It is more difficult to summarize CakeSpy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life, the new cookbook from Jessie Oleson, the blogger and artist behind Cakespy. This is because the book has a tremendous amount of personality – much like Jessie herself (who I’ve had the pleasure of meeting on several occasions) – and isn’t just about recipes. The book is about Jessie’s love of sweets, and the excitement and passion that she has for all things sweet comes through on every page of the book and in every recipe.
The first thing that you’ll notice about the book is that it is loaded with Jessie’s cute and distinct illustrations of everything from anthropomorphic cupcakes to unicorns on a sugar high. They are on just about every page and really serve to draw you in to the recipes. The recipes are as fantastic as the illustrations, and include things like Cinnamon Rolls Stuffed with Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Doughnut Upside Down Cake and Red Velvet Cake Milkshakes. They sound over-the-top and they are, but they’re also perfect for satisfying a sweet tooth and the need to have some fun in the kitchen. In addition to the illustrations, many of the recipes are accompanied by photos that show fun and mouthwatering desserts.
The recipes are accessible and give bakers options, such as making their own cookie dough or using store bought. Jessie’s friendly voice reassures readers as they work their way through the recipes – and you really can’t help getting excited about the process while you’re baking. As a result, these recipes will work for even the most timid bakers, while providing ideas an inspiration for more experienced cooks. The recipes are as fun as the illustrations and this is one cookbook that will put a smile on your face just by turning the pages.
It is almost impossible to resist a good caramel apple. Not only are they stunning to look at, but the combination of slightly salty, buttery caramel with sweet-tart juicy apples is pretty close to perfect. I’ve worked on making a good caramel apple recipe for a long time. It is tempting just to use store bought caramels (good quality, of course!) because they are very convenient and melt down in just a few seconds in the microwave. It is much more satisfying – not to mention tastier – to make your own Caramel Apples from scratch.
To make the apples, start by cooking sugar, water and a small amount of corn syrup (golden syrup is a good substitute if you don’t have corn syrup) together in a large saucepan until it turns dark golden in color, then you stir in heavy cream, butter and salt. I usually cook the first portion of this recipe without a candy thermometer, because it is very easy to see the color of the sugar turning a deep gold. Once the cream and butter have been added, the caramel needs to cook until it reaches hard ball stage (260F) so that it will be thick enough to stick to the apples without simply running down the sides of the fruit. You will need a candy thermometer at this point to ensure that you get accurate results. The caramel making process is not difficult, it just requires a little bit of patience.
When you’re making caramel apples, you can really use almost any kind of apple that you like. Some people really like tart Granny Smith apples as a contrast to the caramel. Others prefer a sweet apple, any kind that they would normally choose for a snack. I tend to use the same types of apples that make good choices for apple pie, apples that are crisp have a bright flavor, like Braeburn, Fuji and Pink Lady apples. I also like the look of a red apple underneath all that caramel, so I definitely go out of my way to choose particularly good looking apples when I’m ready to make a batch of these!
Once the apples are dipped, place them on a silpat or a piece of parchment paper to set up and they will be easy to peel off once the caramel has cooled. This recipe makes enough caramel to cover 6 large apples. You can double it (be sure to use a much larger saucepan!) if you want to make more, though I would recruit an assistant to help with dipping if you’re going to make that many. They will keep well for several days, but should be kept in a cool, dry place if you’re not going to indulge right away.
Pumpkin is a fall baking staple, and while you can certainly make your own puree at home with just a little bit of effort, it is far easier to stock up on canned pumpkin for your baking projects. Canned pumpkin is a very consistent and reliable product to work with and can give you great results in your recipes. Most recipes that call for pumpkin are formulated to use canned puree, and because homemade versions can vary somewhat in flavor and texture, they can occasionally throw a recipe off if you’re not aware of that. I do like to make homemade puree when I have an especially good pumpkin to work with, but I always have some of the canned stuff in my pantry so that I am ready to bake pumpkin pie on a moment’s notice. There are several brands of canned pumpkin out there and, like most products, there is some variation in flavor that can really impact your finished products. A few seasons ago, Cook’s Illustrated did a taste test on several brands of canned pumpkin to see which brand baked into the best pumpkin pie.
