Ashley's 10 Essential Baking Items

With only having a part time job right now, one of the things that I love about baking is how inexpensive it is. Once I have my pantry supplied with these 10 essential ingredients, I generally only need to purchase 1-3 items to make a recipe. These essentials last me for at least 3 recipes, if not more, and all can be found for under $5.00. I like to shop at Target in their grocery area, which I’ve found to have much lower prices than chain grocery stores. Below you'll find my 10 essential ingredients of baking. :)

FLOUR

Flour was first made in 9000 BC by grinding wheat seeds between stones to produce the fine powder. Now days it's produced in mills, and there are numerous types of flour available. All purpose flour is fine for baking, but if you're making bread (scones, biscuits, etc) you'll want "self rising" flour. Self rising flour has leavening agents that help the bread rise.

WHITE SUGAR

Sugar comes from the plant called sugar cane, and gets it's granulated crystal form by extracting the syrup from the cane and using a vacuum to crystallize the syrup. Brazil has the highest per capita production of sugar.

CONFECTIONER'S (POWDERED) SUGAR

A very fine sugar, confectioner's sugar is mostly used for icings, fillings or frostings. You can make your own powdered sugar by putting regular white sugar and a little corn starch into the food processor and pulse it until a fine powder forms. The corn starch will prevent it from clumping together.

BROWN SUGAR

Brown sugar is essentially the same as white sugar, but has molasses added to it. The darker the sugar, the more molasses is present. Brown sugar gets it's soft texture from the viscous nature of the molasses. Since brown sugar has a maple flavor from the molasses, it can not be substituted for white sugar.

BAKING POWDER

Baking powder is a leavening agent, and is used to increase volume and lighten the texture of baked goods. The carbon dioxide in baking powder expands, making the dough light and fluffy. Baking powder is used in recipes that don't have an acid (lemon juice, buttermilk, yogurt, etc) to react with. You can tell if you're baking powder is still fresh by putting a teaspoon into a glass of hot water. If the baking powder fizzes, it's still active and can be used for baking.

BAKING SODA

Baking soda is also a leavening agent, and is used for the same purpose as baking powder. The only difference is that baking soda needs an acid to react with in order to release carbon dioxide bubbles. When added to a dough or baking mixture, it needs to be used immediately or the baking soda will loose it's chemical reaction and will result in flat cookies or breads.

VANILLA EXTRACT

Vanilla extract is made by macerating vanilla beans in a solution of ethyl alcohol and water. In order for a vanilla extract to be "pure", the FDA requires a minimum of 35% alcohol and 13.35 ounces of vanilla bean per gallon. Also available is "imitation" vanilla extract, which is made with artificial flavors. When baking, the obvious choice is to use the "pure" option, but it can be pricey. I use imitation vanilla extract and it works just fine for me.

COCOA POWDER

Cocoa powder is extracted from cocoa beans, and is made by pressing and milling the liquids away from the solids of the bean. The resulting powder is then processed further to reduce the bitter taste of the chocolate. Cocoa powder contains healthy minerals such as potassium, calcium and zinc.

UNSALTED BUTTER

Unsalted butter is used in both frostings and batters. The only difference between salted and unsalted butter is that granular salt is added to the churning process in salted butter production. It's very important when baking to use unsalted butter. You want to control how much salt is being added to the mixture, and using salted butter can result in an off-putting taste. It's also very important to let the butter soften on the counter for a few hours before use. This allows for even distribution and easy blending of ingredients.

EGGS

Eggs are used to bind together batters, and also act as a leavening agent. Egg whites can be used to make meringues, and egg yolks are used for making custards and creams. To test the freshness of an egg, place it in a bowl of water. If the egg sinks to the bottom, it's still good. The quicker the egg sinks to the bottom, the fresher the egg is. If the egg floats, it's spoiled.

I hope this list provided you a good starting point for your baking pantry, and please don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions about the ingredients listed!

Happy Baking!



 

Easy Cinnamon Rolls

Hi everyone! I hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend and didn't eat or spend too much! I know I did both, but definitely worth it. :) With the holidays coming up, I know this is a time of spending money and those paychecks dwindling down a lot quicker than we're used to! So this month I'm focusing on simple, fast and affordable desserts your whole family will love.

