Brewer's Blondies

Chocolate is the national dessert obsession.

I get this. 

It's a superstar. It's a badass. It's sexy and sweet and as cool as it gets. It's both sophisticated as a flourless torte and as down to earth as the most wonderful chocolate chip cookie. I have a whole category devoted to chocolate, and for good reason: chocolate is boss and it's here to stay.

A brownie is one of the best confections you can make with chocolate. Case in point: A while back I baked the most scrumptious marbled cream cheese brownies. I went nuts over them. My friends went nuts over them. It's pretty darn difficult to find someone who frowns at the mention of a brownie.

Everyone knows what a brownie is. This much is obvious.

But how about a blondie?

I myself had never heard of a blondie until my sophomore year of college. I think it absurd, as well. So what exactly is a blondie, you ask? Blondies are dessert bars based on tons of molasses-laden brown sugar. It's like a brownie in both method of baking and texture, but a blondie lacks chocolate in its base (although it can still have chocolate chips in the base batter). Some people use melted butterscotch chips in the batter, which, too, is delicious. All in all, blondies are in their own class of cool. No more shall they be a poor man's brownie.

Especially when they feature malt powder and Whoppers. Woo-hoo!

Devil's Food Cake with Mocha Buttercream

I feel a considerable number of bakers trace their beginnings back to their families.

An entire childhood of watching parents and grandparents in the kitchen. Keeping great-grandma's time-tested peach cobbler filed in the recipe box. Gathering on Thanksgiving to see who made the best dessert this year. Learning how to decorate sugar cookies from Dad. Sound about right?

I, however, didn't grow up smelling apple pies or chocolate cream pies at the kitchen counter. Neither of my parents is a professional baker, although they both were cooks at certain points in their lives. The fateful discovery of a long-lost sweets recipe from a great-aunt? Ha! Not in this gal's household.

I grew up on plenty of kimchi and miyukguk (seaweed soup)- and loved it. Pastries were an occasional treat, but not a single stick of butter was bought until my junior year of high school. Honestly, I can't even recall what I cooked with that butter.

Baking became this rhythm in my life even before I knew I was listening to it. Long story short, I started to bake as a way to give.

Birthdays, anniversaries, end-of-the-year farewells, holidays, and numerous thank-you occasions came by, and little me had nothing to give to the people I loved. By the time I entered third grade it was automatic for me to compare and buy my cereal by the unit price. I didn't feel unduly deprived, mind you, nor was I destitute, but I grew up knowing that money was a finite resource in my household. Simple as that.

Baking was easy. It was economical. It also had the wow factor. People liked that you took the time to mix, drop, and bake cookies from your home. Soon I began cooking up homemade fudge, separating them in little goodie bags, tied ribbons, then gifted them to loved ones who meant the world to me.

After fudge came cookies, cakes, cheesecakes, and fast forward to now and... here we are!

It's really been an amazing experience. I'm beyond grateful.

Blueberry-Blackberry Whole Wheat Muffins

It's a foggy Sunday morning, and yours truly is sipping coffee inside a local bakery.

It is not sufficient to say that I have stationed myself in the back corner of this cafe. Taking over the area, is more like it. Sitting smack dab in the middle of the only couch in the store. Shoes off and cross-legged on the shiny black leather. Hogging the cushions. My book and notes and pen all over the table. My North Face bookbag resting near my foot like an old dog that doesn't like to be bothered.

And me, sipping my coffee like, "what's up?"

To be (moderately) fair, there's hardly anyone here. One gentleman by the windows at the far end is reading a newspaper, the other is sitting at the high tables to use the electrical outlet. About an hour ago a group came through- for brunch after morning service, I figure.

No biggie. Just little me with my coffee and my red leather journal. Studying, writing, reading. Just chillin'...with music hailing from the top speakers.

This is one of my most favorite things in the world.

Whole Wheat Bread with Walnuts and Cranberries

Well, technically it's 44% whole wheat bread, but who's punching numbers here (besides me)?

This, right here, is a 100% deeeeeeeelicious bread.

So delicious that I baked six loaves already and plan on making another four in the next two days. That's pretty legit.

This bread made me believe in the power of toasted nuts... i.e, the extra depth of intensely nutty, woody (can I say woody?) flavor that magnifies the blend of whole wheat and molasses. That, paired with tart-sweet dried cranberries, was bread heaven.

This recipe is low-maintenance, straightforward, and virtually foolproof. If you measure correctly, then you won't have issues with mixing and kneading. The only hindrance I found was the position of the oven rack. The very first time I baked this bread, the fire alarm went off...and some things went down. The middle hadn't fully risen and the bottom was burned. I was bummed out. But baking near the middle instead of the bottom rack fixed that problem, and I just had fun with the process.

Baking bread at home is special that way. You learn as you go. You get to know your dough.

This bread is wonderful to have for breakfast with some good coffee. But it's also rustic yet tender enough to serve at the dinner table with your entrees. I like it plain and slightly warmed, but you can eat it with a slab of butter, jam, honey, whatever you like.

So it is with many blessings that I send you sweet souls to bake your own breads. Have fun, and eat to your heart's content.

And please, please don't burn down your house.

Homemade Wheat Thins

I was never really a Cheez-Its kinda gal.

But I was, and IS, a total Wheat Thins gal.

When I have those wheat thins, I don't wanna share. When I have those wheat thins, they disappear in about two days. When I have those wheat thins, I see no other cracker.

If you give me Wheat Thins, I like you lots.

If you're a boy who gives me Wheat Thins, then mister, we might talk. Unless you're creepy. Then I'm just going to take the box and run.

I found the recipe for these homemade wheat thins from Smitten Kitchen, a.k.a one of the best food blogs out there. I was thrilled, but I have to be honest here and say that these didn't live up to my (mile-high) expectations. Ms. Perelman is no doubt a fantastic baker and cook, so her wheat thins must have been nothing less than wonderful. Mine, on the other hand, I liked very much, but not enough to let go of the box from the store.

BUT that doesn't take away from the fact that I devoured these crackers in, again, a couple of days. The whole wheat flour gives the dough such an irresistible, nutty aroma. I stopped short of kneading and just... breathed. They're crunchy yet tender. Buttery. Tasty.

In short, these babies have their own charm.

Do you have to bake them? Gosh, no. But you can take a look at how I made them, because it's pretty cool. You can also, out of the goodness of your heart, leave me a nice comment or send me a sweet text, and totally make my day ^O^

Oh, and get me a box of Wheat Thins. Can't forget that.