Muffin Recipes for Healthful Alternatives to Cupcakes in School Parties

Baking S.O.S. says: I have been working with the administration, staff, and fellow parents in my children’s school district for many months to make changes to the Health & Wellness policy for the entire school district.

One of the topics that concerns many parents is the excessive amount of candy, sugary cupcakes and desserts served [...]

How to prevent cupcake liners from separating from the cupcakes

Baking S.O.S. says: I have received numerous questions and comments on one particularly tricky problem: Cupcake liners (or papers) have a tendency to separate from the cupcakes after they are baked.

Unfortunately, there is no one perfect solution to this problem. But through much trial and error, I and others in the baking community have [...]

Buttermilk Pancake Recipe: Inspired by Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution

I read a newspaper article recently about Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. In the article, a woman was attempting to make pancakes from scratch for the first time in her life. She didn’t know how to make pancakes that didn’t come from a box mix. Unfortunately, her experience represents that of most Americans.

I want to [...]

Biscotti: better once or twice baked?

Biscotti is a type of Italian cookie that, literally translated, means “twice baked.” The cookie dough is first shaped into a long, oval log and baked as a whole unit the first time. Then it is sliced into individual pieces which are laid out on cookie sheets and baked a second time to fully dry [...]

Raspberry Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting

A friend requested raspberry recipes after she picked 7 pounds of fresh raspberries. I tested and loved this recipe, which I modified slightly from the original recipe by Elinor Klivans published in the “Washington Post” Food section (2001).

Raspberry Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting

Yield: 12 cupcakes

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Test for doneness: Coffeecake

Once again, I am learning from my own mistakes, chalking my baking failures up to “experience.”

I recently picked 15 pounds of organic blueberries, most of which I froze for use in the Winter when fresh produce is expensive and less-than-desirable quality.

But I had some sour cream in the frige that was about to [...]

Learning from my mistakes

One of my philosophies I espoused on my home page is this: We can learn from our mistakes.

No matter how much knowledge I have between my culinary education and professional work experiences, there is always room to learn more. . . AND to make more mistakes!

Recently, I took a gamble when buying ingredients [...]

Cupcake Conundrum!

My entry for CupcakeCampColumbus

Originally uploaded by chefrb

Perhaps you have noticed that cupcakes are all the rage lately? I don’t know exactly WHY we are strangely drawn to cupcakes. . . perhaps it is our inner-child seeking comfort in foods that remind us fondly [...]

Connecting with people through food

My mission in life seems to be to make people happy through food. You know that old saying: “The fastest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” Well, when I was much younger, I think I tried to prove that theory to be true! Long before I decided to pursue a culinary career, [...]

Smart Balance 50/50 Baking Sticks Test: Take 2

Recently, I tested a new product for baking: Smart Balance 50/50 butter blend sticks. These sticks are a combination of 50% Smart Balance spread and 50% butter. The benefit to baking with Smart Balance sticks is that they contain 28% less saturated fat and 50% less cholesterol than butter (according to the Smart Balance web [...]