Club: BAKED: Buckeyes

Have you ever wondered how they get the texture of the peanut butter filling in a Reese's? It's somehow moist yet manages to be slightly crumbly? I always thought it was magic. I do believe the BAKED boys know the answer: graham cracker crumbs and confectioners' sugar. This is my introduction to the tasty Ohio treat known as the Buckeye.

The recipe made 60 treats (!!). I didn't want giant gobs of candy, so I made the balls smaller then suggested and next time I might even make the balls smaller. I tried to rush through the chocolate coating which is never a good idea. It took several tries before I managed the coating technique. I kept imaging Grandmas scattered across Ohio making these delicious treats. What method would they use to coat the peanut butter balls? I have no idea, but I found it easy to drop the entire ball into a shallow pan of melted chocolate, then gently rock the pan back and forth until just the right amount of peanut butter was exposed to make it look like a Buckeye. I used a chocolate fork to retrieve the chocolate covered candies.

I shared these treats at our friend's party. Everyone gobbled them up as they raved about the great flavor. Next time I might add a scant 1/4 teaspoon of salt to balance the sweetness. I briefly considered using crushed gingersnaps instead of graham crackers, but maybe next time. Thanks to Karen for for hosting this week's recipe. Be sure to check out Karen's post for the recipe and the baked creations by members of Club: BAKED.

How to make a parchment paper circle by Michael Ruhlman

I always suspected there was a way to cut parchment paper to fit your cake pans without tracing the pan. Brilliant!

Goodbye tracing.

Club: BAKED: Caramel Apple Cake

This is the latest installment of Club: BAKED. Check out Lulu the Baker's blog for the recipe. Awesome selection!

Anyone who reads the smittenkitchen knows about Celebration Cakes. This is a Celebration Cake: a glorious 3-layer apple cake with an elegant caramel buttercream. I baked this cake for Paul's birthday. He took one look at it on the cake stand and said "that's one tall cake!"

I made the applesauce on Saturday (using McIntosh, Cortland, Fuji, and Golden Delicious apples), the caramel on Sunday, then baked the cake and whipped the buttercream on Monday. I'm glad I spread out the components because you cannot rush this cake. Take your time. Enjoy the process.

I previously baked the Whiteout Cake from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking which uses a similar buttercream. Warming the sugar/flour/milk/cream mixture reminds me of making a bechamel. It takes 10-15 minutes, but it's so worth the wait. I think the flour balances the sweetness. I beat the warm flour mixture for probably 10-12 minutes until it was cool to the touch. I worried that my butter was too warm when I added it, but it came together lovely. I had to restrain myself from licking the bowl. I often have a ton of leftover buttercream, but this recipe is the right amount. The ratio of cake to buttercream is right on!

This cake is very forgiving. I noticed several kind of large craters cracks in the middle when I added the second layer. I started to bum out...before remembering that frosting is really spackle! I added enough to cover the cracks. The cake held together and sliced like a dream. Perfection!

This is what is looked like after we burned 18 sparkler candles on it. Excuse the red candle drips and the smear. Photography is hard work.

Ashes by Ilsa Bick

Have you ever wondered what would happen if Cormac McCarthy's The Road smashed into Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games trilogy? I'm thinking it would resemble Ashes. My co-worker agreed and suggested tossing in Justin Cronin's The Passage, too. I haven't read it yet, but it's in my To Be Read pile.  From what I know about it, I think it fits perfectly.

I've shied away from the apocalyptic zombie/vampire books. I haven't read The Twilight books. I don't mix zombies with Jane Austen. But I've been watching The Walking Dead on AMC. It's good all around gore. The story and acting are okay, but the gore is supremely fun. The second season started last week which whet my appetite for a tale of zombies or The Zapped, as Alex, our heroine in Ashes, likes to refer to them.

Ashes is the first book in a trilogy by Ilsa Bick. The story pulls you in as Alex hikes into the deep woods of Michigan to release her parents' ashes and, we're not sure and neither is Alex, possibly commit suicide. After losing her parents, she discovered that she had an inoperable brain tumor which she refers to as The Monster. I'm all too familiar with brain tumors, so this aspect really drew me in. Alex runs into a grandfather and granddaughter who are trying to heal their own fresh wounds. As they start to pry into Alex's secrets, the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) hits. Birds fall from the skies, deer jump to their deaths, and Alex feels intense pain. Is it The Monster? Or something else? Alex regains her composure and discovers she's saddled with the granddaughter who is understandably freaked, but refuses to accompany Alex who sets off for the ranger station.

