Treats for appetites of every size
This is a big day: it’s the very last SMiLes by Meg post. I started this blog in 2013, fresh out of college and about to start a two year teaching job in New Jersey. I had no idea what I wanted my life to look like yet, and TFA was a way that I could push off that decision a little longer while doing something that felt important and meaningful. And because I was in a new place starting a new phase of my life, it felt like the right time to also get more serious about a new …
This weekend I started a two week vacation, and so far it’s been lovely. Yesterday, Erik and I went for a bike ride around Antietam Battlefield, and this morning I baked cookies and read a book that has been taking me way too long to read. However, we are yet to find matzo in DC, so if anyone has any leads (or boxes to spare) we would be very grateful. The cookies are Passover-friendly, which also means they’re gluten free. They come together quickly, are relatively easy to shape, and look like something you’d find in a real bakery (not …
This is going to be a quick post because Erik and I are about to sit down to some much needed Schitt’s Creek time, but this weekend I made some very big cookies that are kind of adjacent to a snickerdoodle. When I think of snickerdoodles, I think of cinnamon. But Hummingbird High’s cookbook had a couple of variations to snickerdoodles that piqued my interest. I mostly want to make her matcha snickerdoodle variety. Unfortunately, the Giant supermarket around the corner most certainly does not have matcha powder as a standard item. They do, though, have rainbow non pareils, so …
Hummingbird High has introduced me to maybe the best thing to come out of quarantine – mini cakes. Made in a loaf pan rather than a cake pan, these are normal sheet cakes, but meant for 4 to 6 people instead of 16 to 20. So for those socially distant gatherings you might be able to start having, where the group has to stay small, you can still have cake! I also discovered, in making this recipe, that I’ve been living a lie. I always say to make any loaf pan recipes in a 9×5 inch loaf pan, but it …
When I picked this recipe, I didn’t mean for it to be a clear-out-the-pantry recipe. And I’m not sure what it says about my pantry that this recipe did clean it out – I only had to buy some buttermilk and unsweetened chocolate, and happened to have everything else on hand. I did pick it entirely because I wanted to use my sprinkles. I didn’t expect this, but leaving the sprinkles in an airtight jar resulted in them all starting to clump together. I’m guessing because our apartment is a bit on the warm side, and maybe because I should …
This week in life-changing recipes, I learned how to make sprinkles. And I think I’ve found a new favorite thing to make. What’s better than a recipe that eats up 15 total minutes of your day and gives you a product that is infinitely customizable? I found this recipe in Weeknight Baking, which every person needs in their life. The book calls them overnight sprinkles, but I’ve found that most overnight recipes actually work great as over-workday recipes, if you’ve got a bit of time in the morning. For these, I did them on a Thursday morning, and when I …
I saw these on the New York Times cookie spread and knew I had to make them. I love pocky, and can never eat just a few. They’re crispy, chocolate, and are cookies, so there’s not much not to like. The best part? These ones are easy. They don’t actually make good cookie tin cookies (they break kind of easily and therefore shouldn’t be packed with lots of other cookies, but I think they’d look great out on a platter for dessert at one of the eighteen holiday parties you’re probably going to this week. In my cookie marathon weekend, …
This week, I made a super cool rainbow cake for Alexandra, one of the other first years in the corporate department at work. But before I get to that, I want to make a quick plug for donations to my upcoming bike ride. I’ll be riding the Best Buddies Challenge ride on June 1, and I have until May 17 to reach my goal. If you want to learn more about the ride, you can check out my donation page here, or drop me a comment and I’m happy to chat about why you should consider donating. Thank you so …
This week the humidity finally broke, meaning mornings and nights were once again bearable for baking. To take advantage, and because I had promised a friend I’d bring dessert to dinner on Friday (hi, Josh!), I decided to make something from my pre-blog life that I was actually astonished I hadn’t posted before: Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes. These cupcakes were a team dinner staple at the Baran household in high school (hi, Jen!), and I always had at least two. I made them once or twice in college, but college was pre-SMiLes by Meg, and I have no idea why …
Happy 3rd of July! Really the superior of the summer holidays, in my opinion. Nothing beats a day at the beach followed by a night of fireworks and bonfires. And, of course, cookout food.