There's really nothing like the look on someone's face when you surprise them with a delightful treat. I fully believe that acts of service if one of my strongest love languages God has given me, and one of the ways I can do that is by baking. He continually blesses me in that area and gives me new opportunities to minister, and spread a little homemade sweetness along the way.

Enjoy these last few pictures...I hope they stir up memories of the wonderful Christmas you had with your family!

THE best birthday present I could ever receive. I can't even tell you how much I love my lil' Pistachio!

Date Nut Pinwheels..I used the extra sugar cookie dough I had left over to make these little guys and they turned out alright!

Sugar cookies! I improved upon my methods from last year. These were a big hit at Baires!

I had SO much fun making special cards to send to friends. I think my favorite was the whale anniversary card for my good friends Zach and Becki. :)

Just a little cowl I knitted for my restaurant mama Marcela. I wore an apron like the one on the card all during December, thus earning myself the nickname "Santa Baby." She loved it!

Another Baires favorite-Gingersnaps! Soft and moist, topped with a drizzle of sweetness!

Probably the prettiest cheesecake I've made...White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl, with a rich dark chocolate crust.

Not a typical wintery dessert (perfect for the non-typical winter we had), but this is Lemon Pound Cake I made for a birthday.

Marcela made it lovely with some wine soaked pears and whipped cream!

Little heart shaped Chocolate Raspberry Cakes I made to surprise two of my newly engaged friends.

One of the best purchases I made before the baking season began...a must have for every baker with a tiny kitchen!

A fun birthday cake in honor of Marcela's son's 9th birthday! It was quite late when I finished and almost wrote "Packers" in the end zone instead of "Patriots"...that could've been bad.

Cupcakes! Who doesn't love a strawberry vanilla cupcake, with buttercream frosting and gold sprinkles??

Attempt #1 at caramel...not the color I was hoping for at all. Luckily I was able to use it to fill my Brown Sugar Salted Caramel cupcakes!

Attempt #2-much better! I poured it over top of my Salted Caramel Cheesecake, which has become a favorite at Baires.

Sweet lil' Red Velvies for a friend's birthday!

Ooey gooey caramel...I'm all about repurposing baking failures!

And last but not least, amongst all the sugar and calories, a healthy treat! This is an original vegan cookie recipe, based loosely upon the oatmeal I eat every morning. On the left is a Cran Apple cookie, and on the right is some sort of Blueberry Peach concoction. 

Well friends, that's it for my "Year of Yum"! Thanks for sticking with me and walking through my tasty year. I'm SO excited, because my business cards just came in, so now people will have all of my information (including a link to my blog) on a precious little card! Yay! I do have to say that many of these recipes are NOT original, but almost all I have adapted and change in more than one way or another. I will have a blog post coming soon citing all of my sources, so if you happen to stumble upon this blog and see one of your recipes, please know that I am working on giving the credit where it's due!

It's my goal to be extremely diligent about updating my blog, where I will go into more detail about some of my favorite recipes and tricks of the kitchen. I consider myself to be the "Queen of Substitutions and Food Combinations", so I'm also going to use this as a venue to share of my favorite healthy substitutions and show how I can make an ordinary salad into a delicious creation that you'll want to eat all the time.

I'm SO very excited for this upcoming summer, and the various baking opportunities God has been placing in my lap-weddings, grad parties, and other fun things. I feel very blessed, and I need to send a HUGE thank you out to those who continue to love and support me, and encourage me every step of the way. I don't know where my baking (and maybe acting) will take me, but I know that I don't have to worry, because God already knows. I'm just going to continue to sprinkle love into whatever I bake and use the gifts God has given me to benefit others.

Enjoy the life you've been given, and never stop loving.

-xoxo