I had a coupon for crescent rolls and was trying to think of something sweet to bake with them. I looked in my boyfriend's cupboard and I saw brown sugar and cinnamon. Of course....cinnamon rolls! I didn't have a recipe, but I quickly thought up something I wanted to try. They turned out SO good, and were SO easy to make! 6 ingredients and 30 minutes later....you've got old fashioned cinnamon rolls. :)

I made the crescent roll dough into rectangles for easy rolling and spread the filling onto the dough in an even layer.



You can use whatever high sided oven safe pan to bake the cinnamon rolls in. I just used a pie pan and it actually worked out really well. They will spread with the cooking process, so a square pan would probably work very well too.


Before

And after 20-25 minutes, you'll have warm, fresh from the oven cinnamon rolls!


After

You could add nuts to the filling as well. You'll notice that in the recipe, there's no set quantity for brown sugar or cinnamon. This is because you can control how sweet the rolls are. If you're a sugar fanatic, pile it on. If you really like cinnamon flavor, sprinkle to your heart's desire. It really just depends on your personal "sweet factor". If you're just getting into baking/learning how to cook, this really is an awesome recipe to start out with.

RECIPE

2 canisters of crescent rolls

3/4 cup butter, softened

Brown sugar

Cinnamon

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons milk or water

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray the baking pan with butter flavored non-stick spray or spread a thin layer of butter in the pan.
• Carefully unwrap the crescent rolls and tear them into rectangular shapes, pinching together seams.
• Spread the butter on the crescent rolls, then sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon on top.
• Roll the dough into a log, then cut into 2 inch sections. Place them vertically into the prepared baking dish.
• Sprinkle with more brown sugar, if desired, and place into the oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
• While the rolls are baking, combine the powdered sugar, butter and milk/water. When the rolls are done, drizzle the frosting over the warm rolls. Enjoy! 

Happy baking! Have a wonderful week, and look for another easy recipenext Sunday! :)

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

As promised (okay, it's technically Saturday, but shhh..), this post will focus on Pumpkin Whoopie Pies. So...I like pumpkin. A lot. Before Thanksgiving, I went on a pumpkin spree. Waffles, bars, pancakes, and whoopie pies. What exactly is a "whoopie pie"? A deliciously sweet filling is stuffed in between two fluffy, light cookies. Traditionally they're made with chocolate cookies, but I decided to live on the wild side and try them with pumpkin puree. And they turned out to be pretty much the best thing on Earth. No joke.

The cookies are so airy, it seems like they will float off the cookie sheet. And are super simple to make! I experimented with different fillings (all powdered sugar, traditional marshmallow creme) and by far the best one I tried is a classic buttercream filling. It brings out the natural spices of the pumpkin cookie, and is so dang good you can't just have one!

This is what the cookies will look like after being removed from the oven. I used a small ice cream scoop and it worked wonderfully to keep a nice circular shape and allowed for even cooking. You can fit quite a few on a single cookie sheet as well. They will be done in 9 minutes, then 1 minute on the pan until they can be transferred to a cooling rack. Make sure the cookies are completely cooled before filling them.

RECIPE

Adapted from AllRecipies.com

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

2 eggs

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

•  Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease baking sheet.
•  Beat oil and brown sugar until combined. Add the pumpkin and eggs, beating until well incorporated.
• Add flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. Mix together well.
• Scoop dough with a small ice cream scoop onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 9 minutes, then leave on the pan for 1 minute. Carefully remove the cookies and place them on a cooling rack until they're cool enough to fill.

FILLING

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons hot water

• Blend butter and vanilla extract until combined.
• Gradually add powdered sugar one cup at a time. Add cinnamon.
• Add water one tablespoon at a time, until desired spreading consistency is obtained. This could require more or less water.

I HIGHLY recommend trying this recipe out. It always amazes me how many compliments I get on them! One little tip though - don't stack the pies. Since the cookie is so light, they have a tendency to stick together. Use a piece of parchment to seperate the layers.

Happy Baking!

