I’m going to make a confession. It may be shocking to many readers of this blog (at least those who follow my Tasty Tuesday posts and know how much I enjoy cooking), so prepare yourselves.
Last year for Christmas I received a KitchenAid stand mixer from Eric, and I didn’t even take it out of the box until this December.
I know, I know … This makes me sound like a horrible, ungrateful bitch. Trust me, that wasn’t the case at all. I was beyond excited to receive it. Need proof?
Just look at the excitement on my face! I was so surprised when he gave it to me! Personal photo.
My issue was this: I was a little intimidated by the stand mixer. I may love to cook (and, if I may say so myself, I’m actually pretty good at it!), but baking is another story. Although I really wanted a KitchenAid stand mixer, I wasn’t 100% sure I’d know what to do with it if I got one. But I did (and still do!) want to become a good baker … So it’s worth a few failed attempts with the KitchenAid. Maybe I’ll eventually get it right.
Today’s post is an ode to my desire to become a good baker.
This week’s list: Ten Delicious Looking Things I Want To Bake Soon (Using My KitchenAid Stand Mixer, Of Course!)
10.) Pumpkin Cream Cheese Oreo Chunk Brownies
Image courtesy of http://picky-palate.com.
The dessert recipes on Picky Palate always look so amazing (and somewhat disgustingly rich!), but I usually just admire them from afar. Now that I’m planning to start baking more regularly, these recipes just may come in handy! Eric and I are huge fans of pumpkin and chocolate (as you may have guessed from my last Tasty Tuesday post), so this would be the perfect place to start!
The original recipe can be found here: http://picky-palate.com/2012/10/29/pumpkin-cream-cheese-oreo-chunk-brownies/.
9.) Key Lime Pie Bars
Image courtesy of http://www.browneyedbaker.com.
I’m a huge fan of Key Lime pie. Eric likes it, but I love it. These Key Lime bars look so simple and refreshing. Although it’s hard to get out of the more fall/winter flavors at the moment (hey, it’s December and let’s be honest … I can eat pumpkin stuff all year long!), this would be the perfect dessert to ring in spring and/or summer this year.
The original recipe can be found here: http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2013/06/19/key-lime-pie-bars/.
8.) Chocolate Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream
Image courtesy of http://cassiecraves.blogspot.com.
Cassie Craves is one of my favorite cooking/food blogs because her recipes are often fairly simple and not overly time consuming. Although I’ve tried a lot of her main dish and appetizer recipes, I haven’t really given her dessert recipes much attention. These cupcakes immediately caught my eye because as much as Eric and I love pumpkin and chocolate, we probably love coffee and chocolate even more.
The original recipe can be found here: http://cassiecraves.blogspot.com/2011/11/dark-chocolate-cupcakes-with-coffee.html.
7.) Tiramisu Cheesecake Bars
Image courtesy of http://cassiecraves.blogspot.com.
While looking through the Cassie Craves blog for baking inspiration, I also came across this little gem. Tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts of all time. And while I’ll freely admit that I’m completely intimidated by the thought of making actual, from scratch traditional tiramisu, these cheesecake bars look completely doable (and completely delicious!).
The original recipe can be found here: http://cassiecraves.blogspot.com/2009/12/tiramisu-cheesecake-bars.html.
6.) Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
Image courtesy of http://www.annies-eats.com.
I love looking through the blog Annie’s Eats. Her pictures are always gorgeous, and the recipes I’ve tried have turned out very well. I love fruit-based desserts almost as much as I love chocolate-based desserts, and these cheesecake bars look amazing!
The original recipe can be found here: http://www.annies-eats.com/2010/08/13/lemon-blueberry-cheesecake-bars/.
5.) Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Biscotti
Image courtesy of http://www.annies-eats.com.
This is yet another recipe from Annie’s Eats. She has several delicious looking biscotti recipes listed on her blog, but this one looked a little simpler (which is important since I’ve never made homemade biscotti before). I also love the peanut butter and chocolate combination (though I’m sure there are very few people who don’t love these flavors together!). I’m a huge fan of biscotti, so I think it would be pretty awesome to try making my own. I should definitely try this soon!
The original recipe can be found here: http://www.annies-eats.com/2010/12/20/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-biscotti/.
4.) Cranberry Dark Chocolate Muffins
Image courtesy of http://www.letsdishrecipes.com.
When I was in college, there was this adorable (and amazing!) little bakery within walking distance from my dorm on the main street of the town. It was there that I discovered my love for cranberries in breakfast goodies. Scones, muffins, breads, biscotti … You name it. So when I came across this muffin recipe, I knew I’d have to add it to this list. I can’t wait to make these!
The original recipe can be found here: http://www.letsdishrecipes.com/2013/12/cranberry-dark-chocolate-muffins.html.
3.) Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
Image courtesy of http://lovintheoven.com.
One of my friends (who also happens to be one of my coworkers) has made this exact coffee cake several times for work potlucks. And it’s good. She sent me the link to the recipe after I raved about how awesome it was the last time she brought it in. She’s a much more seasoned baker than I am, so I can only hope I can recreate the perfect blend of flavors and textures when I try making this.
The original recipe can be found here: http://lovintheoven.com/2010/02/chocolate-chip-coffee-cake.html.
2.) S’mores Cookie Bars
Image courtesy of http://lovintheoven.com.
After my friend sent me the link for the chocolate chip coffee cake (mentioned above, in #3), I started checking out other recipes on the blog. Lovin’ From The Oven has some amazingly tasty looking baked goods recipes … I can definitely see using this blog many times in the future as a resource when I want to use my KitchenAid stand mixer and need some inspiration. These cookie bars are no exception. I mean, do I really even need to explain why these made the list? Come on … They contain the flavors of s’mores. That was enough for me!
The original recipe can be found here: http://lovintheoven.com/2008/12/day-11-smores-cookie-bars.html.
1.) Red Velvet Oreo Brownies
Image courtesy of http://sallysbakingaddiction.com.
I’m sure I’ve mentioned before that red velvet cake has a special place in my heart. My grandmother used to make a red velvet cake every year for Christmas. I’ve had many types of red velvet cake since then, but none have ever compared to the simple goodness of her recipe (which is unfortunately a bit of a mystery since she didn’t actually make it the way it was written in her recipe notes). Eric and I made sure we included red velvet as one of our cake flavors for our wedding since it has such an important meaning for me (and it didn’t hurt that we both love the actual taste as well!). As you can see, I love all things red velvet … So when I saw this recipe, I was like, “Oh. My. God.” This looks so rich and decadent! It also looks a little intimidating since there are so many steps and “parts” of the brownie to assemble … But maybe one day I’ll feel brave and just go for it. I mean, I can’t live my life without tasting one of these!
The original recipe can be found here: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/12/05/red-velvet-oreo-brownies/.
If anyone reading this is into baking, please feel free to share some of your favorite recipes in the comments!
Can't Believe How Strange It Is To Be Anything At All ... 