I'm a fan of the bran muffin. Not as much as I am a fan of the blueberry muffin, or the pumpkin muffin, or the banana-walnut-chocolate-chip muffin, but every now and then I like a good hit of fiber in the morning. Something I can really sink my teeth into. Raisins are an added bonus. The problem with bran muffins is that they are often dry to the point of being sandy. Taking a bite can be like filling your mouth with woodchips—not exactly an appealing breakfast option. So when I saw that the Sun Maid Honey Raisin Bran Muffin Mix ($4.19) was labeled "extra moist," I decided to give it a try. For all appearances, the mix looked...
Continue reading »
"The combination of cakey chocolate and creamy vanilla was sublime—like a cross between a cupcake and an Oreo cookie." After reading the whoopie pie piece in last week's New York Times, I couldn't stop thinking about the pillowy pastries. Visions of moist chocolate cake moons and mounds of sugary cream filled my head. And I wasn't alone—inspired by the piece, a friend opted to serve whoopie pies instead of cupcakes at her birthday party last weekend. The whoopie pies she had—from Glaser's Bakery on Manhattan's Upper East Side—more than fulfilled my fantasies. The cakes, each about the size of a diner-style pancake, were light and fudgy, and left a trail of soft crumbs across every napkin they touched. The cream...
Continue reading »
Christmas is here, and 'tis the season of splurging—when it comes to both cash and calories. On a recent shopping trip to Williams-Sonoma I couldn't resist picking up a box of this Sugarplum Crumble Specialty Bread Mix, which promised to be "a festive bread studded and swirled with sweet plums and topped with crystallized ginger streusel." The price seemed at little steep at $14.00, but the friendly sales associate persuaded me, with much eye rolling and gesticulation, saying that it was "brand new and absolutely amazing." Since I had offered to bring dessert to an upcoming holiday party, I figured, why not? Bread, loaf cake—what's the difference?...
Continue reading »
With all the intense preparation needed for Thanksgiving dinners, a baking mix or sauce mix here and there isn't going to make or break the authenticity of your meal. The key is to use mixes that actually make life easier, rather than ones that complicate your free time. While I may not be preparing a whole meal for the holidays, the least I can do is bring a side dish, or perhaps, a bag of fresh buttermilk biscuits. So when Ed Levine handed me a pack of Organic Southern Buttermilk Biscuit Mix ($10.50 at Williams-Sonoma, at stores only) to try at home, I happily obliged and got to work. The tools necessary: the mix, a stick of unsalted butter,...
Continue reading »
My mom's version of Monkey Bread; my version from the King Arthur Flour mix Every Christmas morning for as long as I can remember, my mom would make her version of classic Monkey Bread using Pillsbury dough, with at least a stick of butter and a cup of sugar (if not double of both). I have such fond memories of the bread that I set out to recreate it with the King Arthur Flour Classic Monkey Bread Mix ($12.50, williams-sonoma.com) and its accompanying baking mold ($29.95, williams-sonoma.com). This mix is not about saving time or saving calories; start to finish the process was approximately 3 1/2 hours, including waiting time (and lots of cleaning). For a good laugh, I...
Continue reading »
It all started with the pears. In 1910, Seattle hotelier Samuel Rosenberg traded the opulent Hotel Sorrento for 240 acres of pear trees in southern Oregon. Following his untimely death in 1914, his two sons, Harry and David, took over the business, and, in the wake of the Great Depression, began selling their special "Royal Riviera" Comice pears by mail. The rest is history. Almost a century later, Harry & David is an umbrella organization that encompasses everything from fresh fruits and spiced nuts to chocolate truffles, salsas, barbecue sauces, relishes, and that dangerously addictive candied popcorn snack, Moose Munch. They also have mixes for all kinds of baked goods, such as scones, pancakes, and cookies. This being hot, sticky...
Continue reading »