The apocalyptic landscape and the journey remind me of The Road which I really viewed as the son's coming of age story. Ashes ups the ante by removing Alex's parents before the story begins, and we definitely watch Alex mature quickly as the world turns to ashes. Alex is a strong female character reminiscent of Katniss in The Hunger Games trilogy. Katniss and Alex both try to maintain their human-ness as the world falls apart around them. They learn both good and not-so-great details about their character.

What happens to Alex as she discovers changes to the world and to herself brought on by the EMP. What's family? What's your true nature? Who do you trust? Who's left in the world? What or who caused the EMP? Do ethics still apply in a world turned crazy? Join Alex on her journey as she discovers the answers.

Club: BAKED: Sawdust Pie

This week's Club: BAKED installment is hosted by Tessa at The Cookin' Chemist. Check out Tessa's blog for the recipe and to check out her creation.


I love butter. I love to bake with butter. This recipe has no butter. Huh? Where's the butter? I'm typing this as the Sawdust Pie bakes in the oven, and all I can think about is how is this going to taste with no butter? I guess the pecans, white chocolate, and coconut contribute oil. But seriously, where's the butter?

The rustic collection of ingredients reminds me of something I would have made at Girl Scout Camp. Mix in nuts, sugar, crushed graham crackers, coconut, add the egg whites, toss in the oven. Younger Joan would have insisted on milk chocolate, but Older Joan is grateful for its omission.

I used sweetened coconut flakes because it was the only option available at the Cosentino's market across from my office. I was going to skip on the Simple Whipped Cream and banana slices, but decided this simple pie needed a few accessories.

I enjoyed making the whipped cream, but I gotta ask: did anyone else resort to using a mixer? I broke down after 2-3 minutes. The whisk was working, but my hand mixer really made the whipped cream come together.

I'm not a huge pie fan. Come to think of it, I'm solidly on team cake. If I do select pie, then I prefer a smoother, creamier pie. I do understand this pie's charms. I'm going to re-name it Granola Pie because it reminded me of a nutty granola bar. This pie would be an awesome addition to Thanksgiving.

Lollipop Molds

I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of these lollipop molds I bought on Amazon from a Canadian store. Tick tock. Are they here yet? No. How 'bout now?

I've eaten just about every candy available, but my candy making experience is very small. I view candy making as more chemistry-related then baking. I made this awesome Salted Chocolate Pecan Toffee last year. I cooked it a little too long which kind of made it take on a slight coffee flavor. It was not perfect, but people enjoyed it. I watched my Dad make peanut brittle every Christmas since I was old enough to eat it! I love that crunchy, peanutty candy. I've never made lollipops before. I stumbled upon a recipe for Salted Chocolate Caramel Lollipops in Sweet Confections by Nina Wanat via CakeSpy.

Seriously, can you think of anything more tempting? I love the flavor combo. The lollipop might encourage me to savor the flavor.

Acorns, and squirrels, and leaves..oh my!

I made these sugar cookies for my family's fish fry over the weekend. My brother is an avid fisherman who caught enough fish to feed my gi-normous family (thanks, Eric!). I used the basic sugar cookie recipe from Cookie Craft. I love this book for fun decorating ideas. If you're looking for a way to eliminate the hassle of trying to make sugar cookies, then you need this book. I learned how to use cookie slats to roll out the dough to a perfect 1/4 inch. I also learned the trick to rollout the dough before refrigerating. The cookies cut out really easy if the dough is stif

A co-worker shared how to make these super easy acorns with me. She saw them used as cupcake toppers at a bake sale. It's really more of a craft project. You need mini nilla wafers, kisses, and baking chips. I used the multi-color nilla wafers, milk chocolate kisses (the candy corn variety would look great), and Reese's peanut butter chips. I used leftover icing from the sugar cookies to "glue" the components together. The acorns were a huge hit at the party. The little kids enjoyed them the most!

Here's a close up of the cookies. I wanted to add additional decorations, but time ran out. I think they turned out okay. I'm working on my piping skills...it's definitely a work in progress!