Hey Shorty Cakes

When someone passes away, it’s understood that food must be made. The community that surrounds the family comes together to feed them because we have yet to find a better way to cope with things. I’m not an advocate of eating your feelings, but I also can’t deny that it helps.

If I wanted analyze this grief reflex, I’m sure I’d find multiple levels. The first is the cooking of casseroles and such because this relieves the family’s burden of grocery shopping and cooking dinner. It can also provide a distraction. I’ll never forget the night of my father’s funeral. I was eight years old and my aunt taught me how to make scrambled eggs. Of course, that whole ordeal is imprinted in my memory, but that’s one of the things I remember most vividly because it was the first time I had successfully cooked for myself, a point of light in a mostly dark memory. Finally, there’s the idea of baking for the sheer comfort that calorie-rich treats can give a person. Baking for people doesn’t fulfill any primal need other than the need to make friends feel better.

I have to admit that I bake in order to be useful to others. I rarely, if ever, eat what I bake, simply because when it’s all said and done, I’m over it. I give away what I can of what I bake, or else it sits abandoned on my kitchen table. Baking helps with my feelings of inadequacy, I suppose, but I have yet to find anything that comes from my own two hands more useful or satisfying than homemade baked goods, except for maybe money, but more often than not, that’s an inappropriate gift. I could paint a picture that will inevitably be put in a corner on the floor to be buried under more practical things. I could knit a scarf that will be started in September when the idea of cold weather first strikes, only to be finished in June when it’s only use is to add to the disorganization of a coat closet. Needless to say, my creativity is only needed to feed people and I’m fine with that since nothing is more appreciated than a batch of muffins or a hefty chocolate cake. And in the times that we need to remember that life is worth living after all, nothing helps us appreciate that more than warm brownies and a glass of cold milk.

So here’s my recipe for nice chewy brownie to lift your spirits.

Chocolate Coping Brownies

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×9 baking pan. In a good-sized bowl, mix ½ cup vegetable oil, 1 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Then beat in 2 eggs, one at a time. In a smaller bowl, combine ½ cup all-purpose four, 1/3 cup of unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Gradually add the dry mix to the egg mix until well blended. Fold in ¼ cup of milk chocolate chips. Spread the batter into the pan and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool before cutting.

The thing about keeping a baking blog is the baking. I love the act of baking, the science of it. I like that I can throw some ingredients together and come up with something that makes people feel satisfied. But, inevitably, I end up with 24 muffins and only 2 people to feed them to. Or 5 dozen cookies and no holidays on which to blame them. That’s why whenever the occasion arises, I always volunteer my baking services for the good of the cause. I get to play in the kitchen and pawn the results off on someone else. I get to bake and my kitchen doesn’t end up looking like an episode of Hoarders.

I especially enjoy a challenge, and I got the chance when the yoga studio I work for decided to host an open house. “I’ll bake cookies!” instantaneously fell out of my mouth when I heard the proposal to promote our studio with a meet and greet with the teachers, friendly conversation, and, of course, free snacks. But then I remembered who we were marketing to: yogis. Not that yogis are all super skinny, willowy, bendy, bouncy gymnasts. Trust me, I know for a fact that yogis and yoginis come in all shapes and sizes, all ages and levels of flexibility. That’s the great thing about yoga – anyone can practice it. It’s sad that yoga has gained such a reputation of exclusivity when that’s the opposite of its teachings. But anyways, getting away from my yoga rant, the point is, we’re supposed to be promoting a healthy lifestyle (regardless of your current life choices) and shoveling cookies down someone’s throat isn’t exactly sending the right message.

So I found a recipe for Honey Citrus Drops, which only used 4 tablespoons of butter – instead of the norm, which, for me, would be an entire stick. And I made them bite-size, aiding in the ability to not eat too much. Although, they were so tasty – and perfect for spring – that it was difficult to eat just one, and the miniature size maybe worked against me. But you’re on a baking blog, presumably looking for baked goods, so maybe calorie count is the last thing on your mind. If that’s the case, try these cookies anyway, and leave the guilt at the keyboard.

Start with 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour in a medium sized bowl and sift in 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cream 4 tablespoons of softened unsalted butter with 1 cup of granulated sugar in a larger bowl. Add 1 large egg and 1 tablespoon honey to the butter mixture. Fold in 1 tablespoon lemon zest, 1 tablespoon orange zest, and 1 teaspoon lemon extract. Finally, gradually add the dry ingredients. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place on nonstick baking sheets. (Don’t flatten.) Bake for 9 minutes.

So, yesterday was Valentine’s Day, which I’m sure you all were painfully aware of. For the occasion, John was making me dinner so of course, I made dessert. I had bought these heart shaped springform pans as soon as Target put out the Valentine’s junk, which was probably January 2nd. So I probably bought them on January 3rd, since I’m in Target nearly everyday of my life. Needless to say, I get excited about cute baking supplies.

Anyways, I decided to make chocolate cheesecake because 1. cheesecake is about the only thing you can make in a springform pan and 2. I have an obsession with chocolate. Isn’t V-Day all about chocolate anyway? This was my first time ever making cheesecake, and if you’ve ever made a cheesecake, you know that it’s just about impossible to tell when they’re done. Especially chocolate cheesecake. It’s all guesswork. But the majority of my baking is based on guesswork so it’s all good.

Anyone who knows me knows I’m obsessed with espresso, mostly Americanos without room. Thankfully, my current freelance writing gig gives me the opportunity to feed my obsession by trying out the different coffee all over the city and turning every independently owned cafe I can find into my office.

But as much as I love my coffee, I do not own a coffee maker. That is, until the other day, when I gave in, went to Target and bought myself an adorable little coffee grinder and mini French press. Now I’m legit. Thanks to the re-gifts of whole coffee beans from my best friend’s school principal father who doesn’t drink coffee but has doting students who think he does.

Being the oddball I am, though, the first use of my coffee bean grinder was to make espresso muffins. I actually have yet to make myself a cup of coffee.

Caffeine Muffins

In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of freshly ground espresso beans, 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon baking powder, and 1/2 tablespoon baking soda. In a large bowl, cream 1 stick of butter with 1 cup of sugar. Add 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract and 2 large eggs. Fold the dry mix into the butter mix, adding enough milk to make it workable, but still pretty dry. (Maybe 1/4 cup of milk, if that.) The batter should be sticky, and will be an weird brown-gray color, which, yes, scared me too, but seriously, no worries. My mom liked them, and she hates coffee. This recipe yields about 18 muffins. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.