My empty nest world of scratch baking and chicken scratch
Cindy Liles
Wash the strawberries, rinse and place on a towel to dry. Pat dry. Melt about four bars of vanilla almond bark in the microwave until completely melted and smooth. Dip the dried strawberries about 2/3 of the way and immediately dip the bottom into blue sugar. You can purchase colored sugar from Michael’s Craft stores … Read more
The classic peanut butter cookie. Hot out of the oven, the edges are light and crispy and the center is slightly chewy. The second day, the cookies are crispy throughout. Nothing fancy or difficult here – just a good, old-fashioned cookie. Gather all ingredients. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and … Read more
The Snickerdoodle is a drop cookie topped with ground cinnamon and sugar. It has a cracked surface and can be crisp or soft. Its name and origin are a mystery. Some think the name came from New England because they often have playful, whimsical cookie names. The invention of the Snickerdoodle is also questionable with … Read more
Homemade blueberry muffins along side of a cup of steaming hot coffee is a perfect way to start any day! Hot out of the oven, these muffins are AMAZING! And since blueberries are brain food filled with antioxidants, you can eat more than one…right?? They mix up super fast and come out perfect every time! I adore this … Read more
If you want to boost your baking confidence or if you are new to baking, then shortbread is an excellent place to start. With just four ingredients in this slightly sweet biscuit-like cookie, there is not much that can go wrong. The key to making good shortbread is high-quality, pure butter and pure vanilla. Do … Read more
I had the privilege of making 400 wedding favor cupcakes for my beautiful niece’s wedding last year. This is the frosting that topped the White Sour Cream Almond cupcakes that were given to the guests at the end of the evening. Classic VanillIa Buttercream Frosting 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened 4 cups confectioners sugar (powdered … Read more
This is a twist on the classic sour cream pound cake that uses ricotta in place of the sour cream. Dense, moist and buttery … and easy to make! It is important to beat the butter and sugar for the full 5 to 7 minutes which will incorporate air into this heavy batter. This is … Read more
Heaven in a ramekin! Creme Brulee is my absolute, hands-down, all-time favorite dessert! Most people don’t know how easy it is to make – just four ingredients! Creme Brulee is a rich vanilla flavored custard base that is topped with a contrasting layer of hard (carmelized) sugar. It is fast and easy to make. You … Read more
Blueberry Pudding Cake signifies the start of summer in our house! Freshly picked blueberries that are capped with a slightly sweet batter, baked until golden and bubbly – a little like a cake, a little like a cobbler, and a little like pudding. Serve it warm from the oven either plain (which I prefer) or with fresh … Read more
This rich, velvety chocolate cream filling pairs perfectly with my sweet butter crust! If you don’t have time to make a homemade pie crust, a store-bought crust will work too. Serve each slice with a dollop of whipped cream. I have served this filling in a pre-made Oreo crust and the results were DIVINE! This … Read more