Olympic Fever...

 

   Please accept my sincere apology for neglecting my blog. I am currently on an Olympic hiatus. Since the opening ceremonies, our television has been tuned into CBC coverage.  We are all glued to what ever is on, when ever it is on, no matter the sport!

    I truly enjoy watching the Canadian coverage.  Perhaps I am biased because I am a Canadian, but I think that CBC does such a wonderful job covering not just the sporting events, but all aspects of the Olympic games. Segments such as The Olympians, My Team, My Town and My Russia are so interesting and informative.  My favourites however are the Science Says segments and the tear inducing Raising an Olympian. I just love the behind the scenes stories! 

     Even our commercials are great! As I type, an Oreo commercial is on.  Canada is so patriotic we even have cookies and Ritz crackers with the maple leaf on them!  Above you will see how we brought the Olympic spirit into our bakery.  You have to love how these games bring us all together.  Whether it's cheering for your country, watching your favourite winter sport, or just using the games as an excuse to sit and put your feet up with your family, enjoy it. Something that only comes along once every four years deserves to be savoured and enjoyed.

 

  

Everything but the kitchen sink...

 
   I have a cupboard in my kitchen that is designated for baking supplies.  My children know that anything in there is strictly off limits to them. They know that no matter how much they plead or give me those sad puss n' boots eyes that I will not relent. Each and every item in my stash; the Snickers bars,  the Reeses' peanut butter cups and the Oreo cookies, are all destined to be baked into something delectable... one of these days.
 
   It's no surprise that since I've started working in a bakery, I have been baking less often at home.  My kids are noticing that the treat plate is not filled as often as it once was. Their arrival home from school is not met with fresh baked cookies Monday through Friday. While it may be a good thing that I'm not spoiling them, my cupboard overfloweth.
 
    In order to make way for the Valentine treats I've been stocking up on, I had to deplete my stash.  Thankfully I was able to come up with a cookie recipe that incorporated much of what I had on hand.  Not only did I bake up a tasty batch of homemade cookies for my poor, deprived family, I was also able to make room in my cache. A job well done if I do say so myself!
 
 
Kitchen Sink Cookies
 



You will need:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
• 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup toffee baking bits
• 1 cup pecans, chopped 

Directions:

~ Preheat oven to 350*
~ In a large bowl combine sugars and butter; beat until creamy
~ Add vanilla and eggs; blend well
~ In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; whisk to combine
~ Add dry mixture to wet mixture
~ Stir in chocolate & peanut butter chips, toffee bits and pecans
~ Roll into balls and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet
~ Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown
~ Allow cookies to set 1 minute on cookie sheets before moving to wire racks to cool

 

 

 

*Note: there are no chocolate bars in this recipe because... well, it's hard to resist those eyes!

 

Without a Shadow of a Doubt...

 

 

   The reports are in. Ontario's very own "Wiarton Willie" emerged from his cozy den this past Sunday and spotted his shadow.  According to folklore (because we all know that a groundhog is a rodent, not a meteorologist) this means that we can expect six more weeks of what has already been a very cold and snowy winter.

 

  I was in such dismay upon hearing this news that I made the mistake of logging onto the Environment Canada website.  Sure enough, they too are predicting more of the frigid temps that have gripped much of the country for the past two months. What's worse, they anticipate that the 'polar vortex' will likely persist right through the month of February.

 

  Well, at least my kids will be happy...

 

Me? Not so much. I'm heading to the kitchen to turn on the oven.

 

Chocolate Cake Batter Cupcakes

*This recipe makes approximately 20 cupcakes

For the cupcakes you will need:
 

1 box devil's food cake mix

3 eggs

1/2 cup melted butter, slightly cooled

1 cup buttermilk

2/3 cup sour cream 

2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pans with cupcake liners
• Sift cake mix into a small bowl and set aside
• In a large bowl, combine eggs, butter, buttermilk, sour cream and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth
• Add cake mix and stir
• Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 17-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean
• Allow cupcakes to cool

 

 

For the frosting you will need:

 

1cup butter, softened

1/3 cup dry yellow cake mix, sifted to remove lumps

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tbsp milk

3-4 cups powered sugar

Sprinkles for decoration

Directions:

• Beat butter for 1 minute
• Add yellow cake mix, vanilla extract and milk and beat again
• Slowly add in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until you reach your desired consistency
• Taste, if you want a stronger cake batter taste, add in more yellow cake mix
• Pipe onto cooled cupcakes and top with sprinkles (which I forgot to add!)

 

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 *Thanks to Your Cup of Cake for inspiring this recipe.