They tested Farmer’s Market Organic Canned Pumpkin, Libby’s Canned Pumpkin and One-Pie Canned Pumpkin. Libby’s Canned Pumpkin and One-Pie Canned Pumpkin were both taste-tester favorites, even though they had slightly different flavors. One Pie had a slightly “sharper” pumpkin flavor, while Libby’s was “creamy” and had more sweetness to it. The test kitchen didn’t recommend Farmer’s Market Organic Canned Pumpkin, which testers said had an unpleasant “chalky,” “vegetal” flavor to it. I bet that I’m not the only one who was surprised at the results of the test (given that I keep both brands in my pantry on a regular basis)! The full review is online (available without subscription until the end of the month), if you want to read through the test before stocking up on pumpkin the next time you’re at the store.
The CI test kitchen also mentions – and it is worth mentioning again regardless of your brand preference – that it is important to check the labels carefully when you’re buying canned pumpkin to ensure that you don’t buy pre-sweetened, pre-spiced pumpkin pie filling when you’re in the market for plain canned pumpkin for your baking.
Pumpkin brownies are one of my favorite fall treats to bake because I am a huge pumpkin pie fan and like just about any dessert that gets those delicious pumpkin spice flavors into it. I first make Pumpkin Brownies with Pecans a couple of years ago, and I’ve been making them ever since. Unlike regular brownies, these don’t have any chocolate in them. What they do have a chewy, fudgy texture that is a lot like that of brownies or blondies, and a great pumpkin flavor. The brownies use canned pumpkin (or homemade pumpkin puree) to provide a moist, dense base for the bars, and are seasoned with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Chopped pecans add some texture and crunch to the bars, and contrast well with the pumpkin. They’re faster and easier to make than pumpkin pie – not to mention that they’re more portable and easy to share – so they’re a great snack to whip up on a fall day.
The bars are easy to make, but since it’s an unusual recipe, I’ve put together a step-by-step video (that I hope will be one of the first of many to come) showing the process of how to make Pumpkin Brownies from start to finish. Don’t forget to check out the full recipe from the original post so that you can try baking a batch yourself, too!
As a pumpkin fan, things that call for pumpkin pie spices always catch my eye, though I am always surprised to see the wide variety of foods that get an infusion of fall flavor through pumpkin spice flavoring. These Pumpkin Spice Marshmallows were no exception. The jet puffed marshmallows are made by Kraft and appeared on the shelves in the baking aisle at stores in my area just a couple of weeks ago. Pumpkin pie spice is made with cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg, and this combination of spices is so closely associated with pumpkin pie that it will give just about anything a dose pumpkin pie flavor. When I picked up the marshmallows to give them a try, I wasn’t sure how the flavor would come through, but the marshmallows actually tasted great. They had a distinct pumpkin pie spice flavor without being too strong, and they had a nice sweetness to them that actually made them turn out to be a pretty good snack. The marshmallows were smaller than your typical jet puffed marshmallows, and were shaped like little orange pumpkins, too.
I’ve made homemade marshmallows with a variety of different flavors and typically have very good results. These are probably the most successful commercially available flavored marshmallows I’ve tried – and because of that, I’m glad that I did! These are great in hot chocolate and other pumpkin spice coffee drinks, and I suspect that they might make a good marshmallow topping for that classic marshmallow topped sweet potato dish that is a Thanksgiving staple for many, too.
It is more difficult to summarize CakeSpy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life, the new cookbook from Jessie Oleson, the blogger and artist behind Cakespy. This is because the book has a tremendous amount of personality – much like Jessie herself (who I’ve had the pleasure of meeting on several occasions) – and isn’t just about recipes. The book is about Jessie’s love of sweets, and the excitement and passion that she has for all things sweet comes through on every page of the book and in every recipe.
