easy baked goods – In Good Taste

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

Maris Callahan — Sat, 19 Nov 2016 02:00:09 +0000

When I was in first grade, my class had a Thanksgiving party in which I was responsible for bringing cranberry bread. My mom made it with a boxed mix and I suppose it went over well with the six year old crowd, because every year thereafter, I would make cranberry bread — or pumpkin cranberry bread — for our family’s Thanksgiving dinner. At some point in my early twenties I graduated from baking cranberry bread from the boxed mix to baking cranberry bread from scratch. Over the years, I’ve come to believe that the ingredients you use in your cooking will play a huge role in the quality of the final product. That means fresh citrus juices instead of bottled, high quality herbs and spices and Bob’s Red Mill organic unbleached white flour (grab your own with this coupon from the brand). Organic Unbleached White Flour is freshly milled from Organic hard red wheat. Both the bran and the germ have been removed leaving the endosperm that is made into white flour. It is not enriched with any additives. This is the same high protein flour used by professional bakers and produces high, well-textured loaves of bread equally as well as […]

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Chocolate Strawberry Brownies

Maris Callahan — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 06:56:41 +0000

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SendSweetness #CollectiveBias Dark chocolate brownies dotted with fresh strawberries as well as M&M’s® Strawberry candies make for the perfect Valentine’s Day sweet treat. People assume that when you aren’t in a committed relationship, you must hate Valentine’s Day. Now, I hate the entire month of February, but that’s a story for another day. I’ve never been in a long-term committed relationship over Valentine’s Day, but that’s hardly the fault of February 14th. I like the idea of a day to celebrate love. Mostly though, I like the idea of a day to celebrate chocolate. My grandmother’s recipe for Cake Nor Candy brownies has always been one of my favorites to make from scratch. It’s easy, requires one bowl, no electric mixer and absolutely no one who has ever tried these brownies has done anything except rave about them. M&M’s® have always been one of my favorite candies, so when I saw M&M’s® Strawberry in the Valentine’s Day candy aisle, I knew that they would be the perfect way to give a favorite recipe an extra special twist for a day dedicated to heart shaped candy and […]

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Cherry Lime Scones

Maris Callahan — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 05:00:00 +0000

I have a mild obsession with scones. Though not nearly as crave-able as cookies and admittedly easier to step away from than cake, scones are a much under sung baked good. If you like the occasional sweet treat – one that you can eat morning, noon, or night, then you’ll want to focus here. They’re even a hit when you over bake them a little bit. Ahem. Scones are traditional cooked pastries that are simple and easy to make, and delicious to eat. Cherry and lime are a fun combination because cherries are so reminiscent of summer, especially in the Midwest where Michigan cherries are just a stone’s throw away. Limes are one of those things that most people have in their fridge, even people who rarely turn their ovens on because hello, Corona. If your experience with scones is limited to the ones that you press your face up to the bakery case at Starbucks to drool over before the barista quietly asks you to leave, you’ll love how simple this recipe is to make and how impressed people will look when you say you’ve made scones. Save Print Cherry Lime Scones Author: Maris Callahan Recipe type: Sweet Treats Prep time: 20 […]

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Deep Chocolate Brownies with Chevre Swirl

Maris Callahan — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 18:57:47 +0000

I might not be a dietitian but I do believe in eating healthily. Contrary to the photograph above, which is essentially dripping with chocolate, I think that a healthy diet includes a lot of vegetables, lean protein, whole grains and healthy fat like avocado. Now, I certainly don’t always practice what I preach, as evidenced by the deep chocolate brownies you’re staring at, but I do think that part of being healthy means indulging from time to time. I also think it means cooking at home whenever possible. I think that a salad you make for yourself will taste fresher than something you open from a bag and I think that a brownie you bake yourself will be more satisfying than one that comes vacuum sealed from the grocery store…in moderation, of course. This week, In Good Taste was featured as one of July’s Blogs of the Month on Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution is a national movement to change the way that America eats by helping them cook more at home and eat less processed foods. Oliver’s Food Revolution is about something very important to me: inspiring people to get back to basics and start cooking […]

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Peppermint Mocha Brownie Cookies

Maris Callahan — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Even if you’re not a big cook or baker I am going to go ahead and guess that the words “holiday” and “baking” will appear in your vocabulary at some point before you change your calendar page from December to January. No matter what holidays you celebrate, cookies bring a smile to anyone’s face – especially when they’re packed with seasonal flavors like peppermint, almonds and cranberries. My current favorite cookie is one that I invented on a whim when my friend Jennifer sent me a stash of flavored Starbucks VIA, which is quite possibly my favorite product ever invented. These cookies are perfect for grown-ups, but kids with a taste for coffee might like them too. Eaten warm from the oven, they have a soft texture, almost like a fudge brownie but as they cool, they will turn to a more cake-like consistency. If you need a dessert or homemade hostess gift to bring to a holiday party, serve a dozen of these cookies in a festive, silver tin lined with parchment paper. With a touch of mocha, hints of peppermint extract and of course, the rich chocolate you crave throughout the holiday season, these cookies will be sure to land you on everyone’s […]

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