Like a Good Preschool Mother, I have offered my services for an upcoming bake sale.
Hmmm. What do I make? I would totally do the pumpkin brownie thing, but I don’t think the consistency will hold up well. (They want the items in plastic bags tied up with ribbons.)
Do you have an absolutely fantastic recipe for cookies, brownies or bars? Please help, as I desperately want the school moms and teachers to liiiiiiiike meeeeeeeee.
(Especially since Wito had a little accident involving poop remnants at school yesterday. Which was beyond mortifying. THE SITUATION IS DIRE, YO.)
I recommend Chocolate Chip Pound Cake. It makes two, can be cut into cute little cubes, and most of the ingredients are pretty basic.
(The cookbook shows it cut into cubes, maybe 1″ or 2″ square, and it looks adorable. perfect for dipping in chocolate sauce or whipped cream, maybe.)
Recipe from “Giada’s Kitchen” (p. 224)
5 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1/3 c mascarpone cheese at room temperature
2-1/4 c. sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 325. Grease and flour TWO 9″ x 5″ loaf pans. (Ahh. One for you AND one for the bake sale.)
In a small saucepan, combine the unsweetened chocolate with one cup of water. Place over medium-low heat and stir constantly until the chocolate melts (about 2 minutues). Set aside to cool for another 2 minutes, then whisk in the mascarpone until the mixture is smooth.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and chocolate chips together.
In a large bowl, beat the sugar, eggs, and vanilla for 30 seconds. Stir in the chocolate-mascarpone mixture. Add the dry ingredients until just blended.
Divide the batter between the prepared loaf pans and bake for 55-60 minutes. (It’s done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, with no crumbs attached.) Cool loaves in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. (If you plan to freeze the cakes, wrap them well in aluminum foil once they are completely cooled.)
Optional Chocolate Sauce: Use a double boiler to heat 2/3 c. heavy cream, and 1/2 tsp of vanilla. (When small bubbles appear at the edges of the pan, the sauce is done.) Pour the hot cream mixture over 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips. Stir with a fork until the chips melt and the mixture is smooth. Drizzle the sauce over the cakes, then refrigerate them for about 20 minutes until the chocolate sets. Return to room temperature before serving.
.-= Sarah´s last blog ..:: p!nk, pumpkin pancakes, and sunrises :: =-.
You can’t go wrong with this site! I love their cookbooks, their blog…everything!
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/occasions/bake-sale
I’m a “room mom” for the very first time– I know how you feel!
Put the bars on a paper plate, slide it into a plastic bag and tie it with a ribbon.
They told you you have to tie it with a ribbon? Oy.
I want that picture framed in my kitchen.
.-= sizzle´s last blog ..On the Homefront =-.
Oprah’s lemon pound cake (google it), cut into slices and bagged
It’s very good!
I love the Big and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. It’s the first one in the cookie section of the America’s Test Kitchen cookbook, which I highly recommend in general principle
You get 20 giant cookies out of one batch, which will look mighty impressive all bagged and beribboned. Plus, cookies as big as your kid’s face! What is not to like?
.-= RA´s last blog ..Spilled the beans =-.
Found this site through SAJ, and it was love at first sight. Their post today would be perfect, assuming the lovely ribbons are tied with a small, PC tag that says “contains almonds and coconuts.” ;) You know, for the allergic among us…
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/10/goblin-grub-chewy-chex-cereal-mix_07.html
have fun!
.-= Jamie´s last blog ..Because This? THIS I Know. =-.
Going with the whole pumpkin brownie thing, you could make Martha’s pumpkin swirl brownies. I just made these last week for and they are awesome. I may or may not have eaten half the pan.
http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=d4c0abd564923110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default&backto=true
.-= Emily´s last blog ..Little things, only bigger! =-.
I get really good recipes from the Cookie Madness Blog. She has a list of top 5 bake sale cookie/brownies. Check it out http://www.cookiemadness.net/?p=3541
The Chocolate Chip & Pretzel Cookie Bars found here: http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2009/08/13/chocolate-chip-pretzel-cookie-bars/. **swoon**
You must make these cookies! They are the BEST chocolate chip cookies ever. (via smitten kitchen)
Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
recipe from AllRecipes.com via smitten kitchen
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips – {I only use 1 1/2 cups}
• preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
• sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. in a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended.
• beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended.
• stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. drop rounded balls of cookie dough, about a spoonful at a time, onto the prepared cookie sheets. cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
• bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
• once cookies have cooled completely, smash about a 1/4 cup of vanilla ice cream in the middle of two cookies for a delightful summer treat.
I have no recipe, but am offering my commiseration on the poop issue. My son was not quite trained yet and hated to poop on the potty. In my defense, the daycare did not seem to watch him for the “signs” and so there were a few minor incidents. But the most mortifying one was when he hid his poop in another baby’s diaper bag…
I quit the daycare.
everytime I make these, people ask for the recipe. I make it into muffins and frost the top. They are great fall food.
Pumpkin Bread / cake / muffins
3 c. sugar
4 eggs
1 c. oil
2/3 c. water
2 c. pumpkin
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup walnuts 1 cup raisins (optional)
Beat eggs, add sugar and oil. Add water alternating with dry
ingredients. Add pumpkin, walnuts and raisins. Bake in a well greased bundt pan at 350 º for 1 hour or until
done. (or in muffin tin for 20-25 min)
Frosting:
1 pkg. Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
Beat cream cheese and butter in small bowl with electric mixer on
medium speed until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy after each addition
( like to stick a little candy corn on top too, its cute that way!)
ps…the pumpkin cake I just posted can be made to look like the Great Pumpkin Cake from kraftfoods.com. Thats really adorable and I have done that numerous times with great feedback! :)
Check out this website.
http://www.bakeorbreak.com/recipe-index/
The recipe index alone is mouth-watering! Here are a few that look mouth-watering and everyone will have no choice but to love you!
Chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake bars
Blackberry crumb bars
Peanut butter and jelly bars
Cinnamon roll cookies.
Good luck!
Your timing is impeccable! We just had a bake sale at work yesterday and I was agonizing over what to bring. In the end, I made Cheesecake-Marbled Brownies, and they went down very well! (In fact, I took third place. Yeah, yeah, third isn’t first, but still.) Also, they’re SUPER easy, you probably have most of the ingredients at home anyway, and they’re pretty impossible to screw up. I mean, if I can make them without screwing them up, you can too. The recipe is one I found on Smitten Kitchen (when it’s Deb’s, you know it’s going to be good) and it’s here: http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/09/cheesecake-swirled-brownies/
I made a double batch, but that was just because I was greedy and wanted some leftovers.
.-= Nothing But Bonfires´s last blog ..Just Like The Movies =-.
I just made these super easy and delicious pumpkin muffins found at smitten kitchen:
http://smittenkitchen.com/2006/10/promise-keeper-pumpkin-eater/
You could make wee ones for bite sized treats, too :)
.-= Amanda Nicole´s last blog ..: =-.
It’s not a cookie, brownie or bar, but when I was a kid I remember loving cupcakes made in ice cream cones. If your customers are mostly going to be kids, I think that’d be a hit. You don’t need to frost them (so no worry sticking to the plastic bag), but you could put some Halloween M&Ms or something similar on the top. Actually, anything using Halloween candy would probably be a big hit.
I’m in south OC so if you make those Pumpkin Brownies and tell me which school, I will come to that bake sale and buy ALL of them!
I’m thinking it might be better than just clicking on the post and drooling over and over and over…
.-= GreenInOC´s last blog .."Insurance Companies Have A Right To Their American Dream" =-.
deb’s snickerdoodles!
http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/09/snickerdoodles
8 ingredients for perfect cookies.
.-= beyond´s last blog ..dog walker 2 =-.
The Ghiardelli chocolate chip recipe is always a hit at our bakesale. We put a few in plastic and tie with a ribbon and they always sell out.
http://www.ghirardelli.com/bake/recipe.aspx?id=1045
You MUST make these. (I mean, if you like lemon bars.) I’ve made these for events before, and they are always snapped up. They seem like they’d be perfect for individual wrapping, and will hold up nicely if you plan to make them a few days in advance: http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/01/lemon-bars/
.-= metalia´s last blog ..Because there’s no "So! You Have Pleurisy" Pamphlet: A Fake Q & A =-.