Cinnamon Sandwich Cookies

 

My first blog post! Eep! I'm still getting the hang of posting/blogging, so bare with me with formatting issues! :)

These cookies could not be easier to make! The dough is silky smooth and forms easily into balls – probably one of the best raw dough’s I’ve worked with. When pressing the dough into flat circles, make sure not to flatten them too much. The first few batches I made, the cookies were too thin and cooked way too quickly…

 

I know it doesn't seem like a big difference, but it really does affect the cooking time. So when pressing the cookies, I left them about ¼ inch thick and they turned out great. They don’t rise or spread when baking, so don’t be worried about the cookies running together. I did a 4x5 baking grid and it worked great. Also, whenever baking I ALWAYS put a sheet of foil or parchment paper (whatever you have on hand) over the baking sheet...makes clean up a breeze! 

 

The flavor of the cookie is very nice and buttery. It’s chewy in the middle and has a nice crunch on the outside. Be cautious though – these cookies over-bake VERY easily. After 6 minutes I checked them every 30 seconds. They’re done when you can see the BOTTOMS of the cookies turning light brown, not the sides. I know what you're thinking...how can I tell if the bottom is done without flipping the cookie over?! Trust me, you'll be able to tell. I found when the sides turned light brown, the cookie was overdone and too crunchy. I cooled them on the cookie sheet for 1 minute instead of 2 minutes as well, as stated in the original recipe.

 

FILLING

The cinnamon filling is delicious! Velvety smooth and compliments the cookies so well. I didn't have any apple cider, so I just used plain old water and it was fine! Honestly, I think the apple cider would have been too sweet. The filling is already quite sweet, so using water was perfect for adding the needed moisture. Next time I’ll try adding almond extract instead of vanilla to change the flavor profile a bit. This filling is also very versatile – I can’t wait to try it with my Pumpkin Whoopie Pies! Also, you could add cocoa powder to replace some of the powdered sugar for a chocolatey-cinnamon filling! Make sure to sift or run a fork through the cocoa powder before mixing together - it has a tendency to be clumpy and could ruin the consistency of the frosting. 

This Cinnamon Sandwich Cookie would go fantastic with a good ol' cup of coffee or glass of milk. :) It's a fantastic recipe if you're just getting into baking - just requires a little babysitting while the cookies are in the oven. These cookies also travel well!


RECIPE
Adapted from Better Homes and Garden's Christmas Cookie magazine

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with foil, pour the sugar into a small bowl and set aside 
• In a large bowl, blend butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds (don't worry about it being perfectly smooth, you just want the butter to be softened.) 
• Add brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, occasionally scraping the bowl to combine ingredients 
• Beat in the egg and vanilla 
• Mix in the flour 1 cup at a time with the electric mixer. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup with a spatula (you think it won't mix, but it will). The batter will be very thick. 
• Roll the dough into 1 inch balls, then place on the foil-lined cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Dip the bottom of a glass into the granulated sugar, then press the glass into each dough, creating a circle about 1/4 inch thick. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 8 minutes, or until the bottom of the cookies turn light brown. Cool on a cookie sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to a cooling rack. Let cookies completely cool before filling. 

CINNAMON FILLING

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons apple cider** (I used water)

• Beat together butter, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg until smooth. Gradually add 1 cup powdered sugar until blended 
• Beat in water, then add the rest of the powdered sugar until well blended 
• Fill cookies with filling and ENJOY! 

**In order to make a spreadable filling, you may need more or less apple cider/water. 3 tablespoons worked for me. Too thin? Add more powdered sugar. Too thick? Add more water. 

Okay, first blog post complete! I hope you enjoyed it, and inspired you to try these tasty treats! Until next week, happy baking!

Welcome to my blog!

Hello! Thanks for visiting my blog! I'm SO excited to be starting Ashley's Sugar Shack - a blog all about my passion for baking. I recently got into baking, and after some positive encouragement from friends and family, I decided to start a blog about my experiences. This is my first blog, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, but you know when you have a good feeling about something? Even when you have no idea where it will lead? I have that feeling about baking, and am hoping you will learn to love it as much as I do!

I'll be posting existing recipes with my little tweaks, plus some of my own recipes, tips, fundamentals of baking and lots of other neat stuff! I should have a new post/recipe every week or so!

Happy reading!