If you could only bake one thing...

[cefmac]

If you could only bake one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? For me, I think it would have to be muffins, as they're so versatile - you can use so many different ingredients and they're appropriate for any occasion. Cupcakes come close, as I make a mean cupcake (if I do say so myself! ) but without frosting/icing they can be a bit plain and I think I would get a bit sick of super-sweet icing all the time.

 

[Marie]

I might have to agree with you there, with the muffins. Not only are there so many different variations, you can also have sweet and savoury muffins. For example, last night for dinner, we had some home-baked muffins, that had local goat's cheese, feta and caramelised red onion in them, with pine nuts sprinkled on top! Yummy! Once you've mastered the basic muffin batter, your possibilities become endless.

You can have breakfast muffins, lunch muffins, dessert muffins.. Given half a chance, I'd go muffin-crazy!

Other than that, I'd probably choose brownies/blondies, as they're just too irresistible! I don't think I could live without them, ha ha!

 

[cefmac]

Those muffins sound delicious Marie! I've never actually tried making savoury muffins before - I might give it a go sometime this summer. Nor have I tried making blondies - how do you make them? The same as brownies but leaving out the cocoa?

 

[Marie]

Essentially, yes, blondies are just brownies without the chocolate.. I think they can be called Butterscotch Bars too. :S

This is my favourite recipe for blondies; though I'm sure there are hundreds, from basic mixes to wacky flavour combinations

Raspberry & White Chocolate Blondies

200g unsalted butter, plus extra for the tin
150g white chocolate, roughly chopped,
300g light muscovado sugar
3 large eggs
200g plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
125g raspberries

1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter, then line, a shallow rectangular tin, approx 25cm x 22cm. Melt the butter in a pan, then cook gently for about 5 minutes, until the white solids turn golden and the butter smells biscuity and sweet. Cool for 5 minutes, then add half the white chocolate and set aside for a couple of minutes to melt. Stir until smooth.
2. Use electric beaters to whisk the muscovado sugar and eggs together for about 2 minutes until thick and pale. Tip in the flour, salt, cooled chocolatey butter and vanilla, then fold in with a metal spoon or spatula until even.
3. Pour the mix into the tin, then scatter with the rest of the chocolate and the raspberries. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until risen all over, with a dark golden crust. Cool completely in the tin, then cut into squares.

 

[blueeyes]

I would have to say muffins too. There are so many varieties and they are tasty and filling. Muffins are kind of a staple in our household and although I don't do as much baking as I used to, I do continue to make assorted muffins.

 

[Karen Watson]

Pizza! I could eat it every day. I make them small and without nasty toppings so I think I would be good!

 

[cefmac]

Essentially, yes, blondies are just brownies without the chocolate.. I think they can be called Butterscotch Bars too. :S

This is my favourite recipe for blondies; though I'm sure there are hundreds, from basic mixes to wacky flavour combinations

Raspberry & White Chocolate Blondies

200g unsalted butter, plus extra for the tin
150g white chocolate, roughly chopped,
300g light muscovado sugar
3 large eggs
200g plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
125g raspberries

1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter, then line, a shallow rectangular tin, approx 25cm x 22cm. Melt the butter in a pan, then cook gently for about 5 minutes, until the white solids turn golden and the butter smells biscuity and sweet. Cool for 5 minutes, then add half the white chocolate and set aside for a couple of minutes to melt. Stir until smooth.
2. Use electric beaters to whisk the muscovado sugar and eggs together for about 2 minutes until thick and pale. Tip in the flour, salt, cooled chocolatey butter and vanilla, then fold in with a metal spoon or spatula until even.
3. Pour the mix into the tin, then scatter with the rest of the chocolate and the raspberries. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until risen all over, with a dark golden crust. Cool completely in the tin, then cut into squares.

Thanks for the recipe - they sound really yummy! I might make them sometime this week.

 

[Happyflowerlady]

Mine would be CINNAMON ROLLS ! I love cinnamon rolls. Of course, they are a lot of time and effort to make them, so I really don't do it very often, but when I do make them, that is the thing that I enjoy the very most.
I like to add apples and raisins to mine, and mincemeat when I have it, just to make it something a little different.

 

[ACSAPA]

If you could only bake one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? For me, I think it would have to be muffins, as they're so versatile - you can use so many different ingredients and they're appropriate for any occasion. Cupcakes come close, as I make a mean cupcake (if I do say so myself! ) but without frosting/icing they can be a bit plain and I think I would get a bit sick of super-sweet icing all the time.

