Better Baking with Butter

How my baking hobby fits into my romance novels.

When I say I love to bake, I’m not lying. It’s one of my favorite things to do.

In The Secrets of Sweet Blessings Bakery, my single title release from Choc Lit, Mariah makes Sam brownies.

When I wrote the story, I wanted characters who go through trials to grow. They are sisters, but they are not family, and one way they come together is to try to recreate their grandmother’s chocolate bourbon pie.

So back to the brownies. I never use a box when I make mine. When I do make them, I use one of two recipes. The first is on the box of Baker’s Bar of Chocolate (shown below). It must be baked on foil in a 13×9 pan.

The second is the 8×8 cocoa powder recipe from my favorite cookbook. I have this recipe memorized. Additionally, my daughter doesn’t like them frosted, but I do.

In The Secrets of Sweet Blessings Bakery, there are also chocolate chip cookies and snickerdoodle. I’m going to be honest. Indeed, I’ve found the secret to good chocolate chip cookies is in the butter. Any cookie can be improved with butter.

I use Kerrygold, but anything with a high fat content works. Do not use margarine or anything that isn’t real. Be sure it is at room temperature and beat it until fluffy.

The chips do matter, but you can pick your favorite. From Nestle to Hershey’s to Guittard or Ghirardelli, options abound. Then follow the recipes on the back of the bag.

Finally, swap out the 3/4 cup light brown sugar for 1 cup. Then reduce white sugar from 3/4 to 1/2. I don’t measure my flour exactly. Some recipes call for 2 1/4 cups, and others 2 1/2.

I get it somewhere in there and use my mixer to beat it all together. As for the vanilla, use real vanilla and anywhere from 1-2 teaspoons of it.

I’m always creating and baking, and it’s a hobby I love, meaning it’s fun to write about bakeries and the women who run them, like I did in Love’s Secret Ingredient and The Secrets of Sweet Blessings Bakery. Enjoy!