Hands down, the best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever!
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/dining/091crex.html
.-= andrea´s last blog ..This one goes to 11 =-.
I agree with Keri. The King Arthur brownie recipe makes absolutely the best brownies I’ve ever had. My coworkers request them on a regular basis.
.-= abbersnail´s last blog ..The Horse Whisperer – a call for questions =-.
Squash muffins are always a huge hit at my girls’ school. Muffins are great because you can easily put them in baggies tied with a cute ribbon. And they’re (quasi) healthy. Here’s the recipe:
* 1/2 pound peeled, seeded and cubed butternut (or acorn) squash (about a cup, cup and a half of squash)
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour – (I use 1 cup all-purpose and 1/2 cup wheat)
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 cup white sugar (I use rapidura or turbinado)
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 tsp cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp nutmeg
* 1/4 tsp ginger
* 1/2 tsp vanilla
* 3/4 cup milk (you can use soy or almond)
* 1 egg, beaten
* 1 tablespoon butter, melted (or olive oil or even applesauce)
* brown sugar
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a 12 cup muffin pan.
2. In a medium saucepan with enough water to cover, boil squash 20 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat, drain, and mash (you could puree in a food processor/blender but mashing works fine).
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, white sugar, salt and spices.
4. In a medium bowl, thoroughly mix together milk, egg, vanilla and butter. Stir in squash. Fold the squash mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling cups about 1/2 full. (it’s really yummy if you sprinkle a little brown sugar on the top of the muffins before you put them in the oven!) Bake 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from muffin pan and cool on a wire rack.
Also (sorry for the two comments), where did you find that picture? I love it!!!
.-= abbersnail´s last blog ..The Horse Whisperer – a call for questions =-.
How could you not love this?
Cookies and Cream Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients:
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
10 oz. marshmallows
1 tsp. vanilla extract
6 cups Rice Krispies
20 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped
4-6 oz. white chocolate, chopped
finely chopped Oreos, for topping
Directions:
Place bittersweet chocolate in a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until completely melted. Set aside. Grease a 9×13? pan.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the marshmallows and stir until melted and well combined. Turn off heat and stir in the melted chocolate and the vanilla extract. Gently stir in the Rice Krispies and coarsely chopped Oreos, and mix to coat evenly. Press the mixture into the prepared pan, leveling the top. (I like to use a piece of plastic wrap over my fingers and press it down with my hand.) Allow to cool completely.
Once cooled, cut into squares. Place white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, and stir until completely melted. Place the finely chopped Oreos in another bowl. Dip the top of each square into the white chocolate and then the finely chopped cookies. Set aside to cool and let the chocolate set completely. Store in an airtight container.
This brownie/cookie combo is super easy and swoon worthy delicious.
http://www.bakerella.com/thaaank-you-betty/
.-= Just Shireen´s last blog ..Friday Night Bites =-.
I have 3 words for you: Maple Popcorn Balls (You could do vanilla, too, but I love, love, love maple extract!)
INGREDIENTS
* 2 cups white sugar
* 1 cup light corn syrup
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1/4 cup water
* salt to taste
* 1 teaspoon maple extract
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 5 quarts popped popcorn
DIRECTIONS
1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, corn syrup, butter and water. Stir and heat to hard-crack stage or 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Remove from heat, add maple extract and cinnamon; mix well.
2. Pour slowly over popped popcorn while stirring. Wait 5 minutes and shape into 3 inch round balls. (A little cooking spray on your hands helps keep the popcorn sticking to itself and not to you.)
** You could even add a little orange food coloring and use green & brown ribbon to make it look like a pumpkin
.-= Darcey´s last blog ..Honey, I’m Home! =-.
Neiman Marcus Cookies:
http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/service/nm_cookie_recipe.jhtml
I can second the recommendation on the Snickerdoodles or the lemon bars from Smitten Kitchen.
I can also HEARTILY recommend the brownie recipe from the Brooklyn bakery Baked (from cookbook of same name). Oprah named the brownie as one of her favorite things and catapulted the bakery’s business big time. It has won many contests. It is a fudgy thing of beauty. I ate them at their booksigning in SF (they have been sent UPS from Brooklyn) and by God they were so good, I have baked them half a dozen times since then.