If I was limited to one thing I would say cupcakes because the definition of cupcakes has really become broader to allow different things. If you look on the site Tablespoon, there are meatloaf cupcakes with mashed potato icing, stuffing cupcakes topped with gravy and studded with turkey pieces, taco cupcakes, lasagna cupcakes that are tiny lasagnas, plus there are all the sweet cupcakes.

So if I could only make cupcakes for the rest of my life, I would have a lot of choices.

 

[RomanAnthonysMama]

If I could only bake one more thing for the rest of my life, it would be chocolate chip cookies...But not for me! My dad is going through a very hard time, and he just LOVES chocolate chip cookies, especially homemade ones. He just can't get enough of them, he is like the cookie monster! And he's almost 6 feet tall and 140 pounds so you have to wonder how he can eat them all and not gain a pound! So I would choose to bake them for him to make him happy and enjoy life a little bit more!

 

[ACSAPA]

If I could only bake one more thing for the rest of my life, it would be chocolate chip cookies...But not for me! My dad is going through a very hard time, and he just LOVES chocolate chip cookies, especially homemade ones. He just can't get enough of them, he is like the cookie monster! And he's almost 6 feet tall and 140 pounds so you have to wonder how he can eat them all and not gain a pound! So I would choose to bake them for him to make him happy and enjoy life a little bit more!

It's really sweet that you would save your one baking wish for your father. My daughter loves chocolate chip cookies too.
It's so nice that you would bake them forever just to make your dad enjoy life a little more.

 

[cefmac]

If I could only bake one more thing for the rest of my life, it would be chocolate chip cookies...But not for me! My dad is going through a very hard time, and he just LOVES chocolate chip cookies, especially homemade ones. He just can't get enough of them, he is like the cookie monster! And he's almost 6 feet tall and 140 pounds so you have to wonder how he can eat them all and not gain a pound! So I would choose to bake them for him to make him happy and enjoy life a little bit more!

That's so kind and generous of you! My dad is also having a bit of a hard time at the moment (and by that I mean, he has for the past few years as well...) but he has such a sweet tooth that he would eat absolutely anything I baked.

 

[LadyLuck7]

If I could only bake one thing, and that is a very hard decision, it would have to be oatmeal raisin cookies with my grandmothers recipe. The smell of them baking and the aroma wafting through the house reminds me of fun filled days as a youngster visiting grandma's house and feeling such peace and love. Sometimes a smell or sound can bring back the most wonderful and joyous memories.

 

[Shellyann36]

For me it would probably be cookies. Our family loves cookies (especially chocolate chip cookies) and I often make 2 or 3 batches at a time when I bake them.

 

[cefmac]

If I could only bake one thing, and that is a very hard decision, it would have to be oatmeal raisin cookies with my grandmothers recipe. The smell of them baking and the aroma wafting through the house reminds me of fun filled days as a youngster visiting grandma's house and feeling such peace and love. Sometimes a smell or sound can bring back the most wonderful and joyous memories.

They sound delicious! They do say that smell is the sense which is most closely linked to memory recall, and I can see why.

I don't understand why everyone knocks raisin cookies in favour of chocolate - much as I love chocolate chip cookies, nothing beats a nice, oaty, fruity cookie.

 

[shadow4852]

First of all, the thought of only being allowed to bake one thing for the rest of my life is rather frightening. What a sad and tasteless existence that would be.
However, if I had to choose, I too, would choose muffins. Muffin recipes are so flexible and have a variety of options. There are so many different flavors and ways to make them that it would take a little while to get bored with them.
Of course, cookies can also be switched up a lot, bit I just don't find them as sustaining as muffins are.

 

[Rubymusic1]

Flapjacks or pizza! Could eat these every day. Plus you can have a variety of fillings or toppings so you'd never get bored.

 

[Josie]

Well I was going to say brownies, because I automatically associate baking with treats, but I'm with those who say pizza for sure! So versatile, I could never get sick of it. But mmmm brownies,.. versatile and chocolate lol. Toughie.

 

[evelynmcgregor]

After much thought I will have to agree on muffins, too. They are so easy to do different things with. I have done them with ham and cheese in them, vegetables, as well as the traditional sweet ingredients. They are good for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I have them with soups, stews, chili, ect.

 

[Whitewolf2578]

Me and my wife just baked a chocolate frosting rum cake, and I kind of like the fact that a cake can get you a little bit tipsy specially when it is made with Jamaican rum, that would be the one thing I would make for the rest of my life, though it is kind of hard to resist the rum.