January
Croissants
Rather than starting off nice and easy, the first item I tried to bake this quarter was a labor of love: Claire Saffitz’s New York Times recipe for croissants. Two of my friends and I worked together to tag team all 24 steps over a two-day period.
This recipe is definitely not “dorm” baking-friendly. Ideally, you would want a dough hook and mixer rather than trying to do it by hand as we did. While our end result was tasty (in the way all buttery things are), our dough never rose, so it tasted good– so long as you weren’t expecting a fluffy croissant.
That being said, it was a fun bonding experience akin to how I imagine running a marathon together would feel. If you have the time to dedicate to it and can appreciate a more laborious project, it’s a fun challenge to try with friends. Just make sure to plan out when you need to do each step in advance. You might even get to see evidence of all the layers you painstakingly folded when you bite into it.
Brownie Bites
Over winter break, I got a handheld mixer and muffin tin, so I wanted to try making brownie bites with freshly whipped cream to go on top. For this recipe I used a brownie bite recipe, but having now made this multiple times, I’ve gotten the best results with a brownie box mix.
The baking time will be much less in a muffin tin than in a pan, likely about half (20 minutes). Still, I advise checking on them routinely while they bake. While these are essentially the same as regular brownies, I’ve found that people seem to really enjoy having them this way for something different. Despite its simplicity, I’ve found little gets people as excited as freshly whipped cream. If you don’t have a mixer, you can combine the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla with a whisk as well– just be prepared to be at it for a while.
February
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
I used the muffin tin to make the New York Times recipe for carrot cake cupcakes. These were pretty easy, though I wish my friend and I would have included more carrots. To make up for not having a grater, we bought a bag of shredded carrots and then chopped them further before adding them to the mix.
You can make cream cheese frosting without a mixer by using a whisk or fork; it will just take more time. To decorate the cupcakes, we put the cream cheese frosting into a zip-lock bag and cut off the tip for a homemade piping bag.
Some of our cupcakes definitely turned out prettier than others, but it was a fun process to get the hang of. I think cutting more of the tip-off for thicker piping could have made the frosting look a bit neater. While the cupcakes tasted great, the one downside to this recipe is having leftover ingredients (carrots and cream cheese) that you might be less likely to use in another recipe. In general, I prefer recipes with ingredients I’m confident I’ll use again.
Molten Lava Cake
As a lover of all-things-mini, one of my favorite things I made this quarter was a molten cake. I was lucky enough to get a mini le creuset for Christmas, but they’re most commonly made in ramekins.
I was most worried about melting the chocolate, but the microwave proved to be a safe method. This is the single-serving recipe I used. While you can easily find recipes to make several at once, I think these are fun because you can easily just make one as a fun surprise or treat to give someone. While this wasn’t the gooey-est molten cake I’ve had, it was still very good, and I enjoyed it split two ways!
Galentines Goodie Bags
All quarter, I was looking forward to baking for Galentine’s. I tried to recreate the type of valentines you would exchange with classmates in elementary school, by giving my friends a baggie with a m&m, sugar, and white chocolate chip cookie.
M&M cookies: I was a bit disappointed with how hard these were after they cooled, but after storing them in an airtight container overnight, they were a lot softer (and tastier) the next day.
Sugar cookies: I think sugar cookies tend to be a bit hit or miss, but these were really good. Not only were they very chewy, but they also had a great vanilla flavor. I’ve found myself coming back to this as a base recipe for other cookie ideas I’ve had. My mixer makes the dough a bit fine and grainy, but I’ve found going in with washed hands afterwards fixes the texture.
White chocolate chip raspberry cookies: These were everyone’s favorite! I couldn’t freeze raspberries, so I bought a carton of fresh ones. I laid them out on a cookie sheet in the freezer overnight, which appeared to work just fine. Be sure to store in the fridge if you’re keeping them for multiple days.
I used my mixer for all of these, but you can use a spatula, spoon, or washed hands as well if you have the time.
For our actual Galentine’s party, I baked the New York Times red velvet white chocolate chip cookies as well as brownie bites with pink whipped cream hearts on top. I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to pipe fresh whipped cream, but they created the shape pretty well. For the cookies, my friend and I used white chocolate chips instead of white chocolate chunks as the recipe recommended, but I think chunks would have been better incorporated throughout the whole cookie. These were also a bit dry initially but softened over time.
Lemon Rosemary Cookies
I had two friends who worked on the Frog and Toad show this year, so to celebrate, I wanted to make frog-shaped cookies. I started with the sugar cookies I made for Galentine’s, used the lemon rosemary flavoring of this recipe, and based my design on this recipe.
I didn’t have a grater, so to zest the lemon, I used a knife to try and scrape off the outermost layer of the peel and then mince it. I was pleasantly surprised by how finely chopped I was able to get it. To make the frogs’ faces, I dipped a fork into a thin icing (made from water, powdered sugar, and food dye) and tried to draw carefully on the cookies after they cooled. Not only were they very cute, but I really enjoyed the flavor and have used it again since. In my experience, it tastes stronger if you add the lemon and rosemary with the egg and vanilla rather than later in the process. For more lemon, you can also add a glaze by dipping them into a mixture of powdered sugar and lemon juice.
March
Brownie Cookies
I love strawberries and whipped cream, so I made the New York Times brownie cookie recipe with the idea of using the combo as a topping. My cookies didn’t come out as chewy as I was expecting, but it was a fun way to try a different brownie method.hey tasted great with the strawberries and whipped cream on top.
St. Patrick’s Day Sugar Cookies
For St. Patrick’s Day, I once again returned to my favorite sugar cookie recipe with some green food dye. I rolled them in some rainbow sprinkles before baking, but found they didn’t stick super well to the dough. So, while cute, it was a smattering of sprinkles rather than a consistent covering. I also took Lucky Charms marshmallows from the dining hall and pressed a few into each cookie for some more St. Patrick’s Day flair.