I would recommend against anything with nuts, peanut butter or the like. You don’t want to deal with nut allergy questions- you want to bake and have fun!
Also, if the baked goods will be sitting out for a long time (and you don’t have fridge access), I would avoid anything with a cream cheese frosting or any bar with a lot of cream cheese in it (it’s probably fine, but that stuff needs to be kept chilled in a bakery. I would just avoid it.)
I wouldn’t choose chocolate chip cookies; they are best warm.
wow, this is long. i am a freak.
I am with Sizzle!! I want to frame that print in my kitchen!!! Where did you find it?
.-= Rachelino´s last blog ..Flo Braker’s Dark Chocolate Cake Recipe – Update =-.
I made some super yummy s’mores bars recently. I sent them to work with my husband and all the guys loved them!! I think they’d hold up good in a baggie too.
My blog about them:
http://alexandjess.wordpress.com/2009/09/04/smores-bars/
Original source I found the recipe:
http://www.culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com/2009/09/01/dear-fill-in-the-blank/
Make sure you share with the blog whatever you end up making.
three options-
sheet cake w/ and w/o pecans (everyone adores these and you are an okie)
neiman’s cookies
those german choc things that liz makes (they sound dreamy)
Lordy. so many of us worship at the altar of the Smitten Kitchen!
.-= Sarah´s last blog ..:: p!nk, pumpkin pancakes, and sunrises :: =-.
Rolo cookies!
Here’s the recipe:
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1710,152167-248201,00.html
(I omit the nuts. And it rolls better if you refrigerate the batter for a few hours beforehand.)
.-= Trenches of Mommyhood´s last blog ..Shoes Glorious Shoes =-.
I’m having a bake sale-induced panic attack. How am I going to pick one thing? I WANT TO MAKE (AND DEVOUR) EVERYTHING. Y’all are totally coming through for me on this one…thank you!
And for those of you that mentioned the photo, might I introduce you to the greatest Flickr group ever – Vintage Cookbooks. Prepare to fall in love.
Last Christmas Cooking Light Magazine printed a recipe for Butterscotch Blondies that is awesome. It called for egg substitute, but I used the same amount of real eggs. The recipe has been on my mind since I caught the last half of the Nancy Drew movie with Emma Roberts…Nancy’s Aunt Bess apparently makes some kick-ass blondies.
.-= Nancy R´s last blog ..Beyoncé Filtered By A Four Year-Old =-.
BAREFOOT CONTESSA’S COCONUT MACAROONS! YOU MUST YOU MUST.
(I made these for a charity bake sale this summer and they were a hit. I put two-three in a baggie.)
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/coconut-macaroons-recipe/index.html
majorly easy, too. they’d be even better with some drizzled chocolate on top….hoo boy. good luck!
My mom has always been a great baker, but is most famous for her caramel bars. They’re pretty easy to make, basically a layer of dense chocolate cakeish, layer of chocolate chips, layer of melted caramel mixture, and more dense chocolate cakeish stuff on top. Recipe:
1 box German chocolate cake mix
1/3 c. evaporated milk (lowfat, not condensed)
1/2 cup melted butter/margarine
1 tsp. vanilla
–stir together above ingredients to make chocolate mixture
14 oz package of carmels (Kraft or Brach)
1 cup chocolate chips
–unwrap carmels for melting
–melt on low heat 1/3 c. evaporated milk
–stir occasionally
–use half of choc mixture to pad into bottom of 9×13 pan
–bake at 350 for about 6-8 minutes, it should rise a little bit
–sprinkle over layer a cup of chocolate chips
–pour melted carmel over layer of choc chips
–pad small spoonfuls of second layer on top, flatten and lay on with hands
–back in oven for 18-22 minutes on 350
–cool completely before cutting
–cut in straight vertical lines and then diagonal to make a sort of diamond shape for each bar (I can send pictures if this is confusing)
These brownies are to die for! If I ever quit my un-lucrative marketing career these are my moneymaker…easy and delicious
Triple Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients:
185g (6 oz) butter
185g (6 oz) dark chocolate, chopped
3 eggs
1¼ cup caster sugar (superfine)
2/3 cup plain flour (all purpose)
½ cup cocoa powder
¾ cup roughly chopped milk chocolate
¾ cup roughly chopped white chocolate
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180’C (350’F). Grease a 23cm (9 inch) square cake tin and line base with baking paper.
