175 Best Small-Batch Baking Recipes
I was ecstatic to receive my copy of Jill Snider’s 175 Best Small-Batch Baking Recipes. Why, you ask? Because the night before, I had tried making myself and my significant other some tasty chocolate chip cookies. What I’d put in the oven looked like cookies. What I’d taken out of the oven looked like cookies. What had adhered itself to my cookie sheet was definitely not cookies (I think I made super glue).
Anyway, my non-existing baking skills aside, this book of recipes is a great addition to my (ever growing) collection of books. 175 Best Small-Batch Baking Recipes includes not just the aforementioned number of small-batch recipes, but also details for the baking ingredients and equipment needed (ie. what is flour? what is the standard size of a cookie sheet?). Snider, author and baker extraordinaire, writes easy to follow recipes with a nice little “variation” option on each recipe. So if I don’t want (or have) hard candy, I can replace it with chocolate chips. Easy as (eating) pie.
The small-batches is another reason I like this book. It’s just my S.O. and I, so we don’t really need three dozen cookies. Usually, I just want one or two, then my sweet tooth goes back into hibernation. These recipes all make enough for two people – a snack with no risk of filling up before dinner.
175 Best Small-Batch Baking Recipes covers everything from brownies, bars and squares to gluten-free desserts and tarts. It comes with clear instructions and full colour photos for some of the recipes to make your mouth water and let you know what it should look like when it’s done.
Definitely worth checking out.
Caramel Apple Bars
“These bars bring back fond memories of the caramel apples I enjoyed as a kid at fall fairs, exhibitions and Halloween.”
Makes 9 Bars
3 tbsp butter, softened
3 tbsp packed brown sugar
1/2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
6 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup coarsely grated peeled, cored apple
2 tbsp caramel sundae sauce
3 tbsp chopped peanuts
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 8- by 4-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, using a wooden spoon, beat together butter and brown sugar. Gradually stir in oats, flour and cinnamon, mixing until crumbly. Set aside 1/3 cup for topping. Press remaining mixture evenly into bottom of prepared pan. Scatter apples evenly overtop. Sprinkle with reserved oat mixture. Drizzle with caramel sauce. Sprinkle peanuts overtop.
Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 22 minutes or until set and golden. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Remove from pan, using parchment liner. Cut into bars.
Variations
Use a combination of half pears and half apples.
Substitute cashews for the peanuts.