Bake or Break Recipes

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 9″x 13″baking pan. Line bottom with parchment paper. Butter the parchment and dust with flour, tapping out the excess.

Beat butter and sugar together on medium speed of an electric mixer. Mix for about 2 minutes, until fluffy. Add eggs and peanut butter, and beat about 2 minutes or until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. Add to butter mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Add vanilla and mix.

Transfer two-thirds of dough to pan and spread evenly. Spread jam on top of dough. Crumble remaining dough on top of jam. Sprinkle with peanuts.

Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until golden. Rotate pan half-way through baking. Tent loosely with foil if bars are getting too dark.

Cool on a wire rack. Run a knife around the edges to loosen. Refrigerate 1-2 hours. Cut into bars and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Makes about 3 dozen bars.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Stir together 3/4 cup sugar, flour, 3 tablespoons cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Stir in milk, butter, and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Pour into an ungreased 8-inch square glass baking pan.

In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, and 4 tablespoons cocoa. Sprinkle evenly over batter. Pour hot water over the top. Do not stir.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Let stand for 15 minutes, then serve. Use the chocolate sauce in the bottom of the pan to spoon over servings. Garnish, if desired, with ice cream or whipped cream.

Makes 8 servings.

Combine 4 cups flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well. Add flour mixture and mix well.

Divide dough in half. To one half, add cocoa and mix. To the other half, add 1/4 cup flour and mix. Stir into each dough 1 cup oats and 1 cup chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375°. Combine 1 tablespoon of each dough, twisting together to make one cookie. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. If dough becomes too warm, refrigerate for a few minutes then resume forming cookies.

Bake about 10 minutes or until lighter dough is golden brown. Cool on sheets for 2 minutes. Then, remove cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 4 dozen large cookies.

Preheat oven to 350°. Line mini muffin pans with paper liners.

Place butter and 4 ounces white chocolate in a large bowl. Microwave on high in 30 second intervals, stirring between each, until mixture is smooth.

Stir in brown sugar and granulated sugar. Stir in eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. Gradually stir in flour. Stir in vanilla. Then, stir in white chocolate morsels and nuts.

Spoon batter into muffin pans. Bake for about 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool in pans for 5 minutes. Then, remove from pans and cool on wire racks.

Makes about 60 blondies.

Place butter and sugar in a food processor. Pulse about 15 times until sugar disappears. Add flour and salt and pulse again about 15 times until butter is no larger than small peas.

Stir together egg yolk and cream. Add to the food processor and pulse about 8 times, just until incorporated. The dough should be in crumbly pieces. Transfer dough to a platic bag and press from the outside just until it holds together.

Transfer dough to a large piece of plastic wrap. Using the plastic wrap, knead the dough a few times until it becomes one smooth piece. Flatten into a 6-inch disc. Wrap well and refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze for 10 minutes until firm enough to put into the tart pan.

Roll dough between lightly floured sheets of plastic wrap into an 1/8-inch-thick circle. Work quickly so that dough does not soften. If it becomes too soft, place it (in the plastic wrap) on a baking sheet and refrigerate or freeze until firm.

Remove top sheet of plastic wrap. For a 9 & 1/2- by 1-inch tart pan, cut dough to an 11-inch circle. Lift the dough using the plastic wrap. Invert the dough and drape it evenly into the tart pan. Remove plastic wrap and press dough into the sides of the pan. The dough should come about 1/8 inch above the rim of the pan because it will fall during baking.

Bake at 425° for 5 minutes. When the dough starts to puff, prick it lightly with a fork. Then bake at 375° for 10-15 minutes.

Baked crust will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan or two 9″x 5″loaf pans.

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Scoop out about 1/4 cup of this mixture and combine it with nuts to coat. Stir back into the flour mixture.

In a separate bowl, combine butter, eggs, sugar, pears, and vanilla. Add the pear mixture to the flour mixture, stirring just until flour disappears and batter is evenly moistened.

Pour batter into prepared pan(s). Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until bread is browned and firm on top. A pick inserted into the center should come out clean.

Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then, remove from pan and place top side up on a plate or wire rack to cool completely.

Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar about 3 minutes or until fluffy. Add egg and mix well. Stir in vanilla. Reduce mixer speed to low and add flour mixture in three portions, mixing each just until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips and cherries. Refrigerate dough for a few hours until firm.

Place the dough on a clean work surface and divide in half. Roll out into logs about 12 inches long. Refrigerate for about an hour. Dough can be frozen for a month if wrapped well in plastic wrap and aluminum foil.

Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheets. Cut dough into 1-inch slices. Place cookies 1 & 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until cookies look just baked. Do not overbake.

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour a 9-inch square baking pan. Tap out excess flour. Set pan aside.

Toast and skin hazelnuts. Chop hazelnuts in a food processor until coarsely ground. Hazelnut pieces should be about 1/8-inch.

Coarsely chop chocolates and place in the top of a double boiler. Melt with butter and Nutella over simmering water. Stir occasionally until smooth. Remove top bowl from heat for mixture to cool.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Whisk sugar into chocolate mixture, mixing well. Whisk in eggs until mixture is glossy and smooth. Stir in flour mixture and hazelnuts, stirring just until combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a tester comes out with moist crumbs. Cool brownies completely in pan on a wire rack.

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spray Baker’s Edge pan.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and lemon zest. Mix. Add dry ingredients and beat just until combined. Stir in pecans.

Spread dough into prepared pan. Sprinkle raspberries over top of dough. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the bars comes out clean. Cool completely in pan.

Mix yeast, salt, sugar, and olive oil with the water in a 5-quart bowl or lidded, non-airtight food container. Mix in flour without kneading, using a spoon, food processor with dough attachment, or stand mixer with dough hook. Cover loosely and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses or flattens on top (about 2 hours).

After the initial rise, the dough can be used but is handled more easily when cold. Refrigerate in a lidded, non-airtight container and use over the next 12 days.