2. Place the butter and dark chocolate in a saucepan over a low heat and stir until just smooth. Allow to cool.
3. Place eggs and sugar into a bowl and beat with electric mixer until light and creamy.
4. Fold chocolate mixer into egg mixture.
5. Sift in the flour, cocoa and mix to combine.
6. Add the milk and white chocolate then pour into cake tin.
7. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until set.
8. Allow to cool then cut into squares.
when i was younger, my mom always made cake in a cone. Just bake a regular cake mix in flat bottomed ice cream cones! then you ice and add sprinkles. They were always the hit of the school!! and very easy :)
Fancy Rice Krispie Treats
1 (12 oz.) pkg. butterscotch chips
1 c. chunky peanut butter
7 cups Rice Krispies
1 (14 oz.) bag (or 2 cups) M&M’s (plain)
Melt chips and peanut butter over a very low heat. Stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth and creamy. Pour into a large mixing bowl and add Rice Krispies and M&M’s. Stir well. Press into aluminum foil lined 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan. Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour. Cut into 1 ½ inch squares.
.-= Robin´s last blog ..Can’t wait to see what she names her kids =-.
The BEST chocolate chip cookies ever: http://orangette.blogspot.com/2008/07/bold-statement.html
Also, pumpkin bars or bread (as everyone above me mentioned) are perfect for the ‘season.’
.-= Andrea´s last blog ..Tis The Season =-.
Chocolate Peanut Butter No bake cookies are always easy and tasty.
* 2 cups sugar
* 4 tablespoons cocoa
* 1 stick butter
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1 cup peanut butter
* 1 tablespoon vanilla
* 3 cups oatmeal
In a heavy saucepan bring to a boil, the sugar, cocoa, butter and milk. Let boil for 1 minute then add peanut butter, vanilla and oatmeal. On a sheet of waxed paper, drop mixture by the teaspoonfuls, until cooled and hardened.
Hey, you could probably make a small dessert recipe book off these comments. Call it the Virtual Cookie Book and charge $2 for each copy.
.-= cardiogirl´s last blog ..He jumps on my back every time I turn down overtime =-.
I second the nomination of Alton Brown’s chewy choco chips and also nominate the Baker’s One Bowl Brownie recipe, which is written somewhere on the package of every package of Baker’s Unsweetened Chocolate. Sometimes I get all fancy and substitute Scharffen Berger baking chocolate (but still using the Baker’s recipe) but most often, I just use Baker’s and it’s really, really good. People go nuts. Seriously.
I have had luck at bake sales/bakeoffs/etc whenever I make something savory. Most folks bring incredibly rich, dense sweet desserts, but not everyone has a sweet tooth. Plus, you get lots of cred for being creative. Some good recipes:
Deb’s cheese straws: http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/06/cheese-straws/
Alton Brown’s pretzels: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-hard-pretzels-recipe/index.html (the soft ones are even better but they don’t keep as well)
Or, to split the salty/sweet difference, David Lebovitz’s Chocolate-Caramelized Matzoh Crunch: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2008/01/chocolatecovere.html
I recommend Bakerella’s Cake Balls…weird name, AMAZING taste. If these don’t make the cut for the bake sale, try them some other time. They are a little time intensive, but Holy Cow are they worth every second! C’mon, you know you want to tell everyone at Wito’s school that you made Cale Balls!
http://www.bakerella.com/category/pops-bites/cake-balls/
Grrr, you want to tell them you made Cake Balls, not Cale Balls!
These are pretty much the best thing ever, baking-wise – I make them for Xmas and they go FAST:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Caramel-Shortbread-Squares/Detail.aspx
They’re pretty easy and taste like fancy homemade Twix, and you can cut them up small and bag them easily.
These are good, too (another Xmas recipe) – easy but the poppyseeds and jam add a nice twist that even my very, very picky husband liked:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cherry-Poppyseed-Twinks/Detail